Recently I've written about change. Some of you have expressed misgivings, some don't like the thought at all. That's okay. Not everyone gets on board with change in the church, but all are invited to be a part of what God is creating. Change comes slow. It's not something that can happen overnight. When a church begins to worry, there can be a rush to "aright the ship" to keep it from foundering on dangerous shoals. Well, that is a mistake, in my opinion.
And why might that be, you may ask. For one change without proper pre-planning is short-term and is stopgap at best. For real change, the kind of change God calls God's church to, is not a temporary fix. It is real and it is lasting. And, it begins, as should all things in the church, with prayer. That's not the kind of prayer that says "Bless what we're doing, O God," but instead says "Open us to where you are calling us to be, O God, and give us the strength and courage to follow."
In 2004 the General Conference of The United Methodist Church adopted a huge change as to how churches could organize. Its purpose was to rid the church of the bureaucracy and hierarchical structure that more often than not hindered the development of ministries in the church. Another intent was to rid the church of the "tail wagging the dog" syndrome that too many churches found themselves. What does that mean? It meant that churches generally allowed the administrations of the function to dictate what the church did. Those administrative functions include the overall governing body, what we call the Church Council, Finance, SPRC/PPRC, and Trustees.
Instead, the intent was to put ministry into the hands of the people and take the power away from the administrative side of the church. Churches were allowed to organize in any way they saw fit as long as they had an overall governing body, a group overseeing financial aspects of the church, a group that oversees personnel matters, and one entrusted with buildings and grounds. The potential for doing unfettered ministry increases exponentially. The church I served at this time took these changes as a clarion call. It took two years before the changes fully were implemented. It was not an easy task.
I'll share more in the next couple of weeks as to how a church goes about changing, and about how all are invited to participate in whatever manner or to whatever level they wish. Coercion is not, nor should ever be, a part of any process of change. If it is, then it is not of God! Period. It's a risk and at times scary journey. But as I said a couple of weeks ago, the church has to get busy living or get busy dying. It's our choice. See you on the road!
Grace and peace,
Mike
April 26, 2015