Who's Going To Do It?

A recap of our last class session is found in the previous post "Revival" followed by comments echoing the sentiments expressed by our class members. Essentially, we found agreement with Brother Pat when he said, "Discipleship over Membership, and Intentional over Institutional should be our watch words" in guiding the church back to reclaim it's roots in genuine Methodism.

Brother Pat went on to say: "Not only an increase in discipleship, but an increase in the faith filled practices of worship, including testimony, prayer, and spirit led worship are also needed to complete the change. There must be others who recognize this. Who are they?"
This is the question that I'd like to address and I solicit your input as well...

But perhaps it would be more appropriate to ask the question "WHERE are the others who recognize the need to let the Holy Spirit lead us in open and sincere worship unencumbered with rigid and rote liturgy? Where are THEY? They might very well be sitting next to you in church on Sunday morning and you'd never even know it.

Why? Because, unlike you who have undertaken this course of study in order to serve our Lord in a powerful way, most church-folk don't want to get involved, rock-the-boat, be branded as a renegade by their peers, and above all - move beyond their comfort zones - even for the benefit of their faith. In spite of the growing restlessness in the pews (and some defections), few are willing to step out in faith and pursue the path to authentic worship that is on a lot of our hearts. Are you?

Church Revival

I found it interesting that two of our classmembers chose "strengthening rural churches" as the topic for their class assignment at our last meeting. It really comes as no surprise as the West District is comprised largely of small congregations set in rural areas. Nonetheless, it was very gratifying to see the CLM candidates identify a primary need within their midst and embrace it.
There can be little doubt that this group is serious about the mission God has placed on their hearts.

Discussion was peppered with serious concern for the current state of the church and what we as disciples are called to do about it throughout the class time Saturday. There were some empassioned words expressed by several members about the need to return to our roots as a denomination. A shift of primary agenda to evangelism beyond the church and away from preservation of the church intitutional structure was cited as a formative step to reclaiming the roots of Methodism. In essence, we voiced that quality of discipleship was of far greater importance than an emphasis on quantity of membership.

Is it God's will and does it serve our mission

Brother Eric,  I certainly appreciate your love and concern for these older and smaller churches, and at one level, it is not only appropriate, but a worthwhile calling for CLM's to work to turn these churches into thriving churches.  However, I think the question must be asked, and hopefully answered through prayer, whether the "salvation" of these churches is really God's will.  In some ways, nearly all United Methodist churches need a measure of salvation.  I think the revitalization taking place at my home church in many ways is of that nature, because without a renewed focus on the mission of bringing people to Jesus Christ, we were on the downhill path.  

These churches you mention may not be a vital part of that mission today.  I know the Brenham area in general is growing rapidly, but are the areas served by these churches growing?  If not, perhaps your, and God's efforts should be focused on areas of growth, with many unchurched.  If the only mission, today, of these churches is to minister to their parishioners, then perhaps it is not in the cards for them to be revived.  You know these churches, and their hearts, and their willingness to fulfill the mission, so if I am missing the mark, just say so.  But I think, today, with so many needs, and with the rural areas stagnating, perhaps combining these churches, or, sadly, letting them go, is a better answer.  My only point here is that we must consider how we utilize our resources, of buildings, money, and wonderful  caring people like yourself, in the light of our mission.

Blessings

At our class on 3-28 we discussed the connectionalism of our church and it elicited a number of comments - some favorable and some unfavorable. A somewhat typical complaint regarding our connectionalism is on the subject of apportionments. This is particularly a bone of contention for older, small, struggling congregations without the funds to afford a full-time pastor and often included in a circuit that does not have services at every church on any given Sunday.

I have been privilaged to work with the three churches of the Brenham Circuit (Mt. Zion, Pleasant Grove, and Richard's Grove U.M.C.) for the last two years. Pleasant Grove has services on the 1st Sunday of each month only, Mt. Zion U.M.C. has services on the 2nd and 4th Sundays, and Richard's Grove has services only on the 3rd Sunday. As you can imagine all three of these once thriving, historic churches are in serious decline and struggle to maintain their aging edifaces and pay their apportionments each year.

We know that CLMs are called to fill the clergy shortage as a low-cost alternative
for struggling churches just like these. My question is: Are we also called to be turn-around pastors, working to revive these churches in lieu of qualified clergy?
Or, are we just expected to keep the doors open until the inevitable end occurs?

This blogsite was started in hopes of preserving communication of our members between classes. This was originally a closed forum available only to class members so that we might be as candid with our thoughts as if we were sharing them in class.

It has since been expanded to include the previous class of CLMs, participating clergy, and members of the Lott Revitalization Steering Team as a vehicle to promote dialog during this project. Please respect one another's rights to express their thoughts in a loving, Christian atmosphere.