Frustrated with the Negativity!
Reaching More People,
More Diverse People, and More Young People
You may not know it but The United Methodist Church is
starting more churches reaching more people, more diverse people, and more
young people than almost any other denomination in the world. Most “church
planting movements” are focused on spiritually displaced, middle class, Anglos
filling their padded pew chairs with people from other churches. Thanks to the
work of Path1 nationally, and the Office of New Faith Communities in my own
North Carolina Conference, we are demonstrating a commitment to not only serve
wealthy urban neighborhoods, but also struggling rural communities like
Aulander and Winfall, NC. In addition to funding downtown, urban satellites, we
are also seeking to reach minority communities, serve the growing Hispanic
population, and create new places for second-life singles and young adults. In
our own conference we have planted more than twenty churches in the last four
years that represent the liturgical, theological, and cultural diversity of our
communities.
Disaster Relief
The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is one of
the best kept secrets in United Methodism. This disaster relief agency provides
immediate and long term disaster relief both domestically and internationally.
It is usually one of the first organizations on the ground, thanks to the
global nature of The United Methodist Church, and stays long after
organizations like the Red Cross pack up their trailers and head home. They
provide emergency food, water, and supplies, and then stick around to rebuild homes,
communities and lives. Staffed by a skeleton crew but fueled by hundreds, even
thousands, of dedicated part-time and full-time volunteers UMCOR teams are at
the ready for disaster wherever it occurs. They serve tirelessly and
faithfully, often under the media radar because their primary mission is
recovery not self-promotion.
Embracing the Global
Nature of the Church
The United Methodist Church is growing. It may not be
growing in the US or in Europe, but globally The UMC is expanding at a rate in
South America, Africa, and around the Pacific rim at a rate that we can barely
keep up with. I have been impressed at the way that The General Conference has
embraced the globalization of the church and attempted to insure that the
voices of these emerging global United Methodists are heard loud and clear. God
is at work within The United Methodist Church, and I believe that the global
revival that is occurring will spur renewal within the areas where our church
is in decline.
Having a Big Tent
If you live in a town with more than one United Methodist
Church I can almost bet that one of them is one of the most progressive
churches in your community, and the other is one of the most evangelical
churches in your community. I believe the fact that our denomination provides
room for theological tension is actually a strength, not a weakness. Too often
we are too quick to try to solve problems with pronouncements and legislation,
when what we really need is civil discourse and the ability to love each other
and disagree with each other. Like every family we have crazy cousins, and calm
peacemakers, but that is what being the family of God is all about.
Having Difficult
Discussions
Lastly, The United Methodist Church is willing to have
difficult discussions. Don’t get me wrong, there are people on every side of
every issue that would much rather scream, yell, and throw rocks than enter
into prayerful times of discernment and discussion. This is incredibly
frustrating for those of us who struggle with maintaining our evangelical faith
and our social witness. I am glad that I serve within a denomination that doesn’t
expect everyone to follow divine pronouncements from on high made by a few,
influential leaders. Instead we enter into difficult times of discussion where
we pray, listen, debate, practice holy conferencing, and strive to listen to
the voice of God. Having these difficult discussions actually allows us to
discover the truth at much deeper levels.
We Are Not Perfect!
The United Methodist Church is far from perfect. There are
people that I love dearly and disagree with completely. There are times wihen
the idea of locking 2,000 people in a convention center and feeding them a high
carb diet and expecting them to make good theological decisions seems
ludicrous. In the end, I love The United Methodist Church, I believe in the
power of the Holy Spirit to help us overcome the “humanness” of our church and
will guide us to continue to do all the good we can, in all the ways we can, wherever
we can and to continue to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ around the corner
and around the world. This is my church, this is my family, and I’m staying!
Marty
The ideas, opinions, and reflections above are solely those
of Marty J. Cauley and do not, necessarily reflect those of The United
Methodist Church or The North Carolina Conference.
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