'Town hall' gathering offers snapshot of the church
Emily Reece (left) hosts a "town hall" teleconference for The United
Methodist Church as Sandra Lackore waits to present a report on
denominational membership, attendance and giving trends. A UMNS photo by
Mike DuBose.
|
By Marta W. Aldrich*
April 18, 2007 | NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS)
The
vision for The United Methodist Church in the 21st century includes
starting 650 new U.S. congregations by 2012, doubling the number of
young people serving as pastors and church leaders, and expanding
ministries in behalf of the world's impoverished people.
Those were among the highlights from a first-ever teleconference
inviting United Methodists worldwide to an April 17 "town hall" meeting
with denominational leaders to talk about the church's membership,
ministries, missions and challenges for the future.
The teleconference was timed with the release of a report by the
United Methodist Council on Finance and Administration, presenting and
analyzing local church data about membership, attendance and giving
trends. Called "This is Our Story," the
report presents The United Methodist Church as "a faithful, generous
people in dozens of nations who continue to make a difference in the
lives of people around the world," said Sandra Lackore, the council's
chief executive.
Among the specifics outlined in data for 2005 -- the most recent complete data available -- are that:
- The church's membership is growing throughout the world but
shrinking in the United States at a time when 50 percent of the U.S.
population has no ongoing relationship with a faith community.
- Worldwide professing and baptized membership is 13.75 million in more than 50 countries, compared with 11.35 million in 1995.
- U.S. professing membership is 7,995,429, compared with 8,075,010 the
previous year, a decline of nearly 1 percent. Membership has decreased
by more than 1.9 members, or 19 percent, since 1974.
- While 35 percent of U.S. churches grew in membership, 41 percent did not report a single profession of faith.
- The church gave almost $5.9 billion during 2005 -- representing an
increase in giving for the 15th straight year when adjusted for
inflation.
- U.S. giving included more than $200 million for disaster relief and
$475 million in additional benevolent giving. U.S. churches reported
more than $4.3 billion given as offerings for local church ministry,
operations and benevolences, and an additional $1 billion raised through
capital campaigns and memorials.
- Spending on benevolent causes has increased more than 36 percent in
the last decade, while staff salaries and benefits increased 46 percent
and clergy salaries and connectional clergy support increased about 11
percent.
- United Methodists in the United States volunteered their time to
more than 600,000 leadership positions in church schools, and more than
138,000 reported lending a hand by working in more than 11,000 Volunteer
in Mission groups.
"There is a sense that God is leading The United Methodist Church to
do something different," Lackore said, citing the work of the
Council of Bishops, the Connectional Table and church boards and
agencies to write "a new chapter of our story."
"But the real work of our denomination, and the places where lives
are changed, remains in the hands of our churches and the faithful
people who call them home. The future of our church depends upon our
leadership at all levels capturing this vision and being willing to work
hard -- each of us -- lay and clergy."
Opening the door to conversation
Lackore was joined on the town hall panel by Bishop Janice Riggle
Huie, the Rev. Jerome King Del Pino of the Board of Higher Education and
Ministry, the Rev. R. Randy Day of the Board of Global Ministries, the
Rev. Karen Greenwaldt of the Board of Discipleship, Jim Winkler of the
Board of Church and Society and the Rev. Larry Hollon of United
Methodist Communications.
More
than 200 callers participated and, at the close of the presentation,
some asked questions about issues ranging from starting new churches to
preserving the environment.
"We liked it and we learned a lot," said Jo Ann Ramsey, 70, a member
of Skycrest United Methodist Church in Clearwater, Fla., who listened in
along with several other members of their church growth committee.
"We're mostly an older congregation, and we wanted to learn more
about training and new techniques (of church growth)," she said
following the teleconference. "You hear a lot of negativity about the
decline of The United Methodist Church, so I was glad to hear the
positive comments."
The Rev. Jacqui King, pastor of St. Paul United Methodist Church in
Port Arthur, Texas, was glad she tuned in as well. "Although there is
great movement in the Texas Conference, it was good to hear about the
growth throughout the church on a worldwide scale," King said after the
teleconference. "This use of technology is phenomenal and really helps
spread the word in an awesome manner."
Among the issues presented was a proposal by the Connectional Table
to emphasize four goals -- called the "provocative propositions" -- to
set the future course of the denomination's work and life. The proposals
will be presented to the 2008 General Conference, the church's top
legislative body, and would emphasize developing new leaders; starting
new congregations and strengthening existing ones; ministering to the
poor; and addressing global health by fighting poverty and expanding
access to health care for all.
"We believe these are vital elements for the transformation of the church," said Huie, president of the Council of Bishops.
Leadership, new churches and missions
The Rev. Jerome King Del Pino
|
Del Pino addressed the church's "leadership crisis" and called this
"a crucial moment in history, when seismic demographic, social, cultural
and religious shifts are redefining our global reality."
He cited 2005 research showing there were only 850 commissioned and
ordained clergy ages 35 or under in the entire United Methodist Church
in the United States. "This is only 4.69 percent of current elders and
reflects a decline from 15.05 percent of the elders serving in 1985," he
said.
"The church must build a streamlined structure for the development of
young leaders that will result in doubling the number of young people
in positions of leadership as pastors and specialized clergy and lay
ministries."
Reminding listeners that "church planting is a biblical mandate,"
Greenwaldt said the church must invest its leadership and financial
resources to start more new churches. Currently, the denomination starts
an average of 90 a year in the United States.
She highlighted a new initiative that aims to train 1,000 new church
planters to start 650 U.S. churches by 2012. The initiative also aims to
train bishops and district superintendents in strategic church planting
and to develop a "rich database, a library of best practices" to help
them in their decisions.
Day, who oversees global missions, reported the church has mission personnel and projects in more than 125 countries.
The Rev. Karen Greenwaldt
|
"We are a growing church in Africa, parts of Asia and Eastern
Europe," Day said. "I believe that this growth is helping the entire
denomination to reconnect with our roots in the theology of (Methodism
founder) John Wesley, who taught that personal holiness, the private
side of faith, is never complete unless it is also expressed in social
holiness, including social ministries and mission."
'An active faith'
Hollon reported on the proposed Initiative on Global Health to
address the diseases of poverty and significantly reduce the incidence
of malaria and HIV/AIDS. It will include leveraging funding and creating
new partnerships to increase health ministry, communicate about health
and advocate for changes in public policy.
"It is unlike any initiative attempted before in that it seeks to
engage congregations at the grassroots, annual conferences and the
general agencies to address the diseases of poverty with the full
resources and skills of the global United Methodist community," Hollon
said. "It will require deep and meaningful collaboration as well as
long-term commitment."
Winkler, who heads the church's social advocacy agency, reminded the
church that "ours is an active faith" that must address issues of
justice, peace and poverty.
"Our ministry with the poor goes beyond feeding the hungry,
sheltering the homeless and clothing the naked. It requires challenging
the principalities and powers that profit from the misery of so many,"
Winkler said.
Organizers said the town hall meeting offered a new forum for
presenting a snapshot of the denomination and sparking greater dialogue
in an informative and interesting way.
"The willingness of our leaders to be transparent in this forum and
to be open to questions from any source is very positive," said Hollon,
who oversees the church's communications agency. "Our church leaders are
to be recognized for their openness."
*Aldrich is news editor of United Methodist News Service.
News media contact: Marta Aldrich, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Audio
Town Hall Meeting
Related Articles
United Methodists invited to join teleconference
Church agency executives plan office of new church starts
Proposals call for new collaboration among church agencies
Agency executive challenges council to work for change
Researchers complete first phase of 'State of Church' report
Connectional Table affirms four 'provocative proposals'
Resources
'This is Our Story' Report
Year-end financial commitment report
Town Hall transcript
Provocative Propositions Summary
United Methodist General Agencies |