Welcoming the Holy Spirit Stephen Seamands cracks open the mysteries of the
Holy Spirit.
A charge to keepStanley R. Copeland testfies to the peaceful witness of Bill Hinson.
Ruth Graham: The X-factor Terry Mattingly pays tribute to Ruth Bell Graham.
Darwin & Damascus: Forks in the road to enlightenmentElizabeth Glass maps out a response to the latest
prophets of atheism.
Pithy and persuasive: G.K. Chesterton’s writing still inspires Mary
Jacobs welcomes the colorful Catholic to the table.
Einstein’s search for God Steve Beard gives voice to the relativity
and religion of a genius.
God’s school of prayer Margaret Therkelsen reveals the Spirit’s tutorials in life-changing prayer.
COLUMNS
Next Generation Systemic thinking: Youth ministry as wind chime
RENEW Women’s Network Reclaiming the Wesleyan social witness: Offering
Christ
The Great Commission Hope for a recovering suburbanite
From the Heart The rest of the story
Annual conferences focus on starting new churches
Holsinger faces challenges on United Methodist involvement
Good News board has conversation with Bishops Jones and Dyck
Worldwide Methodism grows by one million per year
Culture in View
Amazing Grace
Required reading
Thank your for the article by Riley Case regarding
Granger Community Church and the interview with Pastor Mark Beeson. This should
be required reading for every bishop, district superintendent, Board of
Ministry, Conference Committee on Church Development, and United Methodist
seminary professor. It also would not hurt pastors and local church leaders.
Very few of our bishops, superintendents or pastors have ever served a church
remotely akin to Granger.
Granger, like Church of the Resurrection, Mt. Bethel, Frazier Memorial, Mount Pisgah, and several others, provides hope for an otherwise dismal denominational future. We need to see and hear more and more of the stories of the remarkable churches of this denomination. Most of us normally see only the typical congregation. That means we see a church of less than 70 in worship, worshipping in a building that is over 30 years old, reaching fewer and fewer people and 40-50 percent of our churches reaching no one with the Gospel of Christ in any given year.
I serve in the largest and fastest growing conference in the connection. I serve one of the largest districts in the connection. Some of the most dynamic churches in the connection are in this district. However, even here they are by far the exception. While the Atlanta Marietta District has over 42,000 members in 45 churches, we still recorded less than 1,000 Professions of Faith last year. A good number of those were from Confirmation Classes, indicating biological growth, not transformational ministry in our community. One-third of my churches barely survive and is in significant long-term decline. Another third lives in the myth of stability. Only about one-third is experiencing any significant ministry and growth.
However, among that last third are some remarkable models of ministry and effectiveness. Yet most of them are never studied, emulated, or consulted to learn what they are doing differently from our declining churches in a declining denomination. Having served twenty years in one of our denomination's remarkable churches I discovered far more jealousy, suspicion, open hostility, and distortion (gossip) than affirmation or emulation. When affirmation or emulation occurred it was notable for being the exception that proved the rule. I know this is the case with the majority of very effective pastors.
As I read the article about Granger, a simple distinction emerged. An outwardly focused pastor is essential. Effective churches primarily focus outwardly. Ineffective churches primarily focus inwardly. A church for others is willing to do whatever it takes to reach unchurched people with the Gospel of Christ. Inwardly focused churches care for each other and abandon their mission to the world.
May God give us more outwardly focused pastors and churches like the Granger Community Church.
Warren Lathem
District Superintendent
Atlanta Marietta District
North Georgia Conference
Apostolic heart
As a traveling evangelist across United Methodism for the
past twenty-two years, it was very refreshing to read the article and interview
with Pastor Mark Beeson. This article should be standardized for all
interviewing candidates seeking pastoral ministry in the United Methodist
Church. His pulse on culture, the denomination, leadership, and visioning for
the future was right on target.
Leadership within United Methodism must take their collective heads out of the sand and realize the only way for a broken system to be restored is with creating a brand of leaders with a heart for reaching people, an apostolic heart for starting new churches and a vision for empowering lay people.
Mark Beeson and his willingness to allow the Holy Spirit to give birth to this church is the best news I have read in a long time to come out of Good News!
Larry Cochran
Director
Latin American Ministries
GO InterNational
Retired Elder
Kentucky Annual Conference
Teeth on edge
When I first noticed the slogan appearing on our Sunday
bulletins each week, it struck me as rather meaningless, and although the "open
minds" part of it set my heart and teeth on edge, thought it otherwise
innocuous. Imagine my astonishment and dismay when I read that the slogan was
the result of a $47,000,000 ad campaign dreamed up in some agency. How very
typical of our advertising and marketing age and how sad that the UM
Communications Commission didn't see clearly enough to cut their losses after
the first 20 million.
This suggestion may be too novel or radical, but perhaps we might try something like, "United Methodist Church where the Word of God is preached every Sunday," or, "United Methodist Church where we are not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ." I think there are many people dying to know that.
Sandra Kosky
Plymouth, Michigan
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