Decision #6

Decision #6

Readdressing Systemic Issues

Focus

A comprehensive ministry mind-set

of holiness and unity

determines how the Church functions practically. 

While leadership is important the authors suggest that leadership “is not the issue.”  There are several other equally important, if not more important, issues. The approach must be a comprehensive one. One-dimensional strategic thinking is always futile. In fact, it is a contradictory concept. “ [63]

Question Raised [63]

What is the apostolic mission as a Church?

“Is 'making disciple of Jesus Christ' really our mission, or is it a crucial byproduct of an ever higher mission?  (MEM: No answer is offered here to this question. The overall mission is the “Transformation of the World, a task that can not be accomplish without the witness, wisdom and leading of the Holy Spirit.  Disciples are made to fulfill this mission.)

So what solution to the authors offer?

They suggest we are a “clergy-dominated Church” and the style of leadership is “command and control.”  The second most prevalent form of leadership is to “manipulate issues, people, and results form behind the scenes to make sure all the right decisions are made before the committee meets.”  [64]

These styles of leadership exclude clergy in the pulpits and laity in the pews from the decision-making process.  The Barna Groups research reveals that “a substantial number of lay leaders in the mainstream denominations have been leaving and either going nowhere or going to newer denominations like Fellowship Bible and Vineyard or to independent churches.”  [63]

MEM:  This is quite true.  However, there is a deeply declining pool of potential leaders who are not identifying with any church.  A study done by the Evangelical Presbyterian Church indicated that their growth at the time was coming from other churches.  They were “making disciples” of exceedingly few  non-Christians.  The percentage of folks active in any faith has declined steeply since 2000.  In America most of these folks claim to believe in God and in Jesus. However, this does not result in their actually attending a church.  20% of the total population are officially “nones”  (no denomination) and over 30% of folks under 35 are “nones.”  Nearly 50%  believe “religion” is more of a problem than a solution to today's cultural problems.  Still most of these folks are seeking answers regarding the “meaning of life” and looking for significant relationships with others.  Most profess belief in some concept of “God” and most admire Jesus and believe in his teachings.

The suggestion here is to move to a more “egalitarian style” of leadership.  By this the authors mean a “true partnership between and among laity and clergy.” [p. 65]

Turning the Pyramid Upside Down

The current style of leadership places the denomination at the top and the congregation at the bottom.  The suggestion here is to flip that pyramid so the congregation is at the top and the denomination is a the bottom.  The pastor would be elevated to a status just below the congregation.  [See graphics on page 66]

“If Methodism goes down (or continues to slump), it will not be from any flaws in our heritage, but because ideological and power struggles over stakes in church politics (local and denominational) which simply are not worth the consequences they bring.”  Dr. Outler   [66]

MEM:  I believe there is a serious problem with “command and control” issues in the denomination. They discourage the most creative leaders in the local congregations.  The local congregations are the foundation upon which the whole denomination is constructed.  The crumbling of that foundation will bring down the whole house.  Feeding the Methodist machine dominates our attention and consumes our resources.  The “machine” has a function but  “The Methodist message is more important than the Methodist machine.  The machine is build only to serve the proclamation of the message about the Kingdom of God.”  [67]

Decision #6:

To reform ourselves by learning, teaching and practicing a style of leadership and organizational mind-set and operation that fully uses the gifts and graces of both laity and clergy, and to reverse the roles and relationship of the local church and laity to the denominational support structure. This also means having the love and courage to address other systemic issues crippling The United Methodist Church.