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.
