A Church Shrouded in Mystery March 30, 2011
Posted by Dan R. Dick in Church Leadership, Core Values, Identity & Purpose, Mission of the Church, The United Methodist Church.Tags: church, Church Leadership, Mission & Purpose, The United Methodist Church
17 comments
We’ve got a problem. We don’t know who we are. We have become such an interesting hodge-podge of new and old Christians from such varied backgrounds as Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Baptist, Lutheran, Episcopalian, Reformed, New Age, Independent-Evangelical, Assemblies of God, UCC, UUC, MOUSE as well as UMC and all her predecessors, that what it means “to be United Methodist” isn’t clear to most United Methodists. In our individualized and consumeristic culture, most UM church-goers simply believe what they believe and call in United Methodist. Then, when the denomination or an annual conference leader does something they don’t like, they get all up in arms that we aren’t acting appropriately. Recent controversies over immigration, collective bargaining, and societal advocacy indicate that many United Methodists are completely ignorant of our Social Principles, Our Theological Task, Our Doctrinal Standards, and our rich evangelical heritage of social reform. These things define what it means to be United Methodist, but sadly most of our pastors and laity leaders don’t teach them anymore.
