This week, the General Conference of the United Methodist Church is meeting in Fort Worth, Texas. General Conference convenes once every four years. It is the legislative body of the church and is the only body that can officially speak for the church. Delegates from around the world gather for a period of discerning where God is leading the United Methodist church over the next four years. By Discipline, there are no more than 1000 delegates, 500 clergy and 500 lay. College Hill United Methodist Church is fortunate to be a church with a delegate from amongst our peers.
It is quite interesting to reflect on General Conference from afar. There are opportunities to read reports, digest some legislative petitions, read some blog posts, and even find some reports on the events through media outlets. Interesting, and yet quite difficult at the same time.
There is always a part of me that worries about this time every four years about what the United Methodist Church will look like following this global gathering. That comes from the part of me that worries about change and at the same time covets change that is positive. And yet there is always the part of me that finds the event rather frustrating for its lack of movement forward.
I tried to look up some legislative proposals. You can do that on the UMC website. You can check it any number of ways – I’d hate to be the person that has to keep that updated. But, maybe because I was looking at the wrong passages, or maybe I just clicked on the wrong proposal – but it seemed like most of the petitions were editorializing the Book of Discipline rather than providing any real ministry focus. For example I found one petition that actually proposed changing one word, “pastor” to “pastor-in-charge.” My first thought there was – are you kidding me? Where’s the ministry?
I read a pastor’s blog entry for the other day. He jokingly asked for someone to remind him if this was all still about Jesus? Sometimes in the ways that we do things, we major in the minors, get caught up in the minutia, and lose focus. That is probably not only an indictment against a quadrennial meeting, but also in our own ministry.
This coming Sunday, I think we will have an opportunity to regain some focus. We are coming to the end of the season of Easter, and entering into the season of Pentecost. But before that, we must move through Ascension Sunday. It is the day that we remember that Jesus Ascended into heaven, as the Creeds remind us, and are instructed to wait on the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit that reminds us and teaches us everything that Jesus told us to do.
But there is a word from the Gospel of Luke that is very important for me as I reflect not only on our General Conference, but also on the tasks that lay before us. Jesus said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations.” Luke 24:46-47.
And that leads me to one question for us this day. Are we doing it? Are we making an impact? Are we seeking the things that God is doing? Are we as a church proclaiming repentance and forgiveness of sins? Are we proclaiming Jesus?
Not that you asked, but that’s what I’ve been thinking about today. Now I am going to seek ways of living that out! We’ll also have to see whether or not our General Conference seeks it as well.
Please pray for me, and know that I am praying for you. And while you’re at it, throw one up for our General Conference and the international delegation that is seeking to make this all about Jesus.
Greg
It is quite interesting to reflect on General Conference from afar. There are opportunities to read reports, digest some legislative petitions, read some blog posts, and even find some reports on the events through media outlets. Interesting, and yet quite difficult at the same time.
There is always a part of me that worries about this time every four years about what the United Methodist Church will look like following this global gathering. That comes from the part of me that worries about change and at the same time covets change that is positive. And yet there is always the part of me that finds the event rather frustrating for its lack of movement forward.
I tried to look up some legislative proposals. You can do that on the UMC website. You can check it any number of ways – I’d hate to be the person that has to keep that updated. But, maybe because I was looking at the wrong passages, or maybe I just clicked on the wrong proposal – but it seemed like most of the petitions were editorializing the Book of Discipline rather than providing any real ministry focus. For example I found one petition that actually proposed changing one word, “pastor” to “pastor-in-charge.” My first thought there was – are you kidding me? Where’s the ministry?
I read a pastor’s blog entry for the other day. He jokingly asked for someone to remind him if this was all still about Jesus? Sometimes in the ways that we do things, we major in the minors, get caught up in the minutia, and lose focus. That is probably not only an indictment against a quadrennial meeting, but also in our own ministry.
This coming Sunday, I think we will have an opportunity to regain some focus. We are coming to the end of the season of Easter, and entering into the season of Pentecost. But before that, we must move through Ascension Sunday. It is the day that we remember that Jesus Ascended into heaven, as the Creeds remind us, and are instructed to wait on the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit that reminds us and teaches us everything that Jesus told us to do.
But there is a word from the Gospel of Luke that is very important for me as I reflect not only on our General Conference, but also on the tasks that lay before us. Jesus said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations.” Luke 24:46-47.
And that leads me to one question for us this day. Are we doing it? Are we making an impact? Are we seeking the things that God is doing? Are we as a church proclaiming repentance and forgiveness of sins? Are we proclaiming Jesus?
Not that you asked, but that’s what I’ve been thinking about today. Now I am going to seek ways of living that out! We’ll also have to see whether or not our General Conference seeks it as well.
Please pray for me, and know that I am praying for you. And while you’re at it, throw one up for our General Conference and the international delegation that is seeking to make this all about Jesus.
Greg
2 comments:
Greg,
Good post, my friend. It has been very interesting listening and reading blogs of General Conference. Wow, that was some blog by Eric. Thanks for linking that in your post. Bless you and your family, brother.
you made Ty's year...thanks
Love you,
Barb
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