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June 19, 2012

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Elephant in Sand

Photo courtesy of Sky McCracken

Sometimes, even the elephant in the room has its head buried in the sand.

It's a quote from a Star Trek movie (First Contact), admittedly with a gender bias, but it certainly applies: "Don't try to be a great man. Just be a man, and let history make its own judgment." I think if you're going to be an elder in the United Methodist Church, it is good advice - and if you are going to be a district superintendent (or "presiding elder," as one lay leader in Paducah calls me), you really need to be a man/woman and let God be the judge of what you do. That means saying and doing some tough things in the name of the Lord. What follows are some tough things that I think need saying in light of a church that is in desperate need of renewal. I think our laity are desperate for it.

1. Changing the stance on homosexuality in the United Methodist Church will not stop the loss of membership in the denomination. It's at best a red herring and at worst a lie to espouse otherwise. The Southern Baptist Church continues to lose membership; they are in their fifth year of decline, and they have a very decisive, very clear statement on their opposition to homosexuality. On the other side of the issue, the Episcopal Church also has a very decisive and clear statement on homosexuality, where they bless and celebrate same-sex unions as they do male-female marriages, even though doing so separated them from the Anglican Communion. Did it help them gain members? Their membership is now lower than it was in 1939.

The loss of membership in both denominations, as well as in the UMC, can reasonably point to one reason: failure to make disciples. We can blame society, we can blame the president and Congress, we can even blame MTV. But we can't blame our stances on homosexuality. The fact that I hold an orthodox view on this issue and agree with my denomination's stance doesn't let me off the hook for anything - that has nothing to do with a failure to make disciples in the name of Jesus Christ. And yes... that is what it says in Greek: μαθητεύω - to make a disciple  - it's a verb, aorist tense, imperative, plural, second person. And as Dallas Willard reminds us, we are more often guilty of the Great Omission: once we baptize folks, and/or they have been converted to follow Christ, we seem to forget the rest: "teaching them to do everything that [Jesus] commanded you." That's discipleship. We have failed at discipleship - we suck at it! -  and have for several generations.

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June 19, 2012

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inconvenient truth

I found a wonderful statement in "Our Daily Bread" yesterday, "Wisdom is understanding what's really important." What is more important, making disciples for Christ, or forcing social issues shunned in the Bible on our membership? When we return to the purpose of the church, it will return to what Wesley began: winning souls for Christ.

Trudi Peters 362 days ago

appointments

I would be interested in knowing what "power" the clergy gave away when they got a guaranteed minimum "job." In many annual conferences and the General Conference they vote on the benefits that they receive, they serve on the committees that determine the benefits that the conference votes on. They have a hand in setting the guaranteed minimum “job” level.

As a lay person, it is interesting to me that the clergy in my church have guaranteed Health Insurance coverage paid for through my tithe... They have a guaranteed defined benefit, without the requirement for a personal contribution, for life funded by my tithe and a defined contribution based on their salary and housing funded though my tithe. They have the income tax exclusion for housing expenses for life. With the exception of a possible 401K for which I am required to make a contribution, none of these benefits are available to me and many other lay persons in my church. The good news is that I think each of the pastors in my church are worth every dollar that I contribute. However, I don’t remember hearing them talk about the power that they have beyond calling the congregation to be disciples and to make disciples. Nor do I remember them telling me their “job” was difficult. I do remember them talking about the call God made on their lives and the satisfaction of knowing that they responded in a positive and productive way with the concomitant stress involved.

Frank Dunnewind 363 days ago

Brother Sky's Wordsmithing

Well put -- espec. "we have come full circle...we have become what he (Fr. John ) sought to renew.

I agree 100%.
Now -- let's put our collective energies and resources to work to actually walk-the-walk -- enuf of the talking-the-talk over and over and over and over and over again ........ oh, and BTW -- I heard GC cost $3M -- I say lets teleconference the next one, save all those millions (and the $3M prob. does not include meals, lodging, transpo. for the delagates to come from places like AFRICA for instance !!) and feed like maybe 5000 HUNGRY PEOPLE -- (I seem to remember a story like that from .... from ..... oh yeah -- THE BIBLE! What a concept?!)

Todd Anderson 364 days ago

appointments

From the very beginning, being appointed and the "guaranteed" appointment went hand in hand for many good reasons. Pastors essentially gave their power away in exchange for a guaranteed conference minimum job. It was the deal that management and labor struck to manage the system. Bottom line: If the guarantee goes away then the appointive system needs to be dismantled as well. I think it is interesting and telling that this very point is very seldom made in the public debate, which shows just how dis-empowered Methodist clergy have come to see themselves. They should have demanded the linkage from the very beginning of the debate.

Mark T. Moore 364 days ago

inconvenient truth

Amen, amen and amen! Very powerful & sadly, true! Thanks for the wakeup call....keep speaking it! Don't give up!

Anita Beard 365 days ago

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