I started writing this post back in November, but today just felt like the day to share it. Wednesdays seem to be my days for getting in trouble here...
Even though deep in my heart I am still a Quaker, once upon a time I worked for several United Methodist churches (UMC). My family still attends a UM church. There are dozens of UMC youth pastors, church members and clergy on Twitter that keep me up-to-date with what is going on the wider body of the UMC. In 2012 I attended some General Conference (world wide gathering of UMC leaders) sessions here in Tampa. And all of this connection to the the UMC has left me with one distinct, overwhelming feeling. The UMC is in a mess. The battles are many and the solutions seem few at this point. There is a great schism coming unless something is done to change the way things are done and the way United Methodists respond to one another. An old friend (and former UMC staffer) suggests that the hole is so deep that they wouldn't even know how to split if they wanted to, and that perhaps the only thing holding them together these days are pension plans and an inability to divest. So today I offer some modest suggestions as to how I would change things if were the new John Wesley. Or perhaps better said, if I were the Pope of the UMC for a day! These ideas will ruffle feathers, get hardcore Wesleyans to yell at me, and maybe- just maybe- offer some insight into issues from an outsider who has been on the inside. Here are a few things I would do if I ruled the UMC world for just one day...
- Change the hierarchy and structure of the denomination. All UMC churches are connected under one umbrella, and that should be a good thing. It allows us pull pool money for missions, disaster relief, camping programs and clergy support. It also means we spend an inordinate amount of money on administration. The gigantic, expensive GC I attended accomplished next to nothing because everything is lobbied for and voted on like it's the first Continental Congress. People vote in "blocks" with like-minded constituents and nothing passes that offers any real change or progress. Our business procedures need to be less democratic and more spiritual. Business should be a form of worship. Prayerful consensus for where God is leading should pave the way- not "I wonder how the African delegates will vote?" There are other issues as well. We have hundreds of highly paid District Superintendents who are nothing more than glorified supervisors and administrators. Even worse, many of them were at one time some of our best pastors. Now they are wasted in impotent positions that offer little opportunity to minister in the community. And think of all the resources that could be pumped into MINISTRY if we rid ourselves of those positions and cut back on trying to administrate churches from afar. I am afraid that the UMC has lost sight of the fact that the farther leaders are from the people (such as DS and Bishop positions) the less they understand what the laity cares about. That's just one example of how the system needs an overhaul. And here's another...
- Give more autonomy to the local congregation. Let them hire their own pastor and establish their own structures. Many of the most prominent UMC congregations are already doing this as conferences look the other way. Check out the websites of the 25 fastest growing UMC congregations and you will often find no mention that they are a United Methodist congregation. There is no way on heaven or earth their pastors will be moved by an annual conference decision. Why not make it official and even the playing field for everyone? Every time the traditional itinerant system randomly relocates a pastor, it sets the entire church back a step- at least! My career featured two such pastoral changes, and both of them were disastrous for the churches I served and for me personally. Let each church determine the ministries and issues that matter to them and then seek the pastor they choose to lead them forward. We keep proceeding as if we expect all of our churches to think the same way and have the same goals. Trying to make a church in Backwater, Florida and a church in downtown NYC agree on much of anything besides "Jesus is LORD" is a complicated endeavor that takes energy and resources away from what should be our primary goal- connecting people to Jesus Christ and serving them in his name. There will still be a Bishop to oversee and maintain a certain "quality control" and provide direction for pastors (remember. we already ditched the DS position!) but we need to quit trying to be homogeneous. We aren't. And that leaves pastors in an often impossible situation, dealing with difficult situations- and feeling all of the responsibility while being given none of the power. And that's just asking for dissension and trouble. Some of my very favorite people are UMC clergy, and they deserve better. Pastors are entrusted with the spiritual care of their flocks. We need to trust them to KNOW their own congregations.
- And speaking of pastors...we assert that we believe in the priesthood of all believers. We also state that the clergy are called by God to lead our congregations. And yet our actual practices and standards show that we believe that clergy are created through education. Being gifted by God is a wonderful thing in the UMC. A
cemetery seminary degree from Duke, Emory or Asbury is apparently even better. It's the age old debate of credentials verses calling. We have a shortage of pastors, with many aging into retirement everyday, yet we continue to make it more and more difficult to receive ordination. I have a good friend who came from another mainstream denomination where he was ordained and had worked for many years. He had served a UMC congregation for several years as an Associate Pastor and tried to get his credentials transferred. It would have been easier and less time consuming to become a lawyer. He eventually just gave up and remained an associate, hired by the local church- where he has been a rock as pastors have come and gone (moved by the itinerant system) for many years now. He is TREASURED by that church- but deemed unworthy by the system. The late Mike Yaconelli founded Youth Specialties, wrote best selling books, pastored a small church for 20 years and preached all over the planet, but he would have been deemed unworthy to be a UMC pastor because he was kicked out of bible college and never went back. That's just wrong. We need to allow that the primary factors in successful clergy are calling and gifts from God, and find ways to allow "under educated" people to serve our churches with greater freedom. Education is very important for sure. But ask yourself this question- do we believe ordination is from God through the Holy Spirit, or from a committee of humans who judge by advanced degrees and psychological testing? Too simplistic I know- but still legitimate to ask.
- When I was coming of age as a Quaker in the 1970's, one of the issues facing that group was that all of the things that had been traditional benchmarks of the denomination were being done better by other people. The Amish did simplicity better, Catholic monasteries did silence better and the UMC had a stronger peace testimony. What are our Methodist churches known for today? Fights over gay marriage? Splits over worship styles and how we do baptisms? Pet blessings? Our churches- each and every one of them- need to decide what they stand for right now. Not traditionally, not according to the Book of Discipline. not according to John Wesley- right now! And the answer had better include being the love of God whose name is Jesus to a hurting and needy world, or we are in deep doo-doo my friends. If our bottom line is not HIS bottom line (The Great Commandment) and our mission is not HIS mission (The Great Commission) then all other changes are just whistling in the wind.
That seems like enough for my first day on the job. Please understand, I am not expecting any of my suggestions to come to fruition. Most of them are probably not even good ideas. But what I do hope for...what I do PRAY for...is that more folks will be willing to "rattle the cage" so that this denomination that is near and dear to my heart will begin to move past their past and dream of a bigger, more inclusive tomorrow and bold new ways to get there. I see far too many UMC leaders who are dreaming of returning to the past and the way the church used to be. It's time to go forward and face the future, remembering that our goal is not to save the Methodists. Our goal is to follow Jesus. May God lead each of us, individually and corporately, down that path.
Because of Jesus,
Last night I tweeted this: Tonight is one of those times when I am so thankful that Jesus is SOOOO much bigger than any denominational label or theological tradition. What follows flowed out of that prayer...
When I first moved to Florida from NC in the spring of 1994, one of the most common questions I was asked concerned my allegiance to college football teams. To many of my new friends my faith, my youth ministry experiences and my plans for the future of the student ministry were all well and good, but what they really wanted to know was this- Florida, Miami or Florida State? These were 3 of the best programs in the country, and I needed to choose. I explained to them that while I had a long love affair with college football (even though in NC it's just a time killer until basketball season starts!), I really didn't cheer for any of those teams. I might as well have claimed to be an atheist. For so many people, it's not about the sport. It's about THEIR team. And that's true everywhere, not just in Florida.
Lately I have begun to wonder if the same is not true of many of us who call ourselves Christians. We have a hard time heeding the advice of the sign above- we constantly seem to be majoring in the minors. For those of you who don't know my history in the church, let me recap. I was a "birthright Friend"- born into the Quaker church. When I was 5 we moved and my family became very active at a United Methodist Church, where we stayed until a pastor left and took people with him- splitting the church, devastating my parents and leaving us at home on Sundays until I was 13. My parents never really went back to church. I went to a Quaker youth group in 8th grade (1972) because my best friend kept inviting me (and there was this girl...), and from then until 1994 my identity was very wrapped up in the Society of Friends. I attended Meeting for Worship and youth group. I worked at a Quaker summer camp and attended a Quaker college. I worked as a youth pastor in 4 different churches and was even a the regional director of Youth & Religious Education for New England Yearly Meeting for a short time. I served on national boards, spoke at national and regional conferences, and was the music leader (in the days before music and worship started being the same word) at a couple of national youth events. I was Mister Quaker. And for most of those years I was much more likely to answer questions about faith and theology by attempting to give a Quaker perspective than I was to tell you what Jesus said. I knew more about MY denomination than I did about my faith. And that seemed normal to me.
When I went to work for a UMC in 1994 it seemed logical to me that I would throw the weight of my support behind my new "home team." But there were several issues with that. First of all, I wasn't "certified" by any of the right people or organizations to take any leadership roles outside of the local church. I also found myself running into different perspectives on faith and theology than I had encountered in my Quaker years. As frustrating as that was at times, it forced me to take a hard look at what I believed and why I believed it. More and more I began to realize that no matter the question in Christianity, the answer is Jesus! My belief system became less about the Quaker Faith & Practice or the UMC Book of Discipline and more about the gospels. When I went to work for a UCC church in 2000, I morphed a little more before heading back to spend another 7 years with the Methodists. For the past 7 years my family has attended a UMC church- although it is somewhat free of many traditional UMC trappings. And yet I still have very strong ties to my Quaker roots- including my official church membership. Not unlike the college football scenario at the beginning of this post, there are people who just didn't get it. If I can't identify myself by my denomination, what AM I really? Calling myself a Jesus Follower just doesn't seem to cut it with way too many people. Just loving the game isn't enough. They feel like I need a team.
Lately there has been a lot of hand-wringing and consternation about the future survival of both of the denominations I have served at great length. Both are struggling with issues that divide the church, and having a hard time focusing on the ONE who brings us together. I have avoided discussions of denominational politics, because quite frankly I see no positive value in them. The church is not in the business of fixing institutions- we are in the business of loving people. While I believe that the long histories, great works and proud traditions of both groups still have much to offer the world, I have to wonder if perhaps we have become so entrenched as "fans" that we are asking the wrong questions. Should we really be focused on whether or not we can continue to create new Quakers or new Methodists? Should we spend so much time and energy trying to show the world that we have some sort of unique insight into the greater work of God? There is much work to be done in our society, and we do that work not in the name of John Wesley, George Fox, John Calvin, Martin Luther or even the Apostle Paul. We do it in the name of Jesus. And all of our theological infighting over how to do communion and baptisms, over gay marriage, over political issues and over who is qualified to lead God's people are not the things our Savior spent his time preaching about, and often distract us from loving others in Jesus' name. Maybe I am being too simplistic. But perhaps simplistic is exactly what we need. Denominations give us rules, hierarchies and 'proper" ways of doing things. Jesus taught us to love, go and tell. WE have made it complicated.
I am a pacifist and I love silence, prayer and other spiritual disciplines because of my Quaker roots, but also because I believe it is what Jesus taught. I believe in the Holy Trinity and the power of corporate worship and symbolism because the UMC taught me the Apostle's Creed when I was a child and because I have experienced those things. My brief time with the UCC helped me to understand the need for the Church to be open and affirming to all who seek the love of God whose name is Jesus. And my favorite church leader in the world today may well be Pope Francis, not because of Catholic theology but because of his willingness to be bold with the actual words and teachings of the Christ. In short, I am a potpourri of denominational influences. And I am so thankful that I am.
So if you ask me these days what team I cheer for, it's an easy answer. I'm Team Jesus. And that's all you really need to know.
Because of Jesus,
With apologies to Robert Frost...
About a mile from my house there is a United Methodist Church. I do not attend this church, but I know it is a UMC as it says so everywhere you look. The church has been there for 20 years or so now, in a small but very nice worship center nestled in a beautiful tree-covered lot. It is located on a major road, near restaurants and office complexes. The entrance to one of the largest and most affluent neighborhoods in all of northwest Hillsborough County lies just across the street. There are several signs indicating the things that go on there, including an electronic sign that was added just a few years ago. I am sure that when this church was "planted" there were high hopes for great growth and major impact. But that simply has not happened. It remains a small congregation seeking an identity. They continue to try all sorts of programs and gimmicks to increase attendance and draw attention to their ministry, but nothing seems to work. In the past 20 years they have had more pastors than I could count, with the UMC itinerant system moving them in and out on a regular basis. They have tried many styles of worship to attract new members with limited results. Even with their wonderful location and attractive property, they have not grown. And it is wearing them down. In the summer of 2012 their electronic sign began advertising a new traditional worship service that would begin at 8 AM on September 9. Just a few weeks ago that same sign was still carrying the same message. September 9, 2013 had passed and no one seemed to notice. The sign might have well have been flashing, "We're Irrelevant!" to those driving by on that very busy road. Out of curiosity I checked their website for service times and discovered that 8 AM traditional service has been discontinued. Thankfully, the electronic sign has been turned of- or simply quit working.
About 10 miles away from that church, in a remote corner of Hillsborough County, is the church I do attend. It is located in a spot that you must be looking for to find, hidden away on a short country road. Despite its large congregation and significance in the community, there are no billboards, blimps or TV commercials to direct you there- just word of mouth. It too is a UMC church, although I feel certain there are many who attend regularly without ever knowing that fact. The denominational affiliation is simply not mentioned very often, whether on signs, bulletins (back when there was a bulletin; now there is simply an announcement sheet), the website or from the pulpit. Well, actually, there is no pulpit. The worship room is lacking in most of the elements found in a traditional UMC church. The church is 28 years old, and has had the same pastor for the last 20 of those years. They offer one style of worship in 3 services, a more contemporary focus with a praise band and great use of video and drama. There is tremendous focus on prayer. I have been attending 7 years now, and I don't know that I have ever heard mention of upcoming committee meetings or other church business during worship. I assume they have a yearly Charge Conference like every UMC. but I have never heard it mentioned. There is no yearly budget push, just a regular encouragement to give and opportunities to go above and beyond with special giving. The congregation actually APPLAUDS when it's time to receive tithes and offerings! I have no idea about the political leanings of the pastor, because he preaches Jesus, not politics. I have witnessed sermons preached in Spanish and translated into Swahili; adult baptisms in a pool brought in for just such occasions; dancing rappers and regular "altar calls" following the very biblical sermons. There is much focus on missions, from Tampa to Tanzania. Just this week the church family has given 5 tons of food to Metropolitan Ministries to help families with Thanksgiving celebrations and will be collecting thousands of Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes. They also partnered with the United Methodist Committee on Relief to send aid the Philippines. There is a ministry to kids who have lost parents or siblings; a ministry to special needs kids; high impact student and children's ministries; outreach to the least, the lost and the homeless; and a continuing effort to give those of us who participate the tools we need to help others connect with Jesus. Grace is both preached and practiced, and we are always aware that the church is not about us- it is all about Jesus. The church is far from perfect, and is filled with imperfect people. It has become a very large church, yet there is no amusement park for the kids and no Starbucks for the adults. There is only Jesus, crucified and resurrected. I am blessed and honored to be a part of such a congregation.
This past Sunday, as the electronic sign at church #1 stood dormant and the small crowd trickled in, church #2 welcomed in 151 new adult members (and 60+ of their children!) - most by profession of faith! For those of you who don't speak church language, that means these folks were not coming from other churches. There was no "sheep stealing" going on here. These were people who had come to know Christ through the ministries of this church. I thought to myself as I watched the multitudes (from my perch running camera number 4) fill the platform that this new member class was larger than at least 70% of the UMC churches in the US. In this day of declining membership and attendance in so many mainstream churches, church #2 is thriving. And the big question is...WHY?
If I knew the answers, I would be at home by the fireplace sitting in front of my stack of best-selling books. It is a temptation to say that of course a church with a large budget, such a big staff and great facilities is growing, when in fact it was prayer, vision and stepping out in faith that precipitated all of those wonderful resources. And now that they are available, the fact that they are used for God's glory is the key. In truth, I know very little about church #1. I have no idea why it struggles so mightily despite its advantageous location and beautiful property. I just know it does. But I do have some understanding of why church #2 has grown and thrived. There has been long-term and consistent pastoral leadership that has cultivated vision and passion in the congregation. Having worked with 2 senior pastors who were at their respective churches for over 35 years, you will never convince me that randomly changing leadership every few years is a good idea. There has been a willingness to step out of the comfort zone of the traditional boundaries of the UMC to risk creativity and push the limits of what is "allowed" by stepping out in faith - even when it seems completely crazy. And most importantly, church #2 has been laser-focused on believing that the Church does not belong to any one denomination, age group or theological leaning. The Church belongs to God. Our mission is to connect people to Jesus and to each other, to preach and live grace, to heal the hurting and to take the gospel into the world. It is a church where all are welcome and all are loved- I know, because they accepted me. I am afraid in today's society those things often take a backseat to style, politics. personal issues or tradition. Church #2 is taking the road less traveled and showing the wild, ridiculous and overwhelming love of God whose name is Jesus to a lost and hurting world. And that has made all the difference...
Because of Jesus,
Over the past 2 weeks I have followed the General Conference of the United Methodist Church very closely as they have been in session in my adopted hometown of Tampa. There have been long hours of meetings, contentious discussions, wild accusations and some really ugly ties. There have been hundreds of petitions and thousands of proposed amendments to those petitions. For 2 weeks Robert's Rules of Order and the UMC Book of Discipline controlled this gathering of God's people. I sat frustrated as rules, dogma and political posturing put a stranglehold on the leading of the Holy Spirit. I listened as Jesus was figuratively told to go sit in the corner- they would come get him if they needed him. And all of this has accomplished...next to nothing! As the Reverend Jorge Acevedo tweeted yesterday, "Eleven days, ten million dollars, hours and hours of meetings...for what?" It's enough to make you want to give up. And I am not sure that is a bad thing...
If we are to truly be the "Body of Christ" the church is called to be in this place (USAmerica) and this time (2012), then we are all going to need to give up. We need to give up our power and our security and trust in God. We need to give up our preferences (such as musical and sermon styles) so that the church can better reach the lost and the hurting. We must give up our fears and prejudices and realize that the love and grace of God are for everyone, not just people like us. It seemed most of the decisions at the General Conference were made by old white men. I happen to be an old white man, and I can tell you that this traditional power-base of the USAmerican church is going to have to let go if we are to move forward. We may need to give up building fancy new sanctuaries and instead take Jesus to where the people are already gathered (for instance, there is a movement called Theology on Tap that meets in bars). And most importantly, we MUST give up the "stinkin' thinking" that says church is all about ME. Only when that happens will we give up what we are called to give up- our lives. Church was never meant to about power or preferences. Following Jesus is all about surrender. We do not follow the Christ best when we are strong and powerful. We follow him best when we are on our knees...
So my question to us all today is this: What are you (and I) willing to give up so that our communities will know the amazing grace of our loving God? A few years ago a religion professor at a major university was having trouble getting students to sign up for his Introduction to Christianity class. It seemed that the students were simply not interested in discussing organized religion. So the teacher changed the name of the class to Introduction to Jesus. It's been full ever since. Jesus is always relevant. People who are seeking him don't care about our theology, our polity or our denominational titles. They are not locked in to a worship style or a particular translation of the Bible. They are hurt, and they are lost, and they need a Savior. As Tony Campolo once said, "People keep coming to us looking for Jesus, and we keep giving them church." The time is now, my friends, for us to "Let go and let God!" It is time to give up. Are you with me?
Because of Jesus,
For those who do not know, the quadrennial worldwide gathering of the United Methodist Church known as General Conference is taking place in my hometown of Tampa, Florida even as I write. I watched online last week with great interest as this gathered body debated some of the issues of the day. Yesterday I crashed the party in person just to get a feel for what is like to be with Methodists from all around the globe. The stories of what the sessions are like are legendary, and I wanted to see for myself. As always seems to be the case when talking church policy and politics, the truth is much stranger than fiction. Witness the following accounts...
- Three separate petitions were introduced at the committee level calling for major restructuring of the way the church is structured and carries out its business. After much weeping and gnashing of teeth concerning how these might impact the church, and much legitimate discussion of how they might help save the church, none of the three ever made it out of committee. Status Quo 1, Future 0.
- After a long and heated discussion on language used to described the relationships of homosexuals and the UMC led to a vote that also maintained the status quo, it was suggested that a statement be entered stating that it is a subject on which there is disagreement. After all of the arguing, and a split vote in the committee, it was decided that we do NOT disagree on the subject. Or at least we were not going to admit it...
- The session on Saturday night was supposed to end at 9:30. It did not. In fact, there was controversy about whether or not it could continue at one point, and it was like the final shot in a basketball game. Was the question asked in time? Had the shot left the shooters hand when the buzzer sounded? I didn't realize God's business had a time clock. This felt more like Wall Street.
- Yesterday as the entire gathered conference gathered for business for the the first time, a motion was made to shorten the lunch break by 30 minutes to allow more time in the afternoon plenary session. There was much discussion from the floor before the vote, as people pointed out other events that would be impacted by such a change. 17 minutes worth of discussion. And then when called to a vote, the motion failed. So instead of 30 minutes more, they actually wound up with 17 minutes less. Twitter was going crazy...
- Then came the discussion of Super Bishop! A proposal was made to elect a bishop who would have no other responsibilities but the to be the head of the Council of Bishops. In the petition, this new Bishop would be elected by the COB. Someone spoke from the floor and wanted that changed so the the General Conference itself would select the person, and very quickly that became a hot topic. I found myself thinking that we were now arguing about how to elect a person we had yet to decide we wanted. When the great Maxie Dunham rose and spoke that very concern, I felt vindicated. That feeling was short lived, as the presiding Bishop shot us both down and the debate continued. A vote was called and the motion failed, leaving the power to elect the Super Bishop with the COB. Moments later, the motion to elect any Super Bishop failed as well. Another hour of my life I will never get back.
- Remember those 3 proposals for re-structuring that died in committee last Saturday? They're baccccck!!! A secret new and improved super proposal, PlanUMC, is being released this morning and is said to be a combo of the first three. Apparently legislation at the GC is harder to kill than your average zombie...
- One final story. They were using new electronic voting pads, with each official delegate having their own. As the GC began to elect new members to one of the boards, they decided to practice the new voting procedures by letting the body choose their favorite apostle. This did NOT go well. The learning curve was very steep, and many invalid votes were being cast. Pressing a number and hitting send seemed to confuse people until a 2nd grade teacher stood and explained it in a way all could understand. As they kept trying to get it right (3 strikes was not enough) in the arena, there was a ground-swell of sentiment on Twitter to elect Judas- just to really mess with some minds. Fortunately, those of us on Twitter have no vote, and another fiasco was avoided.
I know that church business has to be done. But it frustrates me to no end that church business seldom has anything to do with the business of the church. Making disciples. Spreading grace. Taking the love of God whose name is Jesus to a hurting world. But just as I was ready to write off things like General Conference as a total waste of time, I got the following tweets last night from Bishop Michael Coyner: For the first time in my 40 years of ministry, we set actual ministry goals tonight! 73 conferences presented goals for worship attendance, new disciples, small groups, persons going in mission, and mission giving. Maybe there is hope.. Please pray for this gathering as they continue this week, and may we all focus on following our Great God & our Great Savior while practicing the Great Commandment and the Great Commission so that we might be a part of a GREAT Church!
Because of Jesus,
After a Saturday that I spent following the merry misadventures of the General Conference of the United Methodist Church (currently in session here in Tampa) on Twitter, my family and I headed out to Van Dyke Church for worship yesterday morning. I confess that I went with a somewhat cynical heart after all of the politics of the previous few days. But God had whipped up just the remedy for my attitude. It was one of those days. You see, I went for church. What I got instead was a huge helping of Jesus! The Holy Spirit was moving, and I came out refreshed and full of hope. What happened, you say? Let me tell you...
* We arrived to find that over 175 African delegates to the General Conference were joining us in worship. It was amazing to see and hear them as we arrived, mingling and speaking in their own native tongues. The sanctuary, which holds over 1000, was packed to overflowing. I sat across the isle from the the seats reserved for our guests, and was absolutely amazed at the spirit they brought to worship. The music was uplifting (including a saxophone; is it just me or is all music better with a sax?) and set a great tone for what was to come. After some preliminaries, Pastor Matthew Hartsfield introduced our visitors. We received a welcome reminding us that in order to complete the Great Commission it will require all of us to work together. And then the French speaking portion of the delegates stood and sang to us- in French! I recorded a portion and you can see and hear it below.
* Matthew's message for the day was the third in his series called I Am. This one was called "I Am Powerful," and it spoke to how we can do all things through Christ Jesus. Matthew is a wonderful preacher on any day, but yesterday he just KILLED it! He talked about how we in the church seem to shy away from our power, saying that "The church too often resembles actors in a poorly cast zombie movie. We look like the living dead!" He called upon us all to claim the power that comes from following Jesus. He called us to "turn our tests into testimonies and our messes into messages." And then he invited those who had never done so to commit to surrendering to the Savior. Some 16 people raised their hands, and you could feel the overwhelming presence of God in the room. And that presence was about to get HUGE!
* It was already 12:10 PM or so when Matthew started the baptisms. He warned us not to look at our watches. He also broke the news that the folks from Idlewild Baptist were going to be beat us to the Picadilly Cafeteria (we always go to Moe's, so that had no impact on us)! Baptism Sunday at Van Dyke is always a great day, as they rent a big tank and do full immersions of adults and youth who have taken a class and are ready to take the next step with Jesus. It is always very powerful. But on this day, Matthew decided that was not enough. As those who had prepared came forward, he invited anyone else who had never been baptized and felt led to join them. And a dozen or so did just that! If you are a United Methodist, then you know how radical this was. The Pharisees in attendance were no doubt stunned. If you are not part of the UMC, then I suspect you cannot imagine how out-of-the-box this was. It was wonderful, and each new baptism was greeted with a roar from the congregation. The African delegates were taking pictures and praising God for the outpouring of the Spirit. You could not help but be moved when the final person- a young African-American man from the special needs ministry of the church who often sits near us during worship- was led into the pool. He was hesitant to enter the water, but once he did he gave a holler and went with gusto. When he came back up- resurrected into new life, as Matthew pointed out- the entire crowed was on its feet, applauding and giving praise to Jesus. As I told my friend and Van Dyke staff member Rob Rose on the the way out, "That was unbelievable!" The entire service was most definitely a God Thing.
So what should church be like? Just like that. People may come for church. But we need to give them Jesus. Amen & Amen!
Because of Jesus,
