2014 LUMC Presentation 2014 LUMC Presentation

Transcript:2014 LUMC Presentation 2014 LUMC Presentation:
2014 LUMC Presentation 2014 LUMC Presentation Introduction We have been studying these last month the new direction of the United Methodist Church to redirect the resources of the church toward creating more vital congregations. The literature on the subject is vast, and makes for interesting reading. The statistics in the Towers Watson report and the Vital Congregations database are enticing. However, as we seek to grow God’s kingdom, we must be mindful of what powers this vitality. Before we look at some of the Key Drivers of Vitality, we’ll examine what enlivens our efforts to grow vital congregations. We’ll look at the conflict that rises in our minds between intentionality and accountability, and the answer in Scripture for balancing the two. In previous years, the UMC has focused its efforts on intentionality. As I understand it, this approach to vitality was best summed up by Paul’s admonition to the Ephesians in chapter 2:8-9 “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” The church focused on catchphrases like “walking by faith,” “Open hearts, open minds, open doors,” and teaching the word intentionality. This focus on intentionality, or faith, left us with membership numbers continuing to decline and struggling churches. 2014 LUMC Presentation Introduction continued The Call to Action Steering Team and the Towers Watson reports helped us develop a new focus on accountability. The current literature teaches us to measure numbers and build accountability for clergy and leadership to help grow those numbers. This approach is best summed up by James’ admonition in chapter 2:14-17 “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good[b] is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” The tension between these two factors: faith and works, is present throughout the New Testament. It is inherent in our nature to desire either accountability or intentionality, Faith Or Works. In examining the results of polls in the GBOD workshops for Developing Your Ministry