Emerging from what???

The emerging church is a... thing... thrown about regularly within "modern" church circles.

The emerging church, according to Wikipedia (the final authority on EVERYTHING!) says that it "contrast(s) themselves with what has gone before."

But my question, especially in light of the above definition, is this...

What has your church emerged from?

What nationality?
What culture?
What theological, leadership and church backgrounds?

I ask because the answers matter if any "emergent church" is going to be a model for other churches.

And whilst I'm aware that few, if any, emergent churches would hold themselves up as blueprints for how-to-do-church, the reality is that some people can't help but do cut-and-paste ministry.

So if you're in Australia, an emerging church out of America or the UK, might not be the best place to look for inspiration.