In yesterday’s post, I drew a link between a church’s complexity and its mediocrity.
Unfortunately, the typical Methodist Church is an inherently complex being. Here are just a few examples of the intricacies of the system:
- The pastor-in-charge reports to four different entities: the Church Council, the Pastor-Parish Relations Committee (ours is called the SPRT, or Staff-Parish Relations Team), the District Superintendent, and the Annual Conference through the Board of Ordained Ministry. Whew! A lot of masters! Who has the final say? Who knows? While some level of checks-and-balances is no doubt healthy, this reporting structure as currently configured brings about confusion.
- Most churches in our system invite every conceivable advocacy group — men, women, youth, music, missions, and others — to have their own ministry domains and to do their own fund raising. So you have built in competition for calendar time and congregational dollars. If you look at a typical church bulletin, it includes a long menu of ministry options as well as a calendar of upcoming fund raising events.
- The denomination itself invites its churches to do special offerings on a wide array of . . . you guessed it, denominational emphases. Peace With Justice Sunday, Native American Awareness Sunday, and One Great Hour Of Sharing are just a few of the myriad of promotional pieces we receive from UMC headquarters. With so many different caucuses and emphases, it is difficult for people in local church to know what their congregation focuses on.
- This is not a systemic issue but a personal one . . . most of us UMC pastors are such people pleasers that we will allow folks to begin ministries that are neither strategic nor effective. But we let them do it so they won’t get upset with us and move on to a church that will allow them the role they envision for themselves.
The list could go on.
Here at Good Shepherd, we’ve still got much more complexity than I am comfortable with. But we’ve takens steps towards simplicity: 1) We have very few “interest group” ministries — all our spiritual growth opportunities come under the larger heading of “Groups, Classes, and Events.” 2) No fund raisers. Don’t come to GSUMC looking for a bake sale, BBQ, or pumpkin patch. We do God’s one appointed fund raiser — the Sunday offering — and spend the rest of the time doing ministry rather than asking for money. 3) We (me?) are getting better at saying, “no, we don’t have that ministry here, but I can give you some resources that will accomplish the same thing.”
And the results of this pursuit of simplicity? Greater focus, community, and effectiveness. Seeing how far we have come “simply” makes us recognize how far we have to go.
There are 14 comments
Talbot,
I do understand your call for simplicity. I think with the way things work today, it is easy to get information overload which in some instance can become paralyzing.
With that said, I think that there defiantly needs to be a balance. I look at it as a “forest vs. trees” scenario.
I have a need to be a part of a beautiful “forest” made up of many species of trees. In the big picture, it is a community with one “simple” goal.
Yet at the same time, I have a strong desire to connect with “trees” that are part of this “forest”. Individuals with issues that are too “complex” for the larger community to understand or seemingly care about … individuals that share common struggles (and callings).
Are we not supposed be a tapestry, each thread (no mater the size) contributing to the overall picture? Isn’t this what the call to “the body of Christ” is all about?
I am just trying to understand what you are advocating for Good Shepherd. To be all inclusive, but only as it is “strategic and effective” to the larger group?
I am truly not trying to be argumentative. I just would really like to understand your vision.
Amen.
Thanks for your comment.
I so believe that the more focused we are on those things that are truly important and eternal, then we will be better better able to take care of individual needs that are quite complex.
For example, if I am not spending time organizing a church BBQ fund raiser — which, thank you Jesus, I’m not! — then I have more time to spend with people in counseling. It’s the same with the rest of the staff & pastors.
I hope that makes. To explore this further, email me at talbotdavis@gsumc.org.
Thanks.
Talbot, I agree with your concept of focus. There are thousands of ways to express it and I thought I’d share another one. The company I work for makes restaurant equipment from stainless steel. Stainless steel is strong and not easily cut. So, we have a thing called a laser. In the resonator, the laser beam is created but it is about 12″ in diameter and you’d be hard pressed to cut anything with that! But, because the laser manufacturer was so focused on focusing that weak beam of light, they figured out they could refine, and bend, and focus that light through a system of mirrors and lens and produce a laser strong enough to cut steel. That’s the literal power of focus and what I think you are getting at. You’re right, there is a lot of power when an individual or group is focused. -Ben S.
Who decides which “interest group” ministries are part of Good Shepherd? When you are “Walking Together” with the body of Christ and people are in all different stages of life, how do you decide who gets left out? What if through prayer, I have discerned and been called to start a specific ministry; will Good Shepherd tell me know that they will not support God’s call in my life?
And, I do appreciate the no fundraisers and faithfulness in the Sunday tithe.
Another good question.
With Pathfinder groups, Pathfinder classes (including DivorceCare and GriefShare), we feel like our ministries are pretty comprehensive for people’s different life stages. That’s of course in addition to our children’s and youth ministries which get a great deal of our focus and resources.
So we want to make room for Walking Together for everyone within those frameworks. The Church Council and church staff have been good at setting those guidelines.
In terms of your last question, our prayer would be that your ministry calling could easily fit in with those things I talked about above — Pathfinder, Passage, and then the many ministries we do in Missions. That’s the way it usually works.
If your ministry calling is something is something that needs to be done, but we just don’t do it at this church, we will help you find the resources to do it the best that you can. That way it’s done with the support of your family at GS while not becoming a ministry at GS.
The post has much more to do with typical UMCs which are maddening in their committee structures and power bases . . . both of which often ensure that very little of eternal value gets done.
But for GSUMC the best way for you to figure it out is to check with me at talbotdavis@gsumc.org and talk about the specific ministry calling.
Thanks.
Another good question.
With Pathfinder groups, Pathfinder classes (including DivorceCare and GriefShare), we feel like our ministries are pretty comprehensive for people’s different life stages. That’s of course in addition to our children’s and youth ministries which get a great deal of our focus and resources.
So we want to make room for Walking Together for everyone within those frameworks. The Church Council and church staff have been good at setting those guidelines.
In terms of your last question, our prayer would be that your ministry calling could easily fit in with those things I talked about above — Pathfinder, Passage, and then the many ministries we do in Missions. That’s the way it usually works.
If your ministry calling is something is something that needs to be done, but we just don’t do it at this church, we will help you find the resources to do it the best that you can. That way it’s done with the support of your family at GS while not becoming a ministry at GS.
The post has much more to do with typical UMCs which are maddening in their committee structures and power bases . . . both of which often ensure that very little of eternal value gets done.
But for GSUMC the best way for you to figure it out is to check with me at talbotdavis@gsumc.org and talk about the specific ministry calling.
Thanks.
How dare you suppress everyone’s individuality. How can anyone possible connect to Christ without a custom-designed, tailor-made, ministry that addresses their particular perception of what they think might keep them interested this week. Shame, shame.
(Disclaimer: By reading this response, you acknowledge that you understand humor and the role that sarcasm can play in it.)
McHonza,
I agree…church is all about me!
I’m kidding. I remember what Talbot said in a message before, “Church is the only organization that exists for it’s non-members.” I’ve never forgotten that! Your focus definitely changes when you realize that.
So should I not bring my proposal for a Mixed Martial Arts ministry, “The Ultimate Discipling Championshiop” before council and staff…?? 🙂
We, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.
-Romans 12:5
You are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
-1 Corinthians 12:27
As long as we hold a dogmatic, absolute, exclusive, “only-one-way” rigid attitude, we cannot weave a pattern of meaning or beauty. God made us different, and we serve God by reflecting those differences in all we do.
It takes different types of people to build the church and fulfill our mission of reaching the world for Jesus. And there is a place for all. Like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, each one can fit nicely into the overall scheme of things provided we do not try to force people into filling roles they are not designed to fulfill.
Nicely said.
Your “overall scheme of things” is a vital phrase. We hope to craft a healthy, focused “scheme” into which people can pour their individuality and their gifts. That’s what Pathfinder, Passage, and now First Serve are all about.
My point is that with no such “scheme,” people with good intentions still fall into a Judges 17:6 mentality: “everyone did what was right in their own eyes.”
So out of good motives you end up with institutional confusion.
Or ministries like JMS’ Mixed Martial Arts Discipleship Smackdown.
We hope to harness and focus people’s good intentions and holy motives into the best ministries possible.
Talbot, this is some of the best discussion I’ve seen on your blog. Looks like you have touched a subject people have alot of passion about. Now, about the Mixed Martial Art Discipleship Smackdown…can it be a cage match? 😉 Ben S.
Not sure why I keep coming back to this post but, continuity is great company for focus. It seems that the ministry team at Good Shepard has been together for some time now, providing good continuity. Can you blog about the team a little? -Ben