The Project addressed a serious question facing denominational judicatories that ordain new clergy: What is a Modern Church to do with clergy emerging from a Postmodern culture? Postmoderns speak a new language and see the world differently than previous generations, shaped by a digital culture with which Postmoderns are intimately familiar. Postmoderns conceive of discipleship and Church in entirely new and perhaps unfamiliar ways; this can keep them from completing traditional ordination processes as mostly Modern BOMs fail to understand their language, hopes and dreams, and calls to ministry in a new world.

Based upon the biblical narrative of Eli and Samuel, the Project consisted of an online chat-based conversation with the Troy Annual Conference (TAC) Board of Ordained Ministry (BOM) as the starting point for teaching "Eli" (the BOM) to hear God's new call to "Samuel" (emerging Postmodern clergy). The conversation was created in a Postmodern format both to introduce and challenge the BOM to begin to understand the milieu from which our newest clergy are emerging.

Over seven weeks, Project participants engaged in an extended discussion of Postmodernity, aided by a reading of Rex Miller's The Millennium Matrix, video recordings of Seminarians reflecting upon their dreams for Church and ministry, and supplemental readings. Questions emerged regarding culture clash, ministry expectations, and denominational practice. Participants agreed that the Ordination interviews following the Project conversation felt different as a result of their experience with the Project, and that more conversation is needed.

To attract emerging Postmoderns, BOMs and other judicatory bodies must become bilingual and learn to function in ways familiar to Postmoderns. Creating authentic relationships, resetting evaluation paradigms, and reconsidering recruitment are possible elements of the Church's necessary "Rummage Sale."

The Project's lasting impact remains to be seen, as the TAC and four other upstate New York Annual Conferences form a new, larger Conference in July 2010. The new Conference will constitute a new BOM, whose membership may or may not contain many of the Project participants. It will be interesting to see if Project participants leaven the loaf of the new BOM practices.