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Bishop Melvin G. Talbert
Retired Bishop Melvin G. Talbert has served The United Methodist Church
as a mentor, pastor, conference staff member, district superintendent,
general secretary and bishop. An institute was created in his name by
Black Methodists for Church Renewal to engage and encourage young lay
and clergy to reach their leadership potential.
Talbert has been an advocate for peace and for the oppressed and
marginalized. He has fought to help The United Methodist Church and
society address racism. He is committed to racial, gender and sexual
orientation inclusiveness, stating that there is room at God’s table
for everyone.
He has identified eight values that have guided him throughout his
life: timeliness, preparation, respect, advocacy, “from ‘me’ to ‘we,’”
ecumenical focus, courage and radical inclusivity. The young people
selected for the institute will complete a two-year curriculum based on
those values.
In an interview with United Methodist News Service, Talbert explained his values.
Timeliness
This is a value instilled in me by my dad. He told me to always be
on time … value the time of others. The theology behind this is that
time is all that you have, you can’t postpone it for later. … You need
to be intentional about how you use it.
Preparation
I hear people talk about -- particularly when it comes to preaching
and leading -- ‘I’m guided by the spirit.’ What they do is simply come
to a gathering, have not done any preparation and indicate to those who
are there, ‘I’m going to let the spirit speak to me.’ I think the
spirit speaks to us when we are struggling, sitting behind our desks,
preparing for what we are to do when we are leading God’s people. Don’t
abuse others; make sure you are prepared to guide and provide the kind
of leadership they deserve.
Respect
Speaks for itself. We are all humans created in the image of God,
and I will respect you even though you don’t respect me. I acknowledge
and respect you as a human being.
Advocacy
You have to take a stand on the issues you are facing in life. There
is no such thing as a neutral position. If you don’t take a stand, it
means you are in support of the status quo. If there is an issue that
needs to be lifted up, you need to take responsibility and advocate for
it and not assume that it is going to get dealt with simply because
you want it to be.
From ‘me’ to ‘we’
It is not about “me,” it is about “us.” We are all God’s people and
we are in this together. We are in this together, and if it is
important, there are some others that are excited about it too.
Ecumenical focus
The United Methodist Church is not the only Christian expression
going; there are many others, and we are all on the same journey.
Rather than assuming that I have the answer, what we need to do is
bring to the table all of our understanding of who we think God is but
be prepared to listen to what others say as well, and realize that we
are all a part of the Christian family of God.
I would expand that to not only include Christian churches but other
faiths as well. I don’t believe that God can be boxed by a particular
theology that’s called Christianity. I don’t need to judge who is going
to get in; God is going to make that decision.
Courage
It simply means don’t be afraid; take courage and act and serve and
do. Life is too short for me to worry about how others are going to
think about what I am doing. I need to think through clearly where I am
and venture.
Radical inclusivity
God’s table is large enough to include everybody. God does not
exclude anyone. Each person is welcome to the table of God, and each
person has the responsibility to claim that place.
That is why I am so disturbed by how our church is dealing with the
issue of GBLT (gay, bisexual, lesbian or transgender) people. These are
our brothers and sisters in Christ, and yet somehow we have decided we
need to become God and therefore decide, “You can serve and you can’t
serve.” (Talbert is referring to The United Methodist Church’s official
position that “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” shall not be
ordained as United Methodist clergy.)
If people come in and say they believe in God and Jesus Christ they
are welcome. We have no right to exclude anyone on the basis of their
status in life -- race, gender, economic. No matter what it is, we are
all one.
Back to: Young leaders begin new Talbert class
Korean News
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