by

June 19, 2012

Do you like this?

Is that fair, equitable, or just? That is a completely different question. But the real question should boil down to this: what is best for the Kingdom? What is best for the Church and the lay folks we serve? Clergy are to serve, not be served, per ordination vows. If merging our conferences is the best thing theologically and missionally, shouldn't we be doing it regardless of the costs? That should be the only issue that is important. Are we willing to take the microphone and address that issue?

Ed Stetzer, who is the President of Lifeway Research of the Southern Baptist Church, says that cultural decline is not a good excuse for denominational decline; indeed, the only way the church will grow and take discipleship seriously means change. He sadly added, "Denominations don't change until the pain of staying the same grows greater than the pain of changing." If he's right, we're in for a lot more pain.

The Good News is that God is God, and He still puts up with us. If the UMC doesn't survive, God will use another means to do Kingdom work. As we stand right now, I suspect we have come full circle to where John Wesley started - we have become what he sought to renew. But this could be a very exciting time for the people called Methodists: we could reclaim the spirit that birthed us into a world that desperately needs it. The question is: will we?

I still like my job. More to the point, I am still humbled that God would use me in this way. May God continue to humble all of us into doing whatever it takes to make disciples for Jesus Christ.

Pax,

Sky+

Tags

, ,

by

June 19, 2012

Comments (5)

Comment Feed

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 336 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 337 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 338 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 338 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 339 days ago

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Your generous gifts to United Methodist Insight bring you the best of discernments from longtime church experts and rising leaders. Click on the donate button above or make checks payable to St. Stephen UMC and write "UM Insight" on the memo line. Then post to United Methodist Insight, c/o St. Stephen United Methodist Church, 2520 Oates Drive, Mesquite, TX 75150.
Thanks to our most recent contributors:

David Eichelberger

Continued thanks to our major supporters:
The Joe and Louise Cook Foundation, Temple, TX
Bishop Yap Kim Hao, Methodist Church of Singapore
Anne C. Ewing, First UMC of Germantown, PA
Phil and Joann Susag, Manchester, CT

Get UM Insight's Weekly Update

Sign up for the weekly compilation of UM Insight original content and articles from multiple sources of interest to the future of The United Methodist Church.
  • United Methodist Insight List
Built with Metro Publisher™