The End of the New MethoFesto — and a New Beginning

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This is the end of the New MethoFesto blog. I have decided not to post anymore on this site, and instead, direct all traffic to a new site, For the Common Great, at www.forthecommongreat.com.

When I originally began blogging at this site, I intended to comment on the direction and shape of the United Methodist Church. My byline was, “a UM pastor’s personal call to action,” which was a direct reference to an initiative to restructure the UMC at last year’s General Conference in Tampa. The Conference was an abysmal disaster by all accounts, and I wanted to contribute to the conversation.

But I’m done with all that. As I look back on my previous posts about the church and its workings, it all sounds like inside baseball. I can’t imagine too many people actually being that concerned about the future of a mainline denomination. I fear that even God is slightly bored by the conversation.

I still love my tradition, and consider myself United Methodist, but to the extent that most of North American Christianity is firmly stuck in Christendom models of church and discipleship, I am simply not interested. Most people are not interested. That’s why they’re “spiritual but not religious.” That’s why they check the “None” box when it comes to religious preference.

It’s plainly obvious that the church in North America is in terminal decline, no matter one’s theology, worship style, or politics. I have yet to see a denomination take the bull by the horns, and ride the chaos into a new future.

I don’t want to spend one more hour trying to prop up the status quo. I don’t want to waste any more time thinking about how to patch up a leaky rowboat.

Instead, I am extremely excited about what God is doing in the whole wide world, among people of different faiths, and in the fields of justice and peace. That’s where I want to be.

So go read about my plans for the new website at www.forthecommongreat.com, where I hope to encourage a new spirit of faith-based activism. I’ll be expanding it greatly over the coming months, including subscriber-only content such as videocasts, Google hangouts, and ebooks.

And yes, I’ll be observing Ramadan again this year. Follow the fun at www.forthecommongreat.com/blog.

I will also continue to blog about the missional church in my role as a Missional Monk along with co-conspirator Bret Wells, at www.missionalmonks.com. We will continue to have lively discussions around the emerging church of the future, but in an ecumenical and open style.

Thanks for being a faithful reader. Here’s to the Common Great!

The Rev. Wes Magruder is director of Daraja, a new outreach to refugees around Dallas, TX