UMC Mission Statement
A banner at the 2008 General Conference proclaimed The United Methodist Church's mission: to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.”
––Ephesians 4:11-13 (KJV)
The stated mission of The United Methodist Church is “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”
Often the message loses its balance. Some see the need for “the transformation of the world” without the transformer (Christ). Some see the need “to make disciples of Jesus Christ” without the doing the work of transformation.
We need both.
We need to not only read the scriptures we need our lives to become living scriptures. The way we live into our relationship with God may be the only scripture others see.
This is the calling of all followers of Christ.
In his letter to the members of the church in Ephesus, Paul says God calls people into different roles. Some are called to theological roles and some to administrative functions. Some are called for evangelism, teaching, preaching, or . . .
The body has many parts, but they all need to work together to form a whole person.
In Scouting ministries, we not only need people to engage in different roles, we need the same person to assume different roles at different times.
Sometimes we need to be teachers and sometimes learners. Sometimes we will preach the Word and sometimes we will be listeners to the Word.
As Scout leaders, we need to be prepared to address the needs of others as situations arise. We need to be, make, and do.
We will not all serve in the same roles at the same time, but we are the body. When we do it well, we become the living body. People of our communities will want to become part of that body.
Are you prepared to fulfill the roles required of you as a member of this faith community?
Steven Scheid serves as director of the Center for Scouting Ministry for the General Commission on UM Men. This post is republished with permission from the commission's website.