Dedicated to fostering conversations about the global nature of The United Methodist Church
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Recommended Reading: William Lawrence book on #MyHope4Methodism
Last week, UM & Global launched a new series, #MyHope4Methodism, that will feature United Methodist scholars and leaders from around the world reflecting on their hope for the future of The United Methodist Church as a global movement within the larger context of worldwide Methodism as a whole. I was pleased to see an announcement from the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry the following day about a new book from Dr. William B. Lawrence entitled "A Methodist Requiem: Words of Hope and Resurrection for the Church." As the press release state, this book is another attempt to proclaim hope for United Methodism, even in a time of great tensions in the church.
Thursday, January 18, 2018
David Scott: #MyHope4Methodism
UM & Global is beginning a new series that will feature United Methodist scholars and leaders from around the world reflecting on their hope for the future of The United Methodist Church as a global movement within the larger context of worldwide Methodism as a whole. While the posts will not avoid issues related to the UMC’s debate on sexuality, the goals of the series are 1) to broaden the conversation about the future of Methodism as a global, missional movement concerned with a wide range of issues, not just a set of church institutions concerned with this one issue, and 2) to identify the bright spots of hope in the United Methodist tradition. Today's post is by UM & Global blogmaster and Global Ministries Director of Mission Theology Dr. David W. Scott.
My hope for Methodism is that the best of our missional past will propel us into our future.
One project I have been working on lately has been coordinating the bicentennial celebration of the founding of the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the earliest denomination-wide mission group in American Methodism. As part of that project, I am assembling a database of missionary biographies. (You can submit stories, too!) Certainly, Methodists have made many mistakes in our past mission. Yet, as I have read these stories, I have frequently been deeply inspired by the lives of faithful Methodists involved in mission. I hope that Methodists will continue to live out our faith in some of the same ways as these missionaries. In particular:
They loved Jesus. While missionaries operated with a variety of theologies, the best of them had a deep-seated spirituality fueled by their love of Jesus. In good Methodist fashion, that love motivated them to show their love through actions. Methodist missionaries worked hard, risked much, suffered and even died, opened themselves up to new places and new ways of seeing the world. All of this would not have been possible without a sustaining love of Jesus. I hope Methodists will continue to have such a sustaining, motivating love of Jesus.
They loved other people. The best Methodist missionaries were not only overflowing with love for Jesus, but love for the people with whom they worked, inside and outside the church. Whether that love was that of the privileged who came to understand, care for, and champion the causes of the oppressed with whom they worked or that of those who rose up from disadvantaged backgrounds to help their communities, no good mission was ever done without love. I hope Methodists will continue to love not just each other, but the individuals and the world outside their doors.
They broke barriers. There are so many inspiring stories of Methodist women and people of color from around the world who did things no woman or person of color had before because they were Methodist missionaries. They took authority from the Holy Spirit, did what others said they couldn't, went where others said they shouldn't, and accomplished what others said they wouldn't. In so doing, they proved that God was working through them, too. I hope that Methodist women and Methodists of color will continue to claim their equal part in the church and the world.
They tried new things. Methodist missionaries sought to be faithful to their Methodism. But they understood that doing so meant being willing to try new things - new forms of mission, new ways of organizing church, new activities in the broader society, new relationships, new ways of thinking, etc. They even tried new things, failed, and then went right on trying. They understood that faithfulness wasn't in tension with trying new things; it required it. Missionaries opened themselves up to change and were agents of change in the church and world. I hope that Methodists will continue to be open to being faithful in new ways.
They showed the breadth and strength of Methodism. Methodism is a big tradition. As a religious movement that has been around for 300 years, spans a multitude of countries and cultures, and currently includes over 80 million people, there are a lot of different ways, past and present, to be Methodist. Yet at the same time, there are also "family resemblances," if you will. Reading missionary biographies shows both the diversity and the resemblances within Methodism and the value of both. Methodist missionaries have inspired me by showing the many, many ways in which they brought God's love to the world. This dizzying, dazzling array of mission gives me not just one hope for Methodism, but a whole host of hopes, as vast as the night sky.
My hope for Methodism is that the best of our missional past will propel us into our future.
One project I have been working on lately has been coordinating the bicentennial celebration of the founding of the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the earliest denomination-wide mission group in American Methodism. As part of that project, I am assembling a database of missionary biographies. (You can submit stories, too!) Certainly, Methodists have made many mistakes in our past mission. Yet, as I have read these stories, I have frequently been deeply inspired by the lives of faithful Methodists involved in mission. I hope that Methodists will continue to live out our faith in some of the same ways as these missionaries. In particular:
They loved Jesus. While missionaries operated with a variety of theologies, the best of them had a deep-seated spirituality fueled by their love of Jesus. In good Methodist fashion, that love motivated them to show their love through actions. Methodist missionaries worked hard, risked much, suffered and even died, opened themselves up to new places and new ways of seeing the world. All of this would not have been possible without a sustaining love of Jesus. I hope Methodists will continue to have such a sustaining, motivating love of Jesus.
They loved other people. The best Methodist missionaries were not only overflowing with love for Jesus, but love for the people with whom they worked, inside and outside the church. Whether that love was that of the privileged who came to understand, care for, and champion the causes of the oppressed with whom they worked or that of those who rose up from disadvantaged backgrounds to help their communities, no good mission was ever done without love. I hope Methodists will continue to love not just each other, but the individuals and the world outside their doors.
They broke barriers. There are so many inspiring stories of Methodist women and people of color from around the world who did things no woman or person of color had before because they were Methodist missionaries. They took authority from the Holy Spirit, did what others said they couldn't, went where others said they shouldn't, and accomplished what others said they wouldn't. In so doing, they proved that God was working through them, too. I hope that Methodist women and Methodists of color will continue to claim their equal part in the church and the world.
They tried new things. Methodist missionaries sought to be faithful to their Methodism. But they understood that doing so meant being willing to try new things - new forms of mission, new ways of organizing church, new activities in the broader society, new relationships, new ways of thinking, etc. They even tried new things, failed, and then went right on trying. They understood that faithfulness wasn't in tension with trying new things; it required it. Missionaries opened themselves up to change and were agents of change in the church and world. I hope that Methodists will continue to be open to being faithful in new ways.
They showed the breadth and strength of Methodism. Methodism is a big tradition. As a religious movement that has been around for 300 years, spans a multitude of countries and cultures, and currently includes over 80 million people, there are a lot of different ways, past and present, to be Methodist. Yet at the same time, there are also "family resemblances," if you will. Reading missionary biographies shows both the diversity and the resemblances within Methodism and the value of both. Methodist missionaries have inspired me by showing the many, many ways in which they brought God's love to the world. This dizzying, dazzling array of mission gives me not just one hope for Methodism, but a whole host of hopes, as vast as the night sky.
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Recommended Reading: Hybrid Way Forward
The Commission on a Way Forward has their next meeting later this week, their first since releasing an interim report in November. That report laid out three possible structural models for addressing The United Methodist Church's long-standing debate over homosexuality. Even following that report, there are still many possible scenarios for a final recommendation to and response by the special called General Conference in 2019.
Yet as the Commission continues its work, others are also putting forward ideas that may affect which of these scenarios come to pass. Rev. Chris Ritter, for instance, has put forward what he calls a "Synthesis Model" or "Hybrid Way Forward," including proposed legislation. Rev. Rittter's model seeks to combine the three models mentioned by the Commission on a Way Forward in their report.
This mention of Rev. Ritter's model is not intended as a form of support for that model. Instead, I mention it as an example of how General Conference could end up adopting something other than what the bishops propose (response #4 on my list of possible responses by General Conference). There is not much precedent for General Conference adopting major restructure plans not backed by church leadership, but GC2019 will not be a typical General Conference.
Still, Rev. Ritter's model notwithstanding, all eyes remain on the Commission. UM & Global joins United Methodists around the world as we continue to pray for their work and await the bishops' final recommendation(s) based on that work.
Yet as the Commission continues its work, others are also putting forward ideas that may affect which of these scenarios come to pass. Rev. Chris Ritter, for instance, has put forward what he calls a "Synthesis Model" or "Hybrid Way Forward," including proposed legislation. Rev. Rittter's model seeks to combine the three models mentioned by the Commission on a Way Forward in their report.
This mention of Rev. Ritter's model is not intended as a form of support for that model. Instead, I mention it as an example of how General Conference could end up adopting something other than what the bishops propose (response #4 on my list of possible responses by General Conference). There is not much precedent for General Conference adopting major restructure plans not backed by church leadership, but GC2019 will not be a typical General Conference.
Still, Rev. Ritter's model notwithstanding, all eyes remain on the Commission. UM & Global joins United Methodists around the world as we continue to pray for their work and await the bishops' final recommendation(s) based on that work.
Tuesday, January 9, 2018
Recommended Readings on short-term mission
Two recent articles on short-term missions provide helpful conversation starters about missiological issues related to the practice of short-term missions.
United Methodist Communications published a piece by Rev. Dan Wunderlich entitled "How to do short-term missions the right way." The piece offers seven suggestions for those (Americans) planning short-term mission trips: learn the issues, check your perspective, do the research, pick the right project, consider not going, train your team, and tell a responsible story.
UM & Global contributor Rev. Lisa Beth White has written a response to Rev. Wunderlich's piece entitled "Balancing the why and the how of short-term missions." Rev. White adds another layer to Rev. Wunderlich's recommendations by raising the question of motivation in short-term missions and connecting it to The United Methodist Church's mission document, "Grace Upon Grace."
Both pieces are sure to be useful in local church settings, classrooms, and other arenas in which United Methodists are seeking to conduct mission in faithful, fair, and fruitful ways.
United Methodist Communications published a piece by Rev. Dan Wunderlich entitled "How to do short-term missions the right way." The piece offers seven suggestions for those (Americans) planning short-term mission trips: learn the issues, check your perspective, do the research, pick the right project, consider not going, train your team, and tell a responsible story.
UM & Global contributor Rev. Lisa Beth White has written a response to Rev. Wunderlich's piece entitled "Balancing the why and the how of short-term missions." Rev. White adds another layer to Rev. Wunderlich's recommendations by raising the question of motivation in short-term missions and connecting it to The United Methodist Church's mission document, "Grace Upon Grace."
Both pieces are sure to be useful in local church settings, classrooms, and other arenas in which United Methodists are seeking to conduct mission in faithful, fair, and fruitful ways.
Thursday, January 4, 2018
2017/2018 year in (p)review
As 2017 ends and 2018 beginnings, it's time to engage in the annual tradition of looking back at what the top topics on UM & Global were in 2017 and looking forward to what they might be in 2018. To see what my guesses were for 2017 at the beginning of the year, see here.
The most popular post of 2017, and the most popular post ever on UM & Global, is "American UMC decline is a white people problem." This piece combined themes of race, church decline, and data analysis. All three of these themes have been important to UM & Global in the past.
The biggest foci for UM & Global in 2017, though, were undoubtedly church unity and our assessment of the draft UMC ecclesiology document, "Wonder, Love and Praise." Both topics took up a lot of blog posts over the year and included posts that were among the most-read of 2017.
UM & Global's treatment of "Wonder, Love and Praise" harkens back in some ways to our assessment of "Grace Upon Grace." Both series included multiple authors from across the connection reflecting upon important documents of the church. The comment collection process for "Wonder, Love and Praise" is now closed, and we will have to wait to see what the Committee on Faith and Order does with the comments submitted by our authors and others.
The focus on church unity is part of a larger complex of issues including, as I termed them at the beginning of 2017, General Conference, the Sexuality Debate, and Global Ecclesiology. In some ways, the sexuality debate in the UMC has become a black hole, sucking in all others issues that operate at a more than local level. UM & Global would not have spent so much time exploring the grounds for and challenges to church unity in 2017 without that backdrop. Questions of where the UMC will go in the future are important for a blog "dedicated to fostering conversations about the global nature of The United Methodist Church," but the challenge for 2018 will be to continue to engage with such questions without being consumed by them, while still having attention for other important missiological topics.
The most popular post of 2017, and the most popular post ever on UM & Global, is "American UMC decline is a white people problem." This piece combined themes of race, church decline, and data analysis. All three of these themes have been important to UM & Global in the past.
The biggest foci for UM & Global in 2017, though, were undoubtedly church unity and our assessment of the draft UMC ecclesiology document, "Wonder, Love and Praise." Both topics took up a lot of blog posts over the year and included posts that were among the most-read of 2017.
UM & Global's treatment of "Wonder, Love and Praise" harkens back in some ways to our assessment of "Grace Upon Grace." Both series included multiple authors from across the connection reflecting upon important documents of the church. The comment collection process for "Wonder, Love and Praise" is now closed, and we will have to wait to see what the Committee on Faith and Order does with the comments submitted by our authors and others.
The focus on church unity is part of a larger complex of issues including, as I termed them at the beginning of 2017, General Conference, the Sexuality Debate, and Global Ecclesiology. In some ways, the sexuality debate in the UMC has become a black hole, sucking in all others issues that operate at a more than local level. UM & Global would not have spent so much time exploring the grounds for and challenges to church unity in 2017 without that backdrop. Questions of where the UMC will go in the future are important for a blog "dedicated to fostering conversations about the global nature of The United Methodist Church," but the challenge for 2018 will be to continue to engage with such questions without being consumed by them, while still having attention for other important missiological topics.
Tuesday, January 2, 2018
Recommended Viewing: I am a missionary series
Global Ministries has begun releasing two new series of short videos.
The first is entitled "I am a missionary." The videos include short interviews of Global Ministries missionaries taken during a recent gathering in Latin America. The missionaries speak about their motivations to enter missionary service and their experience as missionaries.
The second is entitled "Fearless Fellows." The videos include short interviews of Global Ministries' Global Mission Fellows, talking about their calling to mission work and what they've learned from their places of assignment.
The videos could be a good resource to use in classroom, Sunday School, or worship settings.
The first is entitled "I am a missionary." The videos include short interviews of Global Ministries missionaries taken during a recent gathering in Latin America. The missionaries speak about their motivations to enter missionary service and their experience as missionaries.
The second is entitled "Fearless Fellows." The videos include short interviews of Global Ministries' Global Mission Fellows, talking about their calling to mission work and what they've learned from their places of assignment.
The videos could be a good resource to use in classroom, Sunday School, or worship settings.
Thursday, December 28, 2017
Recommended reading: Mission Year in Review
As 2017 draws to a close, this is in the season for year-in-reviews. UM & Global will have our own retrospective of 2017 and look forward to 2018 next week. In the meantime, I recommend you check out Rev. Scott Parrish's "Mission Year in Review." Parrish makes a passionate plea for churches to try new things and engage with their surrounding culture. This plea makes it a very forward-looking year-in-review.
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