General Conference
Day 7
April 29, 2008
Well, it happened! I knew it would! It was only a matter of time before the feeling would rise to the surface of my soul! I wanted to speak on an issue last night – a privilege not afforded to a bishop of The United Methodist Church.
Last night we were debating a proposal from the Study on the Episcopacy to reduce the number of bishops in the United States. At one point in the debate, a delegate rose and approached the microphone. I have known this particular delegate ever since I entered ministry. He is dynamic and creative and has a history of growing the church.
As he spoke he noted that while his bishop had the vision of sending him to the site of his new church start, the bishop did not knock on any doors of persons in the community. He did. No bishop organized the church he was to build. He did. No bishop preached every Sunday to motivate those people to attend the new church being started. He did! While he also shared that he would not have been able to start his new church had it not been for the bishop, he stated that the growth of the church was not in any way dependent upon a bishop. Obviously he was speaking in favor of the proposal to reduce our numbers
My friend stirred my juices! I wanted to rise and speak! Now, you may think that I wanted to rise and defensively defend the episcopacy and the importance of bishops in the church. Not so, although I have always felt that bishops are critical in order to put the right person in the right place at the right time to do ministry and are vital in establishing, maintaining, and motivating the vision & direction of United Methodists in a particular area.
But that was not my passion last night. I wanted to stand at a microphone and say that although I love my brother from Texas, I had to question his rather self-serving speech. I wanted to inquire about how many laity knocked on the 3,000 doors he referenced and invited people to c0me to “his” church. I wanted to ask about the seminary professors who refined his theology and shaped “his” vision for ministry. I wanted to know about the mentors who didn’t always agree with “his” thoughts and challenged him to be more than he ever could be on his own. I wanted to know the name of the persons who planted the seed for his call to ministry and would not let “him” go.
My friend’s speech was good. It spoke of the important work of clergy on the ground, in the communities, and within our local churches who do the “grunt” work of the church. It spoke of the need for a deep call to ministry that is more motivated about winning people to Christ than it is about the latest return on our pension funds. He was right.
But he was wrong. The transformation of this church is wholly and solely dependent upon all persons using their gifts to make our church a more complete face of Christ. The church will not grow if we eliminate bishops. Neither will it grow if we increase the number of episcopal leaders. The church will not grow if we continue to decline in persons preparing for ordained ministry. Neither will it grow if all we do is send pastors out into the field of service on their own.
The turnaround of the United Methodist Church and its subsequent transformation is completely dependent upon everyone responding to God’s call and living out a life of faith in every city, community, and town in God’s world. The solution to the church’s woes is not an easy solution. It cannot be solved by reducing the numbers of bishops, reducing the number of districts, closing churches, or complicating a person’s ordination process. It will be solved when we celebrate the importance of episcopal leadership, support and encourage the ministry of our clergy, re-focus and energize our laity as 21st century evangelists, take leaps of faith that will lead us to invest in the future of the church financially, and pray earnestly that the spirit of the living God will be the glue to pull us all together in a concert of grace, acceptance and unconditional love.
I wanted to speak today. Even though I cannot speak on the floor of the General Conference, there IS a message to be shared: “I am the church. You are the church. We are the church together. All who follow Jesus, all around the world, WE are the church TOGETHER.”
May it be so!
The Journey Continues, . . .
Day 7
April 29, 2008
Well, it happened! I knew it would! It was only a matter of time before the feeling would rise to the surface of my soul! I wanted to speak on an issue last night – a privilege not afforded to a bishop of The United Methodist Church.
Last night we were debating a proposal from the Study on the Episcopacy to reduce the number of bishops in the United States. At one point in the debate, a delegate rose and approached the microphone. I have known this particular delegate ever since I entered ministry. He is dynamic and creative and has a history of growing the church.
As he spoke he noted that while his bishop had the vision of sending him to the site of his new church start, the bishop did not knock on any doors of persons in the community. He did. No bishop organized the church he was to build. He did. No bishop preached every Sunday to motivate those people to attend the new church being started. He did! While he also shared that he would not have been able to start his new church had it not been for the bishop, he stated that the growth of the church was not in any way dependent upon a bishop. Obviously he was speaking in favor of the proposal to reduce our numbers
My friend stirred my juices! I wanted to rise and speak! Now, you may think that I wanted to rise and defensively defend the episcopacy and the importance of bishops in the church. Not so, although I have always felt that bishops are critical in order to put the right person in the right place at the right time to do ministry and are vital in establishing, maintaining, and motivating the vision & direction of United Methodists in a particular area.
But that was not my passion last night. I wanted to stand at a microphone and say that although I love my brother from Texas, I had to question his rather self-serving speech. I wanted to inquire about how many laity knocked on the 3,000 doors he referenced and invited people to c0me to “his” church. I wanted to ask about the seminary professors who refined his theology and shaped “his” vision for ministry. I wanted to know about the mentors who didn’t always agree with “his” thoughts and challenged him to be more than he ever could be on his own. I wanted to know the name of the persons who planted the seed for his call to ministry and would not let “him” go.
My friend’s speech was good. It spoke of the important work of clergy on the ground, in the communities, and within our local churches who do the “grunt” work of the church. It spoke of the need for a deep call to ministry that is more motivated about winning people to Christ than it is about the latest return on our pension funds. He was right.
But he was wrong. The transformation of this church is wholly and solely dependent upon all persons using their gifts to make our church a more complete face of Christ. The church will not grow if we eliminate bishops. Neither will it grow if we increase the number of episcopal leaders. The church will not grow if we continue to decline in persons preparing for ordained ministry. Neither will it grow if all we do is send pastors out into the field of service on their own.
The turnaround of the United Methodist Church and its subsequent transformation is completely dependent upon everyone responding to God’s call and living out a life of faith in every city, community, and town in God’s world. The solution to the church’s woes is not an easy solution. It cannot be solved by reducing the numbers of bishops, reducing the number of districts, closing churches, or complicating a person’s ordination process. It will be solved when we celebrate the importance of episcopal leadership, support and encourage the ministry of our clergy, re-focus and energize our laity as 21st century evangelists, take leaps of faith that will lead us to invest in the future of the church financially, and pray earnestly that the spirit of the living God will be the glue to pull us all together in a concert of grace, acceptance and unconditional love.
I wanted to speak today. Even though I cannot speak on the floor of the General Conference, there IS a message to be shared: “I am the church. You are the church. We are the church together. All who follow Jesus, all around the world, WE are the church TOGETHER.”
May it be so!
The Journey Continues, . . .
posted by Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton @ 12:04 PM
3 Comments:
At April 30, 2008 at 5:44 PM ,
P.J. said...
Bishop I watched some of that debate from the comforts of my home. I was amazed at how little we spend on Bishops. After hearing that I wondered why we didn't just give ourselves four more years. See if we couldn't work to change the tide of things. I also felt badly for our brothers and sisters in the Congo. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard the one delegate say that his Bishop was responsible for 1 million people. They just blew me away. I am with you in your thought pattern. It is our laity that work on every level in he church that are sharing Christ. As I have been in my setting for the past seven years I have seen them invite way more folks to church that I ever could. It is my prayer that we could motivate more laity to share Christ more often then I know the Church would go because we would be making disciples and fulfilling the Great Commission. Perhaps in four years we will be adding Bishops instead of taking them away.
Still Praying,
Jude
At April 30, 2008 at 10:47 PM ,
Keith H. McIlwain said...
Today must have been long and difficult for you, Bishop. As the GC debated issues related to sexuality, I'm sure that your shepherd's arms and your pastoral heart longed to embrace people in in pain on every side of the issues. God will undoubtedly bless you even in your current "temporarily silent" role.
Know that you were being lifted up in prayer by so many of us back in PA, and those prayers will continue until you're safely home.
At May 1, 2008 at 10:42 AM ,
Chris said...
Bishop, your words reminded me of my fifth grade Sunday school teacher, Mrs. Anderson. She was someone that helped form my foundation of faith and continues today to encourage and uplift me.
You are being prayed for!
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