Only one song has seemed to capture the emotion I’ve been going through as I graduate from Asbury Seminary, leave my stint in hospital chaplaincy and move to Natchez, MS to begin as a pastor.What surprised me was to discover recently in a conversation …

http://alzheimersspeaks.wordpress.com/about/. Why did I title this post “A BLOG FOR EVERYONE” ? Because everyone is most likely all of these four things a) afraid of getting this disease b) afraid of their loved one getting this disease c)knows someone with or … Continue reading →

You may have noticed that an eery looking emblem recently appeared on my blog with some Greek and Hebrew along with a reference to 1 Corinthians 1:28, one of my favorite verses in the Bible: “He has chosen the despised ones and those who are not to bring to nothing the things that are.” Several […]

Before we were known for our massive processes for doing ministry; before our bureaucracy grew to a size rivaling only The United States government; and before our Book of Discipline grew to the size of a graduate school textbook: Methodists were known as a singing people. Those were the days when the movement was new [...]

Stanley Hauerwas on what it means to be such a citizen.

“Aggression is inherently destructive of relationships. People and ideologies are pitted against each other, believing that in order to survive, they must destroy the opposition.” ——– Margaret J. Wheatley Should the church look like this quote?

I despised this term in college and seminary – it was one of those phrases that people couldn’t wait to use, similar to words and phrases used today like “fleshing out,” “dichotomy,” “postmodern,” and “contextual theology.” But I can’t think of a better term for this season of the Church. A paradigm shift is needed if we are going to be faithful to the mission of the Church. And like most shifts, they are painful and require sacrifice. As Chris Holmes, former DS and now coach-trainer for pastors across several denominations, says in his newsletter: “Shift happens.”

I posted the above from Gil Rendle’s book Back to Zero a few blogs ago – and I think it still has much to teach us about being the church. It would be very easy to be dismissive of this and say, “Eh, it’s the latest fad, I’ll wait it out until this wears off and dies down.” The problem is that is this is far from a new fad; this is Ecclesiology and Missiology 101. We usurped that and replaced it with our new-and-improved way of doing things which ran tangent to the Great Commission. Membership is important, and I don’t think we quit monitoring it. But discipleship is even more important; indeed, the true definition of membership – defined by our baptismal and membership vows – is to not just BE a disciple, but to make/generate/model disciples and discipleship. Any other definition of membership makes it akin to a club that has privileges. Church membership and discipleship has responsibilities.

For United Methodist clergy, the paradigm shift affects how we develop and deploy leadership. Already there is a lot of pushback from changes we are seeing – and pushback is usually a sign that a new reality is present. Changes in clergy deployment are being witnessed for a simple reason: our churches are no longer the churches they once were (economically- or attendance-wise), and the contextual realities where those churches are located are shifting. It’s not ageism, sexism, or any other discriminism – it’s “shift happening.” As a D.S., I realize more than ever how much I have to learn, study, and be present in the district and conference to be in touch with reality. The shift for the superintendency (General and District) is less and less about being a bureaucrat and administrative manager and more and more about coaching, missional strategizing, and relating to people and churches.

I was taught in seminary about having “professional distance” from parishioners; yet intimacy and fostering relationships with people is more critical than ever in a discipleship and mission model of ministry. My style of preaching is having to change. We clergy have got to love people like we’ve never been hurt and be willing to take the risks for the sake of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom. There is no other way to teach and lead passion for the Gospel to transform a hurting world.

We clergy are going to have to do this knowing that (a) our congregations are shrinking, (b) our denomination is hurting in everyday imaginable (did you know that the United Methodist Reporter is out of business June 1?) and that un-sustainability is a real possibility, and (c) the role of clergy is shifting. Yet, at the same time, (a) our God is an awesome God, (b) there are more opportunities than ever to do ministry and make disciples, and (c) Jesus promises to be with us, to the very end!

There is much to be done – but there is joy in doing it! I remember in the minutes before I was ordained a deacon (back in the “old” days), I was so scared that I wanted to throw up and say, “I can’t do it.” But I also remember when the hands were laid upon my head that there was nothing else in this world that my heart burned for than to serve the Lord.

My friend Ed Kilbourne sings the most wonderful song, based on some traditional words. I wish I had the musical track to go with it, but here are the lyrics:

You’ve got to sing when the spirit says sing

And obey the spirit of the Lord

You’ve got to sing like you don’t need the money

Love like you’ll never get hurt

You’ve got to dance, dance, dance, like nobody’s watching

It’s got to come from the heart if you want it to work

And if you hold back the word that might heal somebody’s pain

You’re holding back yourself from the light

And if you make your decisions based only upon gain

You will see the world with only partial sight

And if you need some assistance but don’t let your buddies know

You’re keeping them from being all that they could

And if your heart starts a talkin’, better let those feelings show

You don’t want to stop the flow of something good

I believe this is the paradigm shift we need to adapt to and adopt. Or, more accurately, re-adapt to and re-adopt.

Pax,
Sky+

The United Methodist Church has no Pope. Our last individual in charge of everything was John Wesley, our founder. When he died, his authority was delegated to some Bishops. And then some regional entities. And eventually, some national entities that became global entities. But all the while, the primary characterization of the UMC is that [...]

Where will you find rest today? A poem from Rumi and a photo from Haines, Alaska. Continue reading →

I’m in Texas. My room here has a giant jacuzzi tub, but this is the view from my room. See that lake? Drought.Sometimes stewardship involves just looking around and making appropriate decisions. Short shower, for instance.God will give us clear vis…