What Would You Do With 60 Minutes?

 

If you could speak next week to 100 United Methodist pastors for 60 minutes, what would you say to them? 

According to the United Methodist Church's latest annual State of the Church Report, one-half of all United Methodist churches have fewer than 55 people in attendance each week.   Only 1% of the 34,892 United Methodist churches have a worship attendance of more than 500 people.  41% of U.S. United Methodist churches did not receive a member by profession of faith in 2005. 

The United Methodist presence in the United States today is the same as it was in 1820.  And, if trends in aging and membership losses continue at their current rates, the church will shrink to its size at the time of the first Christmas Conference in 1784.

Mike Coyner, Bishop of the Indiana Area, gave me 60 minutes – one hour of opportunity – to speak to 100 pastors about next generation ministry.  New ministry strategies might prove helpful for new ministry initiatives. 

Maybe I’ll suggest new initiatives to reach a new generation.

When I am building a team to accomplish a worthy goal (and since Wesley said, “Do nothing on which you cannot pray a blessing,” it would be a ridiculous exercise to engage an unworthy goal) I look for people who love to win.  If I can’t find any of those, I look for people who hate to lose.  We need to find leaders who do not need our help.  These are the potential-laden pastors we must help. We need to give these pastors more support, praise assistance and freedom to innovate.  When we start feeding what is growing the harvest will increase.

Stats on our recent decades of decline indicate we are not reaching new people, young people, ethnic minorities or Emergents.  Our Church is comfortable and many like it the way it is.

There are many reasons for pastors to launch new efforts to reach new people.

1.  We are losing our culture and our heritage.  America is in moral decline.  Fewer people worship the Lord Jesus.  The accepted vernacular of our contemporary culture is base, crude and degrading.  Blatant acceptance of behaviors the Bible labels “sin” has the fearful wringing their hands and the emboldened reveling in bold, lewd license.  Welfare entitlements weaken the general public, diminish productivity and pull our culture towards a socialist redistribution of wealth that undermines Christian generosity and the Protestant work ethic.  So, there is a cultural reason for pioneering effective new ministries.

2.  Big government assures individuals they are less and less accountable for their own condition.  Whatever the problem, the government is blamed and the government is expected to fix it.  This unbiblical transference of responsibility – away from the individual – conditions people for projection, blame and the exemption-of-self from all responsibility.  We will all stand before the judgment bar of God and give account.  We are answerable to the King.  If we allow the people for whom Jesus died to believe they bear no responsibility for the condition of the lives and souls of their neighbors, we have failed them!  If we have any compassion at all, we must offer the life of a Christ-follower to everyone!  In so doing, we give every woman and every man the opportunity for a life of purpose, meaning and fulfillment as they participate in the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  There is a compassion reason for launching new ministries.

3.  Jesus said to “Go make disciples….”  How’s that for a reason to initiate new strategies?  There is a Biblical reason for sharing best practices so we can make new disciples of Christ.

Pastors need hope - and good reason - to intercept entropy with courageous and faithful ministry.  That's what I plan to offer. 

What would you do with 60 minutes of opportunity?

 

Comments

[Chris Stevens]

Sounds awesome Mark! Being a pastor in Indiana myself, I'm very concerned with the status of the church...but I still can't help but believe that the church is the hope of the world. God has chosen to use us to accomplish His will on earth. I just prayed that God would speak through you to these pastors. If you get some kind of outline of your notes, or if this gets recorded, I sure would like to get a hold of it myself, even though I'm not part of the UMC.

[Bill A.]

I think if I had 60 minutes, I'd be trying to call Mark Beeson!

I agree with what you say. It boils down to do we care where people will spend eternity. Will they be with God or apart from God? If we care, it will affect us!

[Jamie Westlake]

Your passion for Christ and determination to move the church into a better future are what will shine through regardless of what you say in your "60 minutes." I think I'd challenge, push, encourage, love, and tell stories of "failures" and "accidents" that God still found a way to use to bring people into relationship with Him. Give 'em heaven! By the way, anytime you want a break in the Tampa area, let me know. You've got an open invitation to speak at FUMC in Brandon, FL!

[Tina Harkey]

Whatever the Holy Spirit gave me to tell them because having just left a dying Methodist church that had 1400 people attending it 4 years ago that now has about 400 people (pastor change), if they start something radical will the SPR just move them out? Until the Methodist Church radically changes the way it does business pastors that aren't starting new works will just bust old wineskins.

[Jason Morris]

I'd talk about the need to see beyond ourselves. So much of the UMC is shrinking because of a "me first" attitude. We want to take care of ourselves and have forgotten the message of loving God, loving & serving others, and sharing Christ with the world. I just read an article in the Muncie paper about a UM church that closed its doors. A church member basically said, "Young people just don't go to church." Well, they don't if you don't offer them any thing. I hope those in attendance will listen...You know how UM pastors can be...they'll be cricital and say, "Yeah, that might work for Mark Beeson. But, it's just not realistic for me." I believe too many of our clergy have lost their heart for the lost...and that's why we see the decline.

[Tina]

Jason,

Do you see it more as their hands tied than lost their heart? If they cause waves or try to do something new they risk stepping on toes and then SPR is breathing down their necks (they usually have families to think about also).

Recently one of my friends sons started dating a girl that attends a UMC. His girlfriend didn't invite him to youth, but one of her friends did. He asked why she didn't and she said we don't like to invite outsiders because we have a wonderful small group and don't want to change that dynamic. That is so scary to me that they have the viewpoint already of me and no more.

[Bob Bouwer]

Mark, As one serving in a mainline Denomination (RCA) I can so relate to your thoughts. I will be quoting you Soon. I have offered a prayer for your engagement with the 60 minutes. Thanks for all you do for the King and His Kingdom.

[Mark]

"Welfare entitlements weaken the general public, diminish productivity and pull our culture towards a socialist redistribution of wealth that undermines Christian generosity and the Protestant work ethic."..........

Here Here! I sometimes wonder how many Christ followers take the time to ponder this reality and the subtle changes "compassionate" governance produces within the mindset of Christ's 21st century American church. We are on a "slippery slope" greased with man-made wisdom and headed toward the unintended consequences it inevitably wreaks.

Having kept your feet turned toward the stream of God's blessings, you are in a uniquely rare position to speak the "tough love" truth of personal responsibility to those within the Christian community with ears to hear. God bless your actions.

[Mark Meyer]

Mark:
I've been enjoying your blog... it's adding huge value to many lives including my own... keep it up!

In reading this post, my Dad is having a talk with the local Lutheren pastors on a similar topic with a similar "state of the union" in that denomination. I've been sharing your thoughts with him as he's preparing for a talk in June...

After reading "Unchristian" from of some of the Barna folks and getting a better understanding on the challenges with the Mosaic and Buster generations, we need to keep pressing in on new strategies to reach the unchurched...

Thank you for your continued leadership and insights... Kem and I are with/for you and Sheila! I pray that God will speak through you to these pastors...