Shifting Paradigms
The time is long overdue for a dramatic paradigm shift in how our appointment system serves small-membership churches. To abandon them is cowardly. We deeply believe that Wesleyan “grace upon grace” theology is more therapeutic and holistically redemptive than religious “brands” that preach emotionalism, prosperity gospel or harsh legalism.
In the country where I grew up, we had two sayings regarding this. One referred to a “chicken house complex” where any chicken with a drop of blood was pecked to death by the other chickens. We must guard against this judgmentalism in churches that are small. (The challenge of large churches, on the other hand, is overcoming anonymity.)
The other saying was “the chickens are coming home to roost” if poor farming practices—such as the absence of soil conservation, contour farming, use of legumes or rundown farm equipment—gradually reduced the harvests. All these agrarian terms have parallels in the church and will likewise lead to reduced spiritual harvests.
Kennon Callahan of Emory University was right a score of years ago when he insisted that the “age of the local church is over; the age of the mission station has come.” The answer is not in the size of the congregation; the answer is in re-kindling the flame of relational evangelism, enhancing missional ministry at the local level and deploying our personnel through a covenantal relationship between conference and congregation rather than the obsolete method of appointment-making.
Dr. Haynes is a retired member of the Western North Carolina Conference and current interim pastor of Kallam Grove Christian Church.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Let’s recover class meetings and share pastoral ministry
Steve Manskar, Sep 6, 2010
By Steve Manskar
Special Contributor
A recent story in The Tennessean, “Clergy Sacrifice Health for Flock,” caught my attention. It quotes Nashville area pastors struggling to balance the demands of pastoral ministry, family and self-care.
All-too-often, there is no balance. The demands on the time and energy of clergy leaves little time for exercise, a healthy diet and Sabbath rest.
The end result is increasing rates of obesity, heart disease and diabetes among Protestant clergy in North America. In other words, pastoral ministry is destroying the well-being of clergy.
This growing trend is also a symptom of a dysfunctional, enculturated church that David Lowes Watson describes in his book Forming Christian Disciples (Wipf and Stock, 2002):
“Instead of places where people come to be formed as Christian disciples, congregations . . . become places where people are primarily concerned with being helped and blessed. Instead of finding how they can serve the risen Christ in the world, proclaiming and living out the coming reign of God, they . . . look for ways in which they themselves can be enriched by God’s love and peace and justice. And even when they do make a serious attempt to form their members into Christian disciples, they will tend to focus on the development of personal spiritual growth to the neglect of helping Jesus Christ with the unfinished task of preparing the world for God’s coming shalom.”
Staff’s burden
Such congregations have become providers of religious goods and services. They are places of sanctuaries where members go to escape the world. The pastor and paid church staff spend most of their time and energy providing the programs people expect. They are also expected to visit the sick and homebound members, and comfort the grieving.
Their time is consumed with meeting the needs of the congregation. In these times of economic hardship and declining membership, church leaders are under increasing pressure to keep current members happy and do all they can to attract new members. As paid staff, the responsibility for all this work falls on their shoulders. It is no wonder that the stress of unrealistic expectations and demands is affecting their health.
This is a wake-up call for United Methodist congregations. We have within our DNA the means to address this growing problem: the class meeting and class leaders.
The class meeting is a system of small groups designed to teach people the basics of Christian discipleship and provide support for living in the world as a follower of Jesus Christ. The class meeting provided much of the pastoral ministry in early Methodism. They equipped lay members to provide pastoral care and support for their sisters and brothers in Christ. This freed preachers to focus on the work they were called to do: proclaim the gospel, administer the sacraments and order the life of the congregation.
Class leader’s role
Class leaders were (are) lay pastoral ministers who work in partnership with the preacher/pastors. They do the bulk of the pastoral care and nurture now required by the ordained/licensed appointed clergy. The work of the class leader is to help the members of his or her class to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ and to do the pastoral work of visiting them when they get sick and experience life crises and transitions. The key here is that class leaders are mature Christian women and men who are affirmed by the congregation and work in partnership with the ordained/licensed appointed clergy to see that the pastoral ministry of the church is faithfully performed.
Pastoral ministry is historically the responsibility of the congregation; it should not be the sole responsibility of the clergy. Unfortunately, mainline churches in North America have done an excellent job training clergy and laity to believe that pastoral ministry is the work of the clergy. They are the “experts” who have been trained. This, of course, is a lie. The consequence is a disempowered, passive laity.
It’s no wonder that many clergy get caught up in this lie and end up overweight, suffer from heart disease and diabetes. Is this the church of Jesus Christ who came proclaiming, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe the Good News”?
The Rev. Manskar is director of Wesleyan leadership at the General Board of Discipleship. E-mail: smanskar@gbod.org
By Steve Manskar
Special Contributor
A recent story in The Tennessean, “Clergy Sacrifice Health for Flock,” caught my attention. It quotes Nashville area pastors struggling to balance the demands of pastoral ministry, family and self-care.
All-too-often, there is no balance. The demands on the time and energy of clergy leaves little time for exercise, a healthy diet and Sabbath rest.
The end result is increasing rates of obesity, heart disease and diabetes among Protestant clergy in North America. In other words, pastoral ministry is destroying the well-being of clergy.
This growing trend is also a symptom of a dysfunctional, enculturated church that David Lowes Watson describes in his book Forming Christian Disciples (Wipf and Stock, 2002):
“Instead of places where people come to be formed as Christian disciples, congregations . . . become places where people are primarily concerned with being helped and blessed. Instead of finding how they can serve the risen Christ in the world, proclaiming and living out the coming reign of God, they . . . look for ways in which they themselves can be enriched by God’s love and peace and justice. And even when they do make a serious attempt to form their members into Christian disciples, they will tend to focus on the development of personal spiritual growth to the neglect of helping Jesus Christ with the unfinished task of preparing the world for God’s coming shalom.”
Staff’s burden
Such congregations have become providers of religious goods and services. They are places of sanctuaries where members go to escape the world. The pastor and paid church staff spend most of their time and energy providing the programs people expect. They are also expected to visit the sick and homebound members, and comfort the grieving.
Their time is consumed with meeting the needs of the congregation. In these times of economic hardship and declining membership, church leaders are under increasing pressure to keep current members happy and do all they can to attract new members. As paid staff, the responsibility for all this work falls on their shoulders. It is no wonder that the stress of unrealistic expectations and demands is affecting their health.
This is a wake-up call for United Methodist congregations. We have within our DNA the means to address this growing problem: the class meeting and class leaders.
The class meeting is a system of small groups designed to teach people the basics of Christian discipleship and provide support for living in the world as a follower of Jesus Christ. The class meeting provided much of the pastoral ministry in early Methodism. They equipped lay members to provide pastoral care and support for their sisters and brothers in Christ. This freed preachers to focus on the work they were called to do: proclaim the gospel, administer the sacraments and order the life of the congregation.
Class leader’s role
Class leaders were (are) lay pastoral ministers who work in partnership with the preacher/pastors. They do the bulk of the pastoral care and nurture now required by the ordained/licensed appointed clergy. The work of the class leader is to help the members of his or her class to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ and to do the pastoral work of visiting them when they get sick and experience life crises and transitions. The key here is that class leaders are mature Christian women and men who are affirmed by the congregation and work in partnership with the ordained/licensed appointed clergy to see that the pastoral ministry of the church is faithfully performed.
Pastoral ministry is historically the responsibility of the congregation; it should not be the sole responsibility of the clergy. Unfortunately, mainline churches in North America have done an excellent job training clergy and laity to believe that pastoral ministry is the work of the clergy. They are the “experts” who have been trained. This, of course, is a lie. The consequence is a disempowered, passive laity.
It’s no wonder that many clergy get caught up in this lie and end up overweight, suffer from heart disease and diabetes. Is this the church of Jesus Christ who came proclaiming, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe the Good News”?
The Rev. Manskar is director of Wesleyan leadership at the General Board of Discipleship. E-mail: smanskar@gbod.org
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Q&A: Restoring the supremacy of Jesus
A July 2nd article posted on the United Methodist Reporter Facebook portal really caught my eye yesterday. In the article, a staff writer is asking the co-author of a new book, Jesus Maifesto, a series of questions which in turn elicits a number of very interesting responses. While I've selected just a few of the questions and answers for the sake of brevity the entire article can be found @ http://www.umportal.org/article.asp?id=6915
Let’s talk about the title. Interesting word choice—“Jesus,” which usually has positive connotations, paired with “manifesto,” a much heavier word often associated with upheaval and revolution. Why those choices?
There are a couple of reasons. The theme of the book is that Jesus wants to manifest his presence to each one of us. So that word “manifest” is a very important word to us. And also, that word is misused in a lot of different circles. The word manifesto is a call for the church to move away from a lot of the things it’s been talking about.
We’ve been trying to do every kind of church imaginable—whether it’s a program-driven church, a purpose-driven church, a seeker-sensitive church, an NCD [Natural Church Development] church, an organic church or a missional church. We try every kind of church under the sun, but what if we were what the church is intended to be—the body of Christ living his resurrection, presence and power on this planet?
So the power of the word manifesto had two meanings—it’s a call to action, a call to summons, a call to regroup and at the same time, it’s a call to be a Jesus manifest in the world.
The book points out that the Old Testament is all about Jesus, the New Testament is all about Jesus, Paul was all about Jesus, the Holy Spirit was all about Jesus and the early church was all about Jesus. But you say that’s not so much the case today. What happened?
I think we went down a lot of very interesting rabbit holes, and each one was kind of fun and interesting to explore, but in going down those we lost sight of the journey we’re really on, which is to follow Christ.
Another place we went wrong is the Protestant Reformation, and I thank God for that because I’m here today because of it—we all are—but in some ways the Protestant Reformation was the triumph of the left brain in the history of Christianity. God gave us two sides of the brain for a reason. We’re suppose to live out of both brains, but by and large, the Protestant Reformation forced us to live out of the left side of our brain—the logical, rational, sequential, consecutive, word-based side.
The right brain is a very different world. It’s much more about the wholes, relations, images and the arts—all the things like music and reverence, love, affection and companionship. So the Protestant Reformation was kind of “the revenge of the left brain,” and from that came questions like, “What do you think?”
My argument is that the real question is not “What do you think?” but “Who do you love?” Thinking is important too, but on Judgment Day, you’ll be asked not “What did you think?” but “Who did you love?” The church has only half a brain right now, and it’s the wrong half. We really need a whole-brain faith. This book is really calling the church to a whole brain.
What has replaced Jesus as the focus of many churches?
Success—defined by a consumer culture. I call it the ABCs: attendance, buildings, cash. The biblical metaphor for this is bigger barns. We want bigger barns. The real question for us is not the bigger-barn question, but how well are you manifesting Christ in the world? How well are you being Jesus for the world?
There are three great transcendentals of being that our ancestors developed, and Thomas Aquinas is the one who really brought it forth. How do you know Christ is present? He said show me beauty, truth and goodness. I don’t know many churches that submit beauty, truth and goodness stories in their annual reports. We’re asked to submit statistics—and that’s the left brain’s work.
If you want a real annual report to the bishop and district superintendent, it ought to be: What are your beauty stories? How’d you beautify your neighborhood? What are your goodness and truth stories? I think we’ve really gone awry. The most creative, the most imaginative, missional, entrepreneurial system in the world ought to be the United Methodist connection, and often that is not the case.
Let’s talk about the title. Interesting word choice—“Jesus,” which usually has positive connotations, paired with “manifesto,” a much heavier word often associated with upheaval and revolution. Why those choices?
There are a couple of reasons. The theme of the book is that Jesus wants to manifest his presence to each one of us. So that word “manifest” is a very important word to us. And also, that word is misused in a lot of different circles. The word manifesto is a call for the church to move away from a lot of the things it’s been talking about.
We’ve been trying to do every kind of church imaginable—whether it’s a program-driven church, a purpose-driven church, a seeker-sensitive church, an NCD [Natural Church Development] church, an organic church or a missional church. We try every kind of church under the sun, but what if we were what the church is intended to be—the body of Christ living his resurrection, presence and power on this planet?
So the power of the word manifesto had two meanings—it’s a call to action, a call to summons, a call to regroup and at the same time, it’s a call to be a Jesus manifest in the world.
The book points out that the Old Testament is all about Jesus, the New Testament is all about Jesus, Paul was all about Jesus, the Holy Spirit was all about Jesus and the early church was all about Jesus. But you say that’s not so much the case today. What happened?
I think we went down a lot of very interesting rabbit holes, and each one was kind of fun and interesting to explore, but in going down those we lost sight of the journey we’re really on, which is to follow Christ.
Another place we went wrong is the Protestant Reformation, and I thank God for that because I’m here today because of it—we all are—but in some ways the Protestant Reformation was the triumph of the left brain in the history of Christianity. God gave us two sides of the brain for a reason. We’re suppose to live out of both brains, but by and large, the Protestant Reformation forced us to live out of the left side of our brain—the logical, rational, sequential, consecutive, word-based side.
The right brain is a very different world. It’s much more about the wholes, relations, images and the arts—all the things like music and reverence, love, affection and companionship. So the Protestant Reformation was kind of “the revenge of the left brain,” and from that came questions like, “What do you think?”
My argument is that the real question is not “What do you think?” but “Who do you love?” Thinking is important too, but on Judgment Day, you’ll be asked not “What did you think?” but “Who did you love?” The church has only half a brain right now, and it’s the wrong half. We really need a whole-brain faith. This book is really calling the church to a whole brain.
What has replaced Jesus as the focus of many churches?
Success—defined by a consumer culture. I call it the ABCs: attendance, buildings, cash. The biblical metaphor for this is bigger barns. We want bigger barns. The real question for us is not the bigger-barn question, but how well are you manifesting Christ in the world? How well are you being Jesus for the world?
There are three great transcendentals of being that our ancestors developed, and Thomas Aquinas is the one who really brought it forth. How do you know Christ is present? He said show me beauty, truth and goodness. I don’t know many churches that submit beauty, truth and goodness stories in their annual reports. We’re asked to submit statistics—and that’s the left brain’s work.
If you want a real annual report to the bishop and district superintendent, it ought to be: What are your beauty stories? How’d you beautify your neighborhood? What are your goodness and truth stories? I think we’ve really gone awry. The most creative, the most imaginative, missional, entrepreneurial system in the world ought to be the United Methodist connection, and often that is not the case.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Saturday at Local Pastors School
While most of our class seized the opportunity to take the required sexual ethics course during the week at Annual Conference, Brother Al Ammon and I had to take it last Saturday at Lon Morris due our work schedules. While I’ve never had the joy of being at Annual Conference I don’t think that I would have traded even that for my experience taking the class at Local Pastors School last weekend.
Much of the school environment was familiar to me, like the schools coordinator, Rev. Dale Chance, who is also senior pastor of Brenham 1st UMC, the “hub church” for Chappell Hill. Likewise, the intensity of commitment exhibited by the 25 or so appointees in the class was reminiscent of the atmosphere in our CLM classes. These folks all demonstrated the identical passion for service that we have. The only difference between their service as clergy and ours as laity, that I could see, was what they were willing to give up to be in service. And, from what I’ve learned recently, it’s considerable.
Because of this, I detected slightly different perspectives shared by members of the class than our own and I couldn’t help but feel that I had been immersed into a unique culture. Part of this was due to the intensity of what they had committed to. Unlike our one-day classes, they had committed to a 12-day intensive study and only allowed one free evening. I was just there for one day and then I got to go home - small wonder that I felt like an outsider.
But during our breaks I made some friends and we were able to converse and share our views of ministry during lunch. I received number of surprises when I learned that many of these new pastors and I share counter cultural perspectives for mission focus and building community beyond the local church. I came away from the experience with a renewed sense of hope that, given the caliber and commitment of these new pastors, maybe there is brighter future ahead for the church. We need to be supportive of not just these but all of our pastors and remain in prayer that the Lord will guide them.
Much of the school environment was familiar to me, like the schools coordinator, Rev. Dale Chance, who is also senior pastor of Brenham 1st UMC, the “hub church” for Chappell Hill. Likewise, the intensity of commitment exhibited by the 25 or so appointees in the class was reminiscent of the atmosphere in our CLM classes. These folks all demonstrated the identical passion for service that we have. The only difference between their service as clergy and ours as laity, that I could see, was what they were willing to give up to be in service. And, from what I’ve learned recently, it’s considerable.
Because of this, I detected slightly different perspectives shared by members of the class than our own and I couldn’t help but feel that I had been immersed into a unique culture. Part of this was due to the intensity of what they had committed to. Unlike our one-day classes, they had committed to a 12-day intensive study and only allowed one free evening. I was just there for one day and then I got to go home - small wonder that I felt like an outsider.
But during our breaks I made some friends and we were able to converse and share our views of ministry during lunch. I received number of surprises when I learned that many of these new pastors and I share counter cultural perspectives for mission focus and building community beyond the local church. I came away from the experience with a renewed sense of hope that, given the caliber and commitment of these new pastors, maybe there is brighter future ahead for the church. We need to be supportive of not just these but all of our pastors and remain in prayer that the Lord will guide them.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Amy's friend Marc is ordained, and he's tired.
United Methodist Reporter On the blog:
June 11, 2010
Ordination Can Make You Tired
Monday night I had the privilege of attending the Service of Ordination and Commissioning of the North Texas Conference of the UMC. (I say "privilege" not only because of the enormity of the event, but also because even the overflow room became so packed that they had to turn people away. Thank heaven for live web streaming and archived video!)
During the Annual Conference business sessions on Monday and Tuesday, we viewed pre-recorded speeches by each of the ordinands. I know many of the people who were ordained this year, but among all of their speeches, which were limited to two minutes, the one given by the Rev. Marc Corazao stood out:
Bishop Bledsoe and members of the North Texas Conference,
My name is Marc Corazao, and I currently serve as Associate Pastor over Outreach Ministries at Floral Heights United Methodist Church and as Pastor with the Breakfast at the Heights Community in Wichita Falls.
So, I’ve finally gotten to this point of being voted on at clergy session and ordained as an elder, and you know what? I’m pretty tired…
I’m tired of watching pastors and churches cater to the comfort of an affluent constituency.
I’m tired of mission efforts that actually keep those in poverty at arm's length by drawing lines of givers and receivers, privileged and lowly, blessed and cursed, community and other.
I’m tired of coming to Annual Conference and repeatedly witnessing us being more concerned with the outcome of a vote than our sisters and brothers we run over, shut out, dismiss, and demonize to get what we want.
I’m tired of hearing us fearfully talk about our sinking ship that we supposedly need to figure out how to float again.
I’m tired of the part I have played in fostering all of this in the church today.
I’m pretty tired.
So, if I’m tired, and I go to sleep, maybe I’ll dream of something else...
Maybe I’ll dream of a people with the mind of Christ, who encounter the world with basin and towel in hand.
Maybe I’ll dream of a community that lives and works and laughs and serves together with sisters and brothers who live in poverty.
Maybe I’ll dream of holy conversation at Annual Conference that is characterized by outdoing one another in showing honor to each other.
Maybe I’ll dream of the lost, the marginalized, the outcast, the lonely, finding maybe the one place of welcome, acceptance, and counter-cultural love in their lives with us.
Maybe I’ll dream of a church not driven by the fear of self-preservation but by the calling of God to transform the world in love no matter what the cost.
Maybe I’ll dream of my own need to repent and God’s voice calling me and my family in Christ to live and love so dramatically, so humbly, so boldly, so differently, that people everywhere will ask, “What is with those United Methodists?”
And when I wake, you better believe that something’s going to change, and I’m not sitting this one out.
You know what Marc? I'm getting tired, too. Thanks for this prophetic word.
June 11, 2010
Ordination Can Make You Tired
Monday night I had the privilege of attending the Service of Ordination and Commissioning of the North Texas Conference of the UMC. (I say "privilege" not only because of the enormity of the event, but also because even the overflow room became so packed that they had to turn people away. Thank heaven for live web streaming and archived video!)
During the Annual Conference business sessions on Monday and Tuesday, we viewed pre-recorded speeches by each of the ordinands. I know many of the people who were ordained this year, but among all of their speeches, which were limited to two minutes, the one given by the Rev. Marc Corazao stood out:
Bishop Bledsoe and members of the North Texas Conference,
My name is Marc Corazao, and I currently serve as Associate Pastor over Outreach Ministries at Floral Heights United Methodist Church and as Pastor with the Breakfast at the Heights Community in Wichita Falls.
So, I’ve finally gotten to this point of being voted on at clergy session and ordained as an elder, and you know what? I’m pretty tired…
I’m tired of watching pastors and churches cater to the comfort of an affluent constituency.
I’m tired of mission efforts that actually keep those in poverty at arm's length by drawing lines of givers and receivers, privileged and lowly, blessed and cursed, community and other.
I’m tired of coming to Annual Conference and repeatedly witnessing us being more concerned with the outcome of a vote than our sisters and brothers we run over, shut out, dismiss, and demonize to get what we want.
I’m tired of hearing us fearfully talk about our sinking ship that we supposedly need to figure out how to float again.
I’m tired of the part I have played in fostering all of this in the church today.
I’m pretty tired.
So, if I’m tired, and I go to sleep, maybe I’ll dream of something else...
Maybe I’ll dream of a people with the mind of Christ, who encounter the world with basin and towel in hand.
Maybe I’ll dream of a community that lives and works and laughs and serves together with sisters and brothers who live in poverty.
Maybe I’ll dream of holy conversation at Annual Conference that is characterized by outdoing one another in showing honor to each other.
Maybe I’ll dream of the lost, the marginalized, the outcast, the lonely, finding maybe the one place of welcome, acceptance, and counter-cultural love in their lives with us.
Maybe I’ll dream of a church not driven by the fear of self-preservation but by the calling of God to transform the world in love no matter what the cost.
Maybe I’ll dream of my own need to repent and God’s voice calling me and my family in Christ to live and love so dramatically, so humbly, so boldly, so differently, that people everywhere will ask, “What is with those United Methodists?”
And when I wake, you better believe that something’s going to change, and I’m not sitting this one out.
You know what Marc? I'm getting tired, too. Thanks for this prophetic word.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Soren Kierkegaard on "Spiritual Laziness"
From "The God of Intimacy and Action"
"Every Sunday the ducks waddle out of their houses and waddle down Main Street to their church. They waddle into the sanctuary and squat in their proper pews. The duck choir waddles in and takes its place then the duck minister comes forward and opens the duck Bible. He reads to them:
"Ducks! God has given you wings! With wings you can fly! With wings you can mount up and soar like eagels. No walls can confine you! No fences can hold you! You have wings. God has given you wings and you can fly like birds!" All the ducks shouted, "Amen!" As the ducks left the service they commented on what a wonderful sermon it was. And then they all waddled home."
The author makes the point that to change, to act on what we hear, we must be intentional in our spiritual growth; we must seek to become more like Jesus. A church that is pursuing Jesus, becoming more like Him will want to get up, go out and help the poor, heal the sick, fight for justice for the poor and oppressed - all those things that Jesus did.
"Every Sunday the ducks waddle out of their houses and waddle down Main Street to their church. They waddle into the sanctuary and squat in their proper pews. The duck choir waddles in and takes its place then the duck minister comes forward and opens the duck Bible. He reads to them:
"Ducks! God has given you wings! With wings you can fly! With wings you can mount up and soar like eagels. No walls can confine you! No fences can hold you! You have wings. God has given you wings and you can fly like birds!" All the ducks shouted, "Amen!" As the ducks left the service they commented on what a wonderful sermon it was. And then they all waddled home."
The author makes the point that to change, to act on what we hear, we must be intentional in our spiritual growth; we must seek to become more like Jesus. A church that is pursuing Jesus, becoming more like Him will want to get up, go out and help the poor, heal the sick, fight for justice for the poor and oppressed - all those things that Jesus did.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Apologetics Redefined
Following the worship service at Dickie Doos Bar last Sunday night (see post on January 25th) Rev. Todd Jordan briefed me on the preparations Caldwell 1st U.M.C. is making for their revival beginning May 16th. Foremost on the list is taking out a half-page ad in the local paper. Ironically, the primary focus of this ad is not to specifically advertise the planned event to be held at the Burleson County Fairgrounds but rather to issue an apology to the community. During the hour-long trip back home that night it struck me just how badly an apology is due to so many of the communities that our churches serve. Allow me to explain:
15 years ago I was chair of the board of trustees in a fair-sized urban church in the Houston, South District. Because of my position I was named to serve on the newly-created Houston South Parish formed to consolidate the assets and remaining congregation at the closing of a smaller satellite church, Temple U.M.C. Since the membership had dwindled down to just a handful it sounded like a good idea on paper. But as an elected community leader bent on achieving social justice for the residents of our declining neighborhood I was inwardly outraged by what we as a connectional church were doing.
Although then-current census tract information revealed the highest population, lowest per-capita income, and the most single-parent households in the history of the neighborhood, we closed the doors to Temple U.M.C. Rather than reaching out in Christian love, lending a helping hand, or embracing the “least of these” when the mission fields there had been never more ripe for harvest, we pulled out, packed up, and sold out.
Today, 15 years later, Houston South Parish is a consolidation of 5 area churches all closed, save one. It grieves me deeply for having been a part of this history of events and I see it as a testament of our lack of faith as a church. I sincerely believe that as long as we continue to be unfaithful to our true calling as Christ’s disciples and to our Wesleyan roots as a church we will (rightly) continue our decline as a denomination.
Due to its commonplace in our connectional culture we have accepted church closure as a normal occurrence. What a travesty that is given our rich heritage for church-building and ministering to those in need wherever they are encountered. How can we turn this situation around? I believe that it really isn’t all that difficult to be the authentic church of Jesus Christ in today’s world. All you really need is a little faith, a congregational culture dedicated to ministry in their community, and a humble spirit for service. You might begin with an apology…
15 years ago I was chair of the board of trustees in a fair-sized urban church in the Houston, South District. Because of my position I was named to serve on the newly-created Houston South Parish formed to consolidate the assets and remaining congregation at the closing of a smaller satellite church, Temple U.M.C. Since the membership had dwindled down to just a handful it sounded like a good idea on paper. But as an elected community leader bent on achieving social justice for the residents of our declining neighborhood I was inwardly outraged by what we as a connectional church were doing.
Although then-current census tract information revealed the highest population, lowest per-capita income, and the most single-parent households in the history of the neighborhood, we closed the doors to Temple U.M.C. Rather than reaching out in Christian love, lending a helping hand, or embracing the “least of these” when the mission fields there had been never more ripe for harvest, we pulled out, packed up, and sold out.
Today, 15 years later, Houston South Parish is a consolidation of 5 area churches all closed, save one. It grieves me deeply for having been a part of this history of events and I see it as a testament of our lack of faith as a church. I sincerely believe that as long as we continue to be unfaithful to our true calling as Christ’s disciples and to our Wesleyan roots as a church we will (rightly) continue our decline as a denomination.
Due to its commonplace in our connectional culture we have accepted church closure as a normal occurrence. What a travesty that is given our rich heritage for church-building and ministering to those in need wherever they are encountered. How can we turn this situation around? I believe that it really isn’t all that difficult to be the authentic church of Jesus Christ in today’s world. All you really need is a little faith, a congregational culture dedicated to ministry in their community, and a humble spirit for service. You might begin with an apology…
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