What Pitfalls Are with Emmaus? Emmaus, like every vital renewal movement in the church's history, has its down side as well as its up side. Church leaders and members who have participated in Emmaus can anticipate several pitfalls as they work to realize the full benefit of the program for their church. Some of the common pitfalls are these: Walking to Emmaus and never leaving. Many people have such a positive experience that they have difficulty moving beyond it. But as Luke tells us, once the disciples returned to Jerusalem to tell the story, their focus was the risen Christ and service in his name, not where they first encountered him. Making Emmaus their church. Rather than propelling them back into their congregations, Emmaus becomes the focus of some people's religious activity. This typically results when an Emmaus participant's link to a church is weak or nonexistent. Emmaus should strengthen, not replace, persons' relationships to their congregations. Acting cliquish or elitist. This perception may result when enthusi­astic Emmaus participants continually talk together about their common experience, causing others to feel left out. Sometimes people mistakenly assume that Emmaus follow-up groups are closed societies, instead of straightforward discipleship groups. Sometimes people’s talk about their experience is louder than their actual witness through their deeds of love and service in the church. One of the pastoral challenges is to help enthusiastic Emmaus participants focus on servanthood and to encourage them to share the gifts they have received with the whole church. Talking   about  Emmaus   as   though   Emmaus   were   secretive. Sometimes people who have attended Emmaus do not reveal aspects of the three-day event so as not to spoil the experience for others. But as this booklet illustrates, nothing that occurs in Emmaus is secret. This withholding of information creates an air of secrecy that hurts the program and sets Emmaus participants apart in the church. Viewing Emmaus as exclusive. This perception may result from the fact that participants have sponsors rather than being able to sign themselves up. However, sponsors play an important role in supporting the participants in special ways before and during their Walk. Sponsors also enable participants to find follow-up groups after the three-day experience. Anybody may ask a person who has been to Emmaus to assist them in their decision to attend. Attending Emmaus for the wrong reasons. When persons go on the Walk for reasons other than those for which the program is intended, it may result in disappointment or a misuse of the program. For example, Emmaus is not designed to deal with fresh grief over recent loss or psychological instability, nor is it a haven for persons who live on the fringe of the church. Emmaus is for those who will return home to build up the community of faith in love. Failing to understand the potential of Emmaus. As a result of this failure, sometimes pastors do not channel Emmaus participants' energy in avenues of servanthood and do not encourage their continued growth. Sometimes church leaders do not know what to do with people who return from Emmaus with raised expectations for the church and for their own spiritual lives. Without leadership and guidance, Emmaus may become an irritant in the status quo rather than a creative force for change and renewal. Getting off balance theologically. Sometimes the theological leaning of Emmaus leadership in an Emmaus community gets off center and develops a narrow focus. Emmaus then loses its balance and fails to serve the whole church. The quality of Emmaus depends on the involvement of a broad spectrum of mature laity and clergy. The Upper Room works with local Emmaus groups to provide the training and resources necessary to minimize these problems and to guarantee the highest quality program.