catching Methodists

doing right

5 encouraging

signs

1. More and more Methodists are entering

the “U”

Letting Go Letting Come

Letting Be

Death(Friday)

Resurrection(Sunday)

Burial(Saturday)

note: “Covenant Prayer” is the epitome of “letting be”

the letting go process breaks open our boxes...

2. More and more Methodist “heroes”

are emerging “on the other side.”

heroes:adding to governance ...

leadership.

bishops ... ds’s ... pastors ... others

3. More and more experiments

(prototypes) are happening.

When you think “congregations” ...

what are your assumptions?

mixed- economy

denominations

4. As pressures are increasing, creativity,

courage, and determination are

growing...

seeing problems (thousands of churches, etc., that will not survive)

as possibilities (a historic fund for the “church of the

future”)

5. Methodist identity is under stress -

which means it can break open (or

break apart).

Traditional Protestant Identity:

Who/what we’re protesting (hostility)

How we’re properly structured (polity)

What makes us superior (legitimacy)

What makes us different (distinctives)

Emerging Pro-Testifying Identity:

What we love and value (affinity)How we network to everyone

(harmony)What makes us authentic (fidelity)What difference we make (utility)

When I ask what people love about “Methodist” or “Wesleyan” identity,

here’s what I hear:

1. Intellectual freedom.2. Social holiness.

3. Emphasis on “heart”4. Emphasis on mission 5. Connection/fellowship

1. Intellectual freedom.2. Social holiness.

3. Emphasis on “heart”4. Emphasis on mission 5. Connection/fellowship

(nobody has ever talked about Methodist structure.)

When I ask what’s the worst thing about being Methodist

or Wesleyan, here’s what I hear:

1. Too internally political2. Too polarized

3. Too bureaucratic4. Not attractive enough to

young people

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If you asked me ...

The key identity issue is not simply the identity of being Methodist,

Presbyterian, Episcopal, Lutheran, etc., considered separately ...

but a shared, emerging identity as

vibrant, collaborative, missional Christians.

- Flexible global network of - vibrant missional congregations...

- Who emphasize spiritual vitality and theological depth

- Who practice invitation, welcome, disciple-making, diversity, and inclusion,- Who express compassion in the pursuit

of social justice- Who cherish tradition with a bias towards

innovation- Above all, who follow Jesus Christ, guided

and empowered by the Holy Spirit, to the glory of God.

the identity question all mainline Protestants face:

do we imitate the words/policies or the

example of our founders?

Emerging Churches

By Eddie Gibbs and Ryan K. Bolger

(Baker, 2005)

9 characteristics

1. Recentering the gospel on Christ and the Kingdom of God …

“May your kingdom come…”

Sanctification …

2. Engaging culture without a sacred-secular dualism

Field preaching … popular music

3. Doing life together in community between Sundays

Band, class, society

4. Listening with openness, including the outsider

Becoming more “vile” -

5. Serving those in need without ulterior motive

Social holiness

6. Involving participants actively in worship

Queries … licensing preachers

7. Valuing creativity in the image of the Creator

Charles’ hymnody

8. Leading through networks, with or without hierarchies

Renewal through parallel “marginal” structures … itineracy as flexibility

9. Integrating ancient and avante-garde in spiritual formation

Spiritual direction … Anam cara … monastic/formational community

5. Methodist identity is under stress -

which means it can break open (or

break apart).

Theologians who Fly Fish:

Theologians who Fly Fish:Ich-theology

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38

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1. More and more Methodists are entering

the “U”

2. More and more Methodist “heroes”

are emerging “on the other side.”

3. More and more experiments

(prototypes) are happening.

4. As pressures are increasing, creativity,

courage, and determination are

growing...

5. Methodist identity is under stress -

which means it can break open (or

break apart).

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What I think is happening...

A beautiful movement is being born.

we need a theology of

institutions, movements. and Communities

Communities

Families, individuals, and organizations linked to a common environment, collaborating for the common good.

Institutions:

Organizations which conserve the gains made by past

social movements.

Social Movements

Organizations which make proposals or demands to current institutions to make progress towards new gains.

A beautiful movement is being born.

You are about to surprise everyone by launching a movement that brings together innovative bishops, ds’s, pastors (large and small church), artists, activists, and lay leaders (business, professions, etc.).

You can expect this movement to be bigger than Methodism.

Remember that you are either governing/tending a constituency that will be captured by other movements ... or your are choosing/leading the movement yourselves.