Crossing the Great Divide July 31, 2009
Posted by Dan R. Dick in Church Leadership, Mission of the Church, Religion in the U.S., The United Methodist Church, Vision.Tags: Church Leadership, Evangelism, Mission & Purpose, The United Methodist Church
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I’m attending the School of Congregational Development this week in Evanston, Illinois, and in just the first few hours I am struck by a radical disconnect in our church. There is such energy and passion here. There is a deep vision for transformation of individual lives, congregations, communities and the world. There is a huge wealth of knowledge, experience, and expertise. There is a universal dedication to the idea that we can be better, that we must be better. There is voracious hunger to learn and a compelling desire to grow the church.
But there is also a saddening and maddening cynicism — hallway conversations about the many ways that “this won’t work,” or “all this sounds great, but it won’t work back home,” or “I don’t get any support for this from my conference.” The people here — on both sides of the podium — are some of the best and brightest in the denomination. As an observer (I sat in the balcony of the church for last night’s service) this is an incredible witness to what The United Methodist Church can be. Old, young, Asian, Anglo, African American, Hispanic/Latino, clergy, laity, men, women — no truer or more powerful example of our pluralism and multiculturalism could be hoped for. There is a beautiful gathering of God’s people at this conference.
