The Motion I WISH I Had Made at Annual Conference

Posted by bgosden on Jun 11, 2012 in Discipleship, Faith, God, Kingdom of God, The Church, United Methodist Church | 13 comments

As much as I was enthused leaving Annual Conference here in South Georgia, I do have one regret: I wish I had made a motion from the floor to define discipleship for our annual conference. You see, I counted some 70 times that the phrase “making disciples for the transformation of the world” was mentioned in one form or another. But not once was that phrase defined or elaborated on. Much of our business set as its goal the “making of disciples” but we never defined discipleship clearly. My great concern is that we endorsed a great deal of business on the premise that we all understood and agreed on a basic definition of discipleship.

So I regret that I didn’t follow my gut and propose a motion that would do 3 things:

1. Admit, as The United Methodist Church, that we’ve failed in our attempts to form disciples in the ways of Jesus Christ. This addresses something bigger than merely a decline in membership. This confession puts front and center the fact that we’ve been more consumed with our own self-perpetuation than we have the advancement of the Kingdom of God. Failing to make disciples admits that while we may have enjoyed some years of good attendance and participation, by and large we failed to make committed disciples of Jesus Christ. This is an admission that measuring our current health by the standards of 1968 is based on the myth that we were once a perfectly healthy church who formed disciples. The truth is while we may have formed many disciples, we also failed as the years went by in forming new disciples. Therefore 1968 should NOT be our baseline for success in terms of disciple formation.
2. Locate the primary setting for discipleship in the local church. I’ve heard a number of people advocate the idea that discipleship can happen in different areas of church life. And while this may be true, discipleship must always be focused on the local church level first. Annual Conferences do NOT make disciples. Districts do NOT make disciples. There is no discipleship without a local community whereby disciples can worship, attend to the ordinances of God, participate in the sacraments, etc.
3. Define discipleship as an annual conference. If discipleship is our primary concern as an annual conference; and if this concern is one located in our local churches; then it would be helpful to finally define discipleship as an annual conference. The goal of this was to form a working definition that could be lived out in a variety of contexts. Discipleship, at its very best, will have both universal values and local expressions. The goal of this definition was to define our values and priorities while at the same time leaving it open-ended enough to plug into any local setting.

Whereas, We admit that the greatest issue facing The United Methodist Church is a lack of depth of discipleship; and

Whereas, the local church is the primary and most significant location for the formation of disciples of Jesus Christ according to paragraph 201 of The United Methodist Discipline (2008 ed.); and

Whereas, it is necessary that we define discipleship as it pertains to life in the life of our local churches in the South Georgia Annual Conference and in the transformation of the world;

Therefore, be it:

Resolved, that the primary focus of ministry, proclamation, and life in the local church should be the formation of disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world — all ministry should serve as a means to this end.

Resolved, that the primary of location for discipleship are the local church communities across our conference — any conference-led initiatives towards the goal of disciple formation should be focused on how best to achieve this goal at the level of the local church.

Resolved, that discipleship is the process of being formed in the ways of Jesus Christ as taught in Scriptures and expressed in acts of justice, mercy, worship, and devotion under the empowering guidance of the Holy Spirit — all teaching and practice of discipleship should meet this criteria and be emphasized that such formation and practice is meant to be lived out both personally and corporately.

Annual Conference 2012: In Spite of Our Best Efforts, There Was Hope

Posted by bgosden on Jun 6, 2012 in Faith, Kingdom of God, The Church, United Methodist Church | 1 comment

I never cease to be amazed by the ways God surprises me…

We’ve just completed the 2012 edition of the South Georgia Annual Conference. The week promised some interesting material and potential for debate sprinkled within the annual slog through reports and business sessions. I was excited because my local church sent not 1 but 2 delegates under the age of 40 this year. With conference held in our town we felt it was a great opportunity to send a couple of younger, first-time delegates to experience and learn about the process of annual conference.

I’ll have a follow-up post with the perspective of 1 of our delegates who enjoyed his experience but questioned how effectively we used our time and prioritized the material we went over — but more on that later.

In the meantime, I want to lead with news of an unexpected hope I encountered over these last 3 days.

Could it be?…

Monday Lunch:

I attended a luncheon for a group that I help lead. The roots of this group can be summed up by saying about 7-8 years ago, a tradition began where people chose between one of two breakfasts depending on what side of the liberal/conservative divide you found yourself on. Keep in mind, most of our clergy chose not to attend either gathering. But fairly or unfairly, these two groups seemed to embody the political and theological divide in our annual conference.

This year we decided to make a concerted effort to begin branding the group as more than group united by a single voice. We tried to reach out to those not only “in the middle” on various issues, but also from the “other” breakfast (i.e. the “others”). We brought a speaker down to discuss General Conference and hoped that at best we’d get a decent crowd and maybe a few new people. We ended up running out of food and had a good many people who had never attended the group’s gathering before.

You can imagine my amazement when I walked into the event and was greeted at the entrance by a man who has served 50 years in ministry and frankly is identified as a sort of representative of the “other” group. My jaw literally hit the floor [maybe it was just figuratively but it sure felt real]. We chatted and I decided to ask him when and where the “other” breakfast would be held. By golly, if he’s willing the come to my event, then it’s only fair I suck it up and attend the “other” gathering as an olive branch of peace and open-mindedness. Our luncheon was wonderful and except for a faulty sound system it went off without a hitch.

Now I had to face my inner prejudices and figure out how I’d bring myself to drive to the “other” gathering the next day now that I’d offered to go.

Surprised By Grace

Tuesday Morning:

The “other” gathering began at 7am and was being held at a church just around the corner from my house. I was faced with a dilemma. On the one hand, it was close enough I really had no excuse to go. On the other hand, maybe I could skip it and no one would notice. I’d say I slept through my alarm or something.

I arrived at the church around 7:15am — a little late because I really did sleep through my alarm. But I was present nonetheless. With fear and trembling I entered the room and got in line for breakfast. To my surprise a few people I’d never met came up to me in line and said, “Hey, great luncheon yesterday!” What?!?! And then the man whose attendance the previous day took me by surprise came and welcomed me as though I’d been a member of the family my whole life. Here I was fighting every urge to just slink out the back door hoping no one would see me, and this man extends the hand of radical hospitality to me.

Note to self: Grace takes a surprising shape sometimes…

Did the weather reports say hell might freeze today?

Later on Tuesday Morning:

One of the major pieces of legislation before our annual conference was a report on the idea of reducing the number of districts in South Georgia. Currently we have 9 districts and last year a proposal was made to study the feasibility of reducing by 2 or 3. After a year of study and number crunching, we were split on what to do. The task force charged with studying the finances said it would be feasible to cut 2 or 3 districts. The Bishop and Cabinet resolved that due to the number of unanswered questions, we should simply retain the current number of 9 districts.

Let the debate begin…

An amendment was brought to the floor as a compromise. Essentially the amendment said we’d keep our current number of districts but work another year to answer the questions left unanswered by the previous year’s study. Now it was time to speak for and against the amendment.

It helps to know that the author of the amendment is the pastor of a large church and is a sort of poster child for what many consider a more liberal group in our conference. He spoke of compromise and spoke boldly.

One by one, persons stood at microphones voicing their opinions. The debate was tense but it never got ugly. Folks representing small rural churches, larger urban churches, theological liberals and conservatives, and different races all spoke together on a very important issues in our annual conference. Some agreed and others disagreed. I was struck both by the diversity of those who agreed with each other and the civility with which persons chose to respond. I happened to be sitting by the amendment’s author and my experience was capped off when our conversation was interrupted by the very same man who surprised me with grace earlier that morning. The two men chatted and found they supported one another. As he rose to get behind a mic, he looked at the amendment’s author — a man who represented a good many views opposite of his own — laughed and said, “Let’s see if this annual conference is ready for us to agree on something.”

What does this mean?

In a society that seems to thrive off of bitterly disagreeing with others, I saw a glimpse of a different sort of reality. After a General Conference that seemed to bring out the absolute worst in everyone — people on both sides of the political/theological divide — I saw brief glimpses of unity and I had hope. We’re not a perfect annual conference by any means. Lord knows we have our issues. We’ve got a lot of work yet to do. But as a young clergy person still learning the ropes of Annual Conference, I was filled with the hope that maybe, just maybe, we might actually learn to talk with each other and even listen. Despite all of the grind and stress that comes with Annual Conference I left hopeful. And dare I say it, my heart might have even felt strangely warm.

Summer Reading at Covered in the Master’s Dust

Posted by bgosden on Jun 1, 2012 in Christianity, leadership, The Church | 0 comments

Summer is always a fun time to break the monotony of our routine and shake things up. It’s a time to have a little fun and often try something we wish we could try but don’t have time for at other parts of the year.

Last year I took a little time off from writing during the summer and invited a few friends to guest blog on my site. Part of this was because I had just graduated seminary and wanted to take a little time off to recharge my theological batteries. But it gave me a chance to do something different with my blog.

This year I’ve decided to lay out a loose plan for what I want to write about over the summer. With schedules calming down a bit and the opportunity to vacation comes the chance to read more. Those who know me in real life know that I’m a pretty avid reader in all seasons of the year. But I’ve found it to be a good discipline over the past couple of summers to lay out a reading list. This year, I’d like to try blogging through my summer reading list.

[Keep in mind these are my theological reads -- I also have a few fiction books on tap for the summer as well]

Below are a couple of books I plan to read and blog through. I’m open to more so please feel free to comment with more book suggestions.

1) Almost Christian by Kenda Creasy Dean

I’ve already begun this series with a post here. This book is a great commentary on the state of Christianity in America. Dean argues that the luke warm faith (or lack thereof) of our teenagers is a direct result of a churches and adults teaching that faith is not central to one’s life — at least not in the sense that it should alter the way we live day to day. She argues that while we might teach the fundamentals of a sport or hobby to our kids, we’re just fine simply exposing kids to faith. As we face a growing decline of authentic Christian faith in our churches, Dean’s book is an amazing read with insights that can both convict and enlighten us to rediscover our faith in new ways.

2) Bishop by Will Willimon

Willimon’s book will offer a church context for a larger conversation I want to have on the subject of leadership. As a young pastor I’m very weak in the area of leadership due to a lack of experience. Therefore I find it very important to read and learn as much as I can on the topic in the hopes that as I learn, I can put theories into practice. Willimon’s book has made waves of late because of its candor and behind the scenes glimpse into the life and issues of being a bishop. I personally think it offers a lot on the subject of leadership as Willimon leans on leadership literature for a good many of his citations. So my hope is to blog through this book but also bring in some other leadership material along the way. Obviously this series will involve more questions than answers.

3) Why Narrative? edited by L. Gregory Jones and Stanley Hauerwas

This is my dense theological reading for the summer. In a world that tends to flatten things like faith out in order to make it relevant or accessible, I’m intrigued by narrative theology. In narrative theology, one is challenged to read a story deeper in order to discover the formative ways that story can act on and in your own personal narrative. I love the power of story-telling and feel it’s becoming a lost art in a church culture that prefers more teaching sermons where people can be given 3 to 5 points on any given topic and apply it to their lives. For me, story-telling dares to tell listeners that they’re story isn’t THE story — but it can be a part of something larger. Also, the power of God’s story is that it can still call people anew and transform their lives. Teaching through story requires trust in the Holy Spirit and faith that God’s story can stand on its own. So I’d love to get into a series on the power of narrative and story and how they shape and form us into the people of God.

What other books do you recommend? Is there something you’re reading right now that’s impacted your faith? 

Time For Annual Conference Season — Let’s Not Get Confused

Posted by bgosden on May 29, 2012 in Discipleship, The Church, United Methodist Church | 1 comment

The days are getting longer and warmer. The school year is winding to a close. It’s the end of May and you know what that means: Summer Vacation Annual Conference season!

Now if you’re not a United Methodist, you should probably tune out right about now. But for those of us who find ourselves exercising our faith in The United Methodist Church, this is the time of year for our annual gathering among all of the churches in our immediate geographic area.

Quick United Methodist Polity lesson: Your local church is organized in a cluster of churches in and/or near your town. We call these districts. Those districts are organized with other districts in the surrounding area of your state (possibly including parts of your neighboring state) and we call this body the annual conference. Read more from our friends at Wikipedia here.

If you’ve ever been to an annual conference gathering, you’ll know that it looks a like a church version of a pep rally. Churches celebrate ministry. Agencies report on their work from the previous year. Pastors are honored for their work. We remember those who have died from the previous year. And at the very end, appointments for the upcoming year are fixed. It’s a wonderful time to come together and share in the love and joy that’s integral to being a part of the Body of Christ.

As we prepare to gather and make decision that will affect the life of the church in our area, I’m reminded of a very simple, yet powerful, truth: God is not confined to our Annual Conference gathering. You see, it can be a bit misleading to think just because we’re discussing the business of the church, God is somehow exclusively in our midst. We can get all pumped up for the latest program, revitalization strategy, or budget-saving idea. We can even work ourselves into a frenzy and start believing it’s our job to leave Annual Conference and take God back into the world. But last I checked, the very missional nature of God locates God actively in the world already. God doesn’t need to be “taken” anywhere. What God really wants is a church with the guts to dare to follow Him into the margins of the world that are too often forgotten by our churches when we worry so much about reports and budgets and programs. 

Annual Conference is a wonderful time for reconnecting, celebrating, remembering, and yes even reporting. It’s a time to see old friends and to hear the Word even amid the stacks of paperwork and seemingly endless agenda items. But let’s just make sure we don’t confuse our time together as some sort of opportunity to hatch a plan to take God into the world — God is already there just waiting for we United Methodists to find the courage to come and follow.

God gives us strength and courage to be your missional people. Grant that we may hear the call to follow you wherever you may go. Amen.

The Disease That Masks Itself as Christianity…

Posted by bgosden on May 25, 2012 in Discipleship, Faith, God, Kingdom of God, Life, The Church, United Methodist Church | 4 comments

“Could it be the case that learning a Christian perspective doesn’t actually touch my desire, and that while I might be able to think about the world from a Christian perspective, at the end of the day I love not the kingdom of God but rather the kingdom of the market?” — James K.A. Smith

(quoted in Almost Christian p. 5)

What Kind of Christianity Are We Modeling?

Kenda Creasy Dean notes:

“Teenagers tend to approach religious participation, like music and sports, as an extracurricular activity: a good, well-rounded thing to do, but unnecessary for an integrated life.” (p. 6)

I would argue that for a long time now we in the Church have treated Christianity as more of a belief system than a life of trusting and following. One can believe the right way with very little demand on how they live their life. Sure, we say our beliefs have a great deal to do with how we live, but do we really mean it? You hear clichés around the church about “putting your trust in God” or “living for Jesus.” But what does that mean? Where’s the sacrifice? Frankly, we’d probably be fine with sacrifice as long as it doesn’t impede on the American Dream. In the end, I fear that we’re much too comfortable with a version of the Christian faith that prefers right believing over right living. 

Moralistic Therapeutic Deism (MTD Syndrome)

Dean argues that American Christianity is more akin to Moralistic Therapeutic Deism than to the heart of the Christian faith modeled by our Christian ancestors. So let’s begin by breaking down the phrase in order to fully understand what we’re dealing with. Dean offers Guiding Beliefs of MTD:

1. A god exists who created and orders the world and watches over life on earth
2. God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions
3. The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself
4. God is not involved in my life except when I need God to resolve a problem
5. Good people go to heaven when they die

“Exposing adolescents to faith, as it turns out, is no substitute for teaching it to them” (p. 16)

1) Most American teenagers have a positive view of religion but otherwise don’t give it much thought

Read: Teenagers need to know that faith matters both inside and outside the walls of the church. Adults should know that young people don’t argue over issues of faith. We live in more of a “live and let live” world when it comes to matters of faith. But we also, by and large, do not regard religion as a source of identity. Churches must find grace-filled ways to lead young people to see their faith as an identity marker shaped by practices that inform unique ways of living in the world.

2) Most U.S. teens mirror their parents’ religious faith

Read: Contrary to popular opinion, teenagers conform to the religious beliefs and practices of their parents to a very high degree. Some will experience a time of “breaking away” later on in adolescence (think early college) and even largely come back to being more inclined to model their parents’ faith as young adults. The key here is that parents matter most when it comes to shaping the faith of youth. And parents need the church to help them be the very best models for their kids. So yes, it really does take a village.

3) Teens lack a theological language with which to express their faith or interpret their experience of the world

Read: If you want to see church people really squirm, ask them to give their testimony. The fact is young people have a hard time articulating their faith with any depth because the rest of us have a hard time doing so. When Christianity is restricted to just a belief system, you lose the sense of language comprehension necessary for identity. Much of who I am requires a language to understand fully appreciate the depth of my identity. When Christian faith is left to surface-level beliefs we never learn the language necessary to see our faith with much depth. If teens are to learn how to talk about their faith in meaningful ways, then the rest of us need to learn to do so as well. This comes only through practice and allowing oneself to be vulnerable to think of their life in new ways.

4) A minority of American teens say religious faith is important, and that it makes a difference in their lives. These teens are doing better in life on a number of scales, compared to their less religious peers.

Read: The NYSR data showed that 8% of youth consider their faith as very important and big part of their lives. Dean notes that while religious youth don’t avoid the problem behaviors and relationships, they are more likely to do well in school, have positive relationships with their families, etc. But there are 2 important caveats to mention: 1) Participating in any identity-bearing community, religious or not, improves young people’s likeliness to thrive; and 2) Our ideas of “doing better” usually require conforming to social norms that sometimes contravene religious teachings. In teaching our kids to “do better” in life we have to remember the prophetic aspects of the Gospel that might lead us to take risks for the sake love, justice, and faithfulness. Our standard for doing well must always be held in tension with the standard of living a life that daily seeks to take up the cross of Christ.

5) Many teens enact and espouse a religious outlook that is distinct from traditional teachings of most world religions — an outlook called Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.

Read: The goal of this alternative, though seemingly noble, version of Christianity is to helps people be nice, feel good, and leave God in the background to be called upon as needed. This is not the faith of Jesus Christ — God in the flesh, crucified and risen, who calls us to live as the people of God for the sake of God’s creation. Learning the difference between these two versions of faith requires tools for translation (formative ways of teaching and living), testimony (learning how to interpret and use the language of faith in the presence of those outside of the faith), and detachment (becoming counter-cultural through practices that define the Christian faith as different from the rest of society yet always for the sake of all of Creation).