Note: this is the Pastor Charles' reflection on General Conference in the June Glad Tider (the newsletter of the Stevensville [MT] UMC):
I’m writing this right
on the heels of my experience at General Conference (GC) in Portland. With the
theme, “Therefore, Go!” the church gathered for its quadrennial (once every
four years) meeting. To paraphrase the opening line in “A Tale of Two Cities” –
It was everything I hoped it would be and everything I was afraid it would be.
The Good: Seeing 865 delegates from 133 Annual
Conferences representing more than 12 million members and 45,434 local churches
with another estimated 4,000 others present during the course of the ten days
(volunteers, vendors, General Church workers, etc.) was wonderful! Twenty-nine
missionaries (from eleven countries serving in sixteen countries) and
twenty-five Deaconesses and Home Missioners were commissioned – WOW!
Each morning the day began with worship, and oh, what worship
it was! Choirs, ensembles, and soloists shared an incredible variety of music.
My favorite was the ukulele choir from Grace Avenue UMC (Frisco, Texas). There were
participants representing the rainbow/tapestry of a global church and prayers
that went deep into the heart of the church. Then there were the bishops chosen
ahead of time to bring the word for the day. Each one spoke powerful, prophetic
words to a deeply conflicted church body, urging us to follow Christ in service
and love.
Then there was the large room set aside for prayer as well as
a UMW prayer tent and a prayer station outside one entrance to the plenary
hall. The main prayer room included five interactive prayer stations, two large
labyrinths, and much more. Each day bishops would take turns in a prayer vigil.
Each delegate was given a set of prayer beads and the UMW distributed labyrinth
hand-made quilt squares.
The General Boards, Agencies, and Commissions shared what the
church does best – connecting with people where they are and to address the
needs of all of God’s children. Imagine No Malaria, Africa University, and
other efforts are touching lives and the Stevensville UMC is a part of that
effort. The exhibit hall also contained dozens of displays showing the
diversity of ministries being done by individuals and organizations in every
corner of the world. We celebrated milestones and anniversaries including 60th
anniversary of the ordination of women, 200th anniversary of the AME Church,
and 250 years since the founding of John St. UMC (in New York City). We took
corporate responsibility for our part in the Sand Creek Massacre.
The bad: It was during the afternoon plenary on the
next to last day when a sobering moment occurred. I was seated in the
bleachers, listening to an acrimonious debate on the proposal from the Council
of Bishops on “the way forward” (to consider the topic of human sexuality in a
special General Conference). As I took in this scene, the thought came to me:
“Am I witnessing the birth of a new church or the death of an old one?”
Focusing on the institutional side of Portland alone is enough
to cause me to weep over the future of our denomination. There were times
during the proceedings that it seemed to me that some delegates were more
interested in proving their mastery of Robert’s Rules of Order and winning
votes than in “Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the
World.” It seemed at times that I was witnessing the end of the church as I had
known it.
And yet. As John Wesley is quoted as having said as he lay
dying, “The best of all, God is with us.” To that belief in the continuing
presence of God in The UMC, I would offer:
+I believe that we United Methodists must find a way to see in
our brothers and sisters the image of the Living God before all else is said or
done.
+I believe that the Spirit of
God is able to do a new thing in The UMC or it will do a new thing in a church
that rises from the ashes of the current denomination.
+I believe that the church
that we have received from the Wesleys has a vital role to play in the world.
But we live in a different time than the early Methodists and cannot cling to
some mythical golden age as the norm for our life today.
+I believe that the so-called “Wesleyan Quadrilateral”
(understanding our faith through Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and
Experience) is a valid way for us to approach our life together.
+I believe that as long as we claim to be United Methodists or
actively participate in the ministries of the Stevensville UMC that we must
continue to grow as disciples.
+I believe that if you are a member of this congregation that
the vows you took upon joining this church and The United Methodist Church (you
joined both in case you’ve forgotten) need to be written in bold letters on
your heart. Supporting the church through your prayers, presence, gifts,
service, and witness are not just pretty words – they are the marks of who
we are as United Methodists.
+I believe that the work of the church is not limited to the
physical building at 216 College Street or to The UMC. To put it another way, “Imagine
how different the church would be if it understood the church is not about the
church” (ReThink Church – Brad Brisco).
From my perspective, the most Spirit-filled moment during GC
2016 was during one particularly unpleasant debate when the young adults rose
up to read the Statement of Unity from the United Methodist Global Young
People’s Convocation and Legislative Assembly held in Manila, Philippines:
“There has been increasing talk of schism of the United
Methodist Church in recent months. Many say that the issue of homosexuality is
so contentious that it will inevitably split our Church. We, as the young
people of The United Methodist Church, would like to say that we do not desire
a divided Church. “The Church that we have taken our places in is called to a
ministry that includes so much more than this one issue. There are genuine,
passionate perspectives on all sides of the issue and though we disagree, we
have committed ourselves to loving, faithful discussion on this subject. Part
of the beauty of our Church is that there has always been room at the table for
a wide range of theological diversity within our connectional church family. As
[John] Wesley said, ‘May we not be of one heart, though we are not of one
opinion?’
We urge everyone to seek solutions that promote our global unity as
The United Methodist Church of Jesus Christ, rather than focus only on the
issues that divide us, so that we may faithfully live out our mission of making
disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”
So, was spending the resources of time, energy, and money to
be present at GC worthwhile? I believe it was. The Council of Bishops concluded
its pastoral letter at the conclusion of GC with these words:
“Most
importantly, we affirmed our commitment to stay united. We proved that we are
more than debates and divisions, more than rules and resolutions. We stood
together as the body of Christ. As we reflect on our time in Portland, our
prayer is for unity in the church for the advancement of our mission of making
disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”
Every blessing,
Pastor Charles
