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Through change, keep eyes on GodBy Lisa Diehl, Kansas Area communications director
Clergy from Nebraska, Kansas East and Kansas West were sent forth to do ministry following a closing service that included communion and a message from Kansas Area Bishop Scott Jones.
Jones and Nebraska Area Bishop Ann Sherer-Simpson led the communion liturgy together, and the district superintendents from the three annual conferences served the elements.
Jones’ sermon encouraged pastors to keep their eyes up, focused on God.
“I have a recurring dream,” Jones said. “It goes like this. I’m late, rushing across campus, down a hall, because I’m supposed to be some place, and I realize I am not prepared.”
In much the same way, many pastors today are unprepared for the challenges they face in ministry today.
“Brian McLaren has been helping us understand why ministry in this part of the 21st century is difficult,” Jones said. “We’re liable to be in this situation for a long time. It’s going to go on for another 50 or 100 years.”
But when ministry is this hard, it’s easy to get discouraged, to focus on what’s going wrong, to lose sight of our goal of making disciples for the transformation of the world. Instead, we get hunched over and beaten down, seeing only the trash on the ground in front of us.
“How often are we guilty of doing that?” Jones asked.
Recently, a church consultant who was going to meet with the United Methodist Council of Bishops sat next to another church consultant on the plane. The second consultant asked the first, “You are an amazing denomination, but you all are in a funk. When are you United Methodists going to get out of your funk?”
“I think the purpose here today is to help us get out of our funk,” Jones said. “The world needs a vital and vibrant United Methodism. I think there are three problems in the world for which God has already given us what we need.”
The first problem is worldview.
“We live in a complicated world,” Jones said. “Life was simpler in the early 20th century. We don’t have that luxury anymore. Atheism is gaining steam. A materialist worldview says life is short and then you die, so get as much as you can in that short period.”
The fastest growing part of the population has no Christian frame of reference.
Jones said just across town from the hotel where the clergy session gathered is a church family that proclaims a Christian heresy. They talk about God in ways that alienate people. In the same way that Christians struggle to distinguish between the Taliban, who offer a different kind of heresy that most Muslims condemn and reject, those looking at Christianity from the outside struggle to distinguish us from other Christians.
“And yet God’s given us what we need, a Christian worldview essentially in our doctrine, essentially in the scriptures,” Jones said. “We’re not always sure how to connect with those who are seeking, but all the answers are in the holy book that we just read from. God has given us the job of being stewards of this message. Can anything be better than the calling to be a United Methodist preacher?”
The second problem is the world has a problem with relationships and connections. Robert Putnam wrote a book called “Bowling Alone.” In it, Putnam points to a number of factors that have caused every form of community in American culture to decline since 1964. One reason is air conditioning. People stay indoors instead of going outside, where they can interact with their neighbors. A second factor is television. People spend more time watching television than talking to their spouses or friends.
“We know how to connect people into small groups,” Jones said. “We know how to build community. And yet the problem runs deep because there are people out there who say life is about the toys you have.”
Jones used a scene from the movie “Up in the Air” to illustrate the point. The consultant played by George Clooney in the movie travels all over the country to fire people. In the scene Jones showed, Clooney’s character is leading a sales workshop. He asks his audience to imagine carrying a backpack with everything they own in it, including their cars and homes, and feel the weight of it. He says, “Try to walk. Kind of hard, isn’t it? This is what we do to ourselves on a daily basis. We weigh ourselves down until we can’t move.” Clooney then tells them to imagine setting the backpack on fire, freeing them from what’s weighing them down.
“As the movie goes on, we learn that it isn’t just stuff he wants to get rid of,” Jones said. “It’s also relationships. Moving is living and you want as few encumbrances as possible.
“Our message, the doctrine we’ve been given, is loving, is living,” he said. “We experience love in worship, and then we share it. Part of what we do in our churches is build community. We are in the business of building relationships, and we do it better than almost anybody else.”
Third, we live in an increasingly diverse society, and we need unity to bind us together.
On the eve of President Barack Obama’s inauguration, lobbyist Mark DeMoss launched the Civility Project, an effort to promote civility nationwide. He asked politicians of both parties to sign a simple three-line pledge:
“I will be civil in my public discourse and behavior. I will be respectful of others whether or not I agree with them. I will stand against incivility when I see it.”
After two years, only three members of Congress signed the pledge, and DeMoss dissolved the organization.
“Is it any wonder that our politicians are taking the political life of our country lower and lower and lower?” Jones asked. “We United Methodists have a diverse church. There are people in your annual conference that you disagree with. There are people in other annual conferences that you disagree with. We have Korean congregations. We have African-American congregations. We have immigrant congregations. One of the beauties of the United Methodist Church is that we live together. We’ve learned to be respectful of each other, listen to each other. Praise God we’re stuck together. That’s our calling to model to a larger culture.”
Jones said there’s a fourth gift The United Methodist Church has to offer, and that’s our history.
“There are times when we’re not quite living up to our potential,” he said. “We’re not preaching our worldview convincingly, we’re not building bridges, we’re not as unified as we’d like to be, and that’s when we need to go back to our history and remember the times when we’ve done it better.”
Jones closed with a challenge to all the clergy present.
“My request is that you quit looking at the ground and put your eyes on the Lord, remember the blessings and how God has already acted among us and is still acting among us,” he said. “It’s a scary time to be a pastor. It’s a scary time to be a Christian. But we can point to the one who is able to do far more than we can ask for or imagine. Take that confidence, take that certainty that God is going to do far more than we can image, and when you leave this place, serve the Lord.
Tricycles assembled by Nebraska, Kansas clergy given awayBy Kathryn Witte, Nebraska Area communications director
Tricycles were given away to 90 children of the Topeka Community Action Program’s Head Start on Jan. 18 as a result of a project partnership between United Methodist clergy from Kansas and Nebraska and Topeka’s North Westlake Hardware store.
Clergy divided into 90 groups to assemble tricycles. The assembly of the tricycles was to help pastors from Kansas East, Kansas West and Nebraska United Methodist Conferences get to know each other while working on a worthwhile project. Kansas and Nebraska will be served by one bishop beginning in September 2012.
Head Start families were invited to participate in the trike give-away. One woman was present with her family to pick up a trike for her youngest daughter.
“We are excited for [the children],” the woman said.
She said the only riding toys the children enjoy are at the Head Start location.
Many families shared the anticipation as they waited in the lobby for their trikes to be readied for delivery.
Nearly 800 clergy representing churches all across Nebraska and Kansas were gathered at the Ramada Convention Center in Topeka to meet each other for the first time as a collective body. Each clergy participant contributed $10 to help defray costs of the give-away including the cost of the tricycles, additional tools, etc. They donated money not knowing the nature of the project until it was revealed mid-day on Wednesday just prior to the assembly work session.
“Our time together, including the opportunity to be in service together, was great. I am thankful for those who offered leadership,” said Rev. Carol Roettmer Brewer, Nebraska’s director of connectional ministries/staff leader and one of the meeting planners.
The Topeka Westlake Hardware provided tools for assembly and access to economical pricing on the tricycles. Additionally Easton Bell Inc. provided discounted helmets given out with the tricycles.
“We’re always looking for ways to help the community,” said Westlake Ace Store 89 General Manager Mark Sidwell. He noted that they had worked with the Topeka Community Action Program Head Start before.
Rev. Bill Selby from the Center for Pastoral Effectiveness of the Rockies arranged the service project in collaboration with the conference planners from both Kansas and Nebraska. He said he liked his own local Ace hardware store and so made a random call to the North Westlake Ace.
“I’m just glad I was the one who picked up the phone that day – how often do you get to give away 90 bikes?” said Ace Hardware Floor Manager Wes Epperson, who fielded Selby’s call.
“The goal of the small group experience was to connect people through a meaningful project to seek a common vision. In doing so, participants might be able to move past the natural concerns of bringing three conferences together to valuing the personal relationships created by this move,” said Selby.
Bike assembly participant Portia Cavitt from Nebraska commented on the assembly process.
“We enjoyed excellent team work, we trusted each other.” She also noted that they eventually had to read some of the instructions as there was at least one do-over.
Nancy Pauls from Kansas East said, “We had to listen. The ‘redo’ taught us the importance of listening.”
“I was moved by the resulting smiles and laughter among the children, their families and the clergy. This shared experience, with the ringing of the trike bells in the midst, marked a united venture and shared experience that culminated in profound joy,” said Rev. Shelly Petz, conference planner from Kansas West.
The trike assembly project brought folks together around the table to talk and work together. It also provided a forum for some to unpack our culture’s approach to “gift giving.”
Some of the questions raised included, “How do we lay aside our own needs to help others?” And, “Why is it important for gift givers to actually see the people being helped?” Questions were also raised about how such a large group might come together to work on systemic issues that contribute to placing people in poverty in the first place.
As one small boy mounted his trusty new red trike, it was clear that for him these questions were for another day. For now, he and his sister were happy to be taking home this new handsome riding machine.
Join the 2012 Clergy Wellness ProgramThe Clergy Wellness Program is open for enrollment for 2012. The program is designed to empower United Methodist clergy in Kansas to develop and maintain healthy lifestyles that will provide a foundation for a balanced, sustainable life of ministry.
The program begins with a two-day wellness retreat, during which participants meet with professional consultants for comprehensive wellness assessments and receive recommendations for a customized personal wellness plans.
Following the retreat, participants attend support/accountability groups via teleconference that are facilitated by a wellness coach.
There is no cost to participate in the program.
Developed by the Kansas Area Health and Wellness Committee and funded by the Kansas Health Foundation and The United Methodist Health Ministry Fund, the program was patterned, in part, after the “Life of Leaders” program of United Methodist Health Systems in Memphis, which was attended by Bishop Scott Jones and conference leadership in 2009.
The Kansas pilot program was launched in 2010. It was offered again in 2011 to members of the cabinet and 22 clergy members across the state.
Enrollment is limited to 24 participants.
Download a
registration brochure.
For additional information, contact Susan Harvey, program administrator, at
susan_harvey@cox.net or 316-775-6324.
UPCOMING EVENTSLay Speaker School - Benton UMCThis is event is hosted by the:
Wichita East District district2/6/2012
This Lay Speaker School, sponsored by the Wichita East District, will qualify the participant for either Basic or Advanced credit, depending on what is needed. The class will take place on the four Monday nights of February 2012. Please see attached brochure for more details and the registration form.
Boundary Awareness Training2/6/2012
The Kansas West Conference requires Boundary Awareness Training for adult sponsors of youth, children and vulnerable adults for all conference-sponsored activities. Trainings also are available for local churches. Contact Kathie Monroe to schedule a BAT training for your congregation at kmonroe@kswestumc.org.
The cost is $30 for background checks.
Commission on New Church Development2/7/2012
Know Your Job Workshop - Wichita West DistrictThis is event is hosted by the:
Wichita West District district2/12/2012
The Wichita West District is sponsoring this Know Your Job Workshop in an effort to help new committee members know and understand their duties and expectations of their new position.
Nebraska-Kansas Episcopald Area Women Clergy Gathering for Kansas West2/16/2012
Bishop Jones has invited women clergy to meet with him to discuss the important and interesting choices facing the Kansas West Conference in the next several years.
"I believe God has a great future ahead of us, and I would like to share that vision with you," Jones said in the invitation. "At the same time, I want to hear about the hopes, dreams and concerns God has placed on your heart. Your perspective is important, and I want to be in conversation with you about the future of the United Methodist Church in Kansas."
Women clergy will gather with the bishop from 10 am to noon Feb. 16 at Pleasant Valley UMC in Wichita. A lunch will follow the meeting.
If you plan to eat with the bishop, please RSVP to Kathie Monroe at kmonroe@kswestumc.org. Lunch is $7.
Nebraska-Kansas Episcopald Area Ethnic Clergy Gathering for Kansas West2/16/2012
Bishop Jones has invited ethnic pastors to meet with him to discuss the important and interesting choices facing the Kansas West Conference in the next several years.
"I believe God has a great future ahead of us, and I would like to share that vision with you," Jones said in the invitation. "At the same time, I want to hear about the hopes, dreams and concerns God has placed on your heart. Your perspective is important, and I want to be in conversation with you about the future of the United Methodist Church in Kansas."
Clergy will gather with the bishop from 1-3 pm Feb. 16 at Pleasant Valley UMC in Wichita. A lunch will preceed the meeting.
If you plan to eat with the bishop, please RSVP to Kathie Monroe at kmonroe@kswestumc.org. Lunch is $7.
Basic Disaster Response Training - WichitaThis is event is hosted by the:
Wichita West District district2/25/2012
Episcopal Area Transition Team3/1/2012
Introductory Sexual Ethics Seminar3/9/2012
The Introductory Sexual Ethics Seminar is sponsored by the Board of Ordained Ministry and is required for all clergy new to the Kansas West Conference.
The seminar will be held at the United Methodist Health Ministry Building at 100 East First St. Hutchinson, KS.
This training is often confused with the Quadrennial Sexual Ethics Training. The Quadrennial Sexual Ethics Training is required for all clergy, regardless of your years of service in Kansas West. Quadrennial Training is required IN ADDITION to this Introductory class for new clergy. Attendence at one does not excuse you from attendence at the other.
For more information please contact Marilyn Christmore: christmore@embarqmail.com or (620) 459-6671.
Quadrennial Clergy Sexual Ethics Training - Emporia3/22/2012
All clergy under appointment in the Kansas East and Kansas West Conferences are required to participate in one of these events as voted at clergy sessions of both conferences in 2007. Topics will include the lay harassment of clergy policy, Facebook and other social media, and a review of conference policies.
Registration in NOT required. Simply be present the day of the training.
Below is a list of other available training dates:
March 26, 2012, at Oakley UMC
May 5, 2012, at Wichita Aldersgate UMC
May 16, 2012, at Olathe Grace UMC
Kansas Area Disaster Response meeting3/24/2012
Commission on New Church Development4/3/2012
Middle School (Confirmation) Rally 20124/13/2012
During the Middle School Rally, we put together 25,000 meals for people in Haiti. If you would like to support this, please donate here.
UMW - Wichita East/West Districts Spiritual Retreat4/13/2012
Retreat starts on April 13th and ends on April 14th.
UMW - Dodge City/Hays Districts Spiritual Retreat4/13/2012
Retreat begins on April 13th and ends on April 14th.
UMC General Conference 20124/24/2012
General Conference, the highest legislative body for the United Methodist Church, will meet in Orlando, FL, from April 24 - May 4.
2012 Healthy Congregations Retreat4/27/2012
The 11th annual Healthy Congregations Retreat for Kansas United Methodists, part of the Health Fund's Healthy Congregations program, brings together Kansas United Methodists who share an interest in congregational ministries of health and healing integrating the spiritual, physical, mental, and social facets of health for lives of Christ-centered wellness and joy.
The retreat is provided at no charge to participants through the sponsorship of the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund as part of its Healthy Congregations program, designed to encourage intentional health ministry in Kansas United Methodist churches.
Registration starts at 9 a.m. on Friday, and the main retreat will end by 1 p.m. on Saturday. Optional post-retreat sessions, including a Faithfully Fit Forever leader training, also will be offered.
This year, the keynote presenter will be Robin Swift, MPH, leader of the Duke Divinity School Clergy Health Initiative.
Key benefits for participants:
Discover ways churches can advance health, healing, and wholeness in the congregation, the local community, and beyond.
Complete training courses for Healthy Congregations Covenant program certification.
Learn how churches can promote lifestyles of healthy activity and food choices
Gain useful information about current health ministries in Kansas UM churches
Network with others who share a passion for congregational health ministries
Gain renewed personal energy in a scenic retreat setting
Receive clergy and health professional CEUs
For more information and registration, visit www.healthfund.org/retreat.
Quadrennial Clergy Sexual Ethics Training - Olathe5/16/2012
All clergy under appointment in the Kansas East and Kansas West Conferences are required to participate in one of these events as voted at clergy sessions of both conferences in 2007. Topics will include the lay harassment of clergy policy, Facebook and other social media, and a review of conference policies.
Registration in NOT required. Simply be present the day of the training.
2012 Annual Conference - May 23 - 255/23/2012
The 2012 Session of the Kansas West Annual Conference will meet at the Kansas State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson. The theme of Annual Conference will be “Vital Congregations.”
C583 North Central Youth Camp: "Jesus Your BFF"This is event is hosted by the:
Salina District district6/1/2012
Click here to REGISTER!
UMW - METour -- Southwest -- 6/3 to 6/136/3/2012
Trip begins on June 3rd and ends on June 13th.
BISHOP'S COLUMNNumbers represent people who are importantPUBLISHED: 3/31/2010
When numbers represent worship attendance, membership, participation in Sunday school, youth involved in UMYF, offering totals or time spent in hands-on mission with the poor, they are more than just numbers. They represent real human beings and their journeys on the way of salvation. Leaders—both laity and clergy, administrative councils, cabinets and bishops—should pay close attention to the numbers that indicate our missional effectiveness.
Sometimes the cabinet members and I hear pastors say the equivalent of, “I don’t pay attention to numbers.” I know that this attitude is widespread among United Methodists in Kansas and around the United States. It is justified in a variety of ways or, more often, just lived out unreflectively.
The case for why it is essential that church leaders pay attention to numbers rests on two basic principles, one of theology and one of mission.
The theological principle is that God is a missionary God who is engaged in saving the world. God’s mission includes the church as the instrument of salvation, and the church’s mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We United Methodists, based on our Wesleyan doctrine that is our interpretation of scripture, see that process of making disciples as having several significant steps:
- Repentance of sin;
- Justification by grace through faith;
- Sanctification understood as both personal and social holiness;
- Participation in the means of grace such as worship, prayer, small groups for spiritual growth and study, baptism, Holy Communion and risk- taking mission and service.
When we are clear about our mission, we then ask, “How are we doing at accomplishing the task God has given us?” The answer is that we count how many people are engaged at each stage of the process.
This leads to the principle of leadership. You count what is important to you. If you cannot measure it, you don’t know for sure how well you are doing.
If a business is seeking to make quality cars, they measure the quality of their product by asking customers for feedback and evaluation. If they also are in business to make a profit, they ask the accountants for an annual operating statement that measures profit and loss. If they also seek to have happy, fulfilled employees, they find ways to measure employee satisfaction.
In most human enterprises, there are multiple goals being pursued simultaneously, and the important ones are measured. Good leaders are clear about their goals, apply numerical targets for the important ones and evaluate their success or failure on each count.
For a local church, five key measures of missional effectiveness are adult professions of faith, worship attendance, Sunday school/small group attendance, finances and engagement in hands-on mission.
When a church is engaging in spiritual conversations with adults who are unchurched, they are hoping to lead these people to become disciples and enter the way of salvation. The decision point in that process is a profession of faith and becoming a member of the church. Thus, when a congregation reports zero professions of faith for several years in a row, it is a pretty good indicator that they are not engaging in evangelism with the reachable people in their community.
When average worship attendance is increasing, it is an indication that more and more people are worshiping God, growing in their faith and receiving the grace of God that comes through corporate worship.
When an increasing number of people are attending Sunday school and other small groups for nurture in the faith, we can presume that they are making progress toward becoming the mature disciples God has called them to be.
When a congregation sponsors hands-on mission with the poor, either in their own community or during a mission trip to another place, they are being used by God to accomplish God’s purpose of transforming the world.
When a congregation preaches tithing and challenges people to engage in extravagant generosity, there is more money available to do all of these things for Christ.
I am well aware that numbers have to be used carefully. If a church is in a community that is declining, simply maintaining the same level of worship attendance may be a stunning success. In the midst of economic downturn, financial indicators must be compared to the local economy. Simple comparisons from one church to another using raw numbers should be avoided. But from one year to the next, leaders must pay attention to the trends and develop strategies in all facets of their mission to be more effective this year.
Bishop Schnase’s book, “Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations,” can teach us a great deal about how to think about these matters.
But the bottom line is that God is seeking fruitful congregations. We are counting fruit. Leaders need to pay attention to the count. Why? Numbers are people who are important.
BISHOP'S BLOGFollow the LeaderYesterday, I preached at an Ecumenical Worship Service in Topeka. It included Lowman UMC and several other congregations in their neighborhood and focused on a blessing of the palms. It was a powerful way to begin Holy Week!
My message focused on following the leader. Holy Week is a time of recommitting ourselves to the triune God as the leader for our lives. Who you follow does make a difference. Many in modern society are practical atheists—they follow their own desires or thoughts. Others follow false gods of various sorts.
Christians are by definition those who acknowledge God the father and seek to be obedient to his will. They are disciples of Jesus who wish to serve others. It is of deep significance that Christ calls us to follow him, and his path was one of sacrificial service for the good of others. We are also empowered by the Holy Spirit whose work of inclusive love and inspirational evangelism leads all of us to change lives and transform communities.
May this Holy Week help all of us to recommit to following the leader revealed in the Bible.
