wfn.org | [UMNS-ALL-NEWS] UMNS# 329-Church developers explore United Methodist 'myths'

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

Church developers explore United Methodist 'myths'

Aug. 4, 2008     News media contact:   Linda  Green * (615) 7425470*   Nashville {329}

NOTE: NOTE: Photographs are available at http://umns.umc.org.

>By Linda Green*

ORLANDO, Fla. (UMNS)-The notion that The United Methodist Church is  dying has been repeated so often that it has become a belief, when in  fact it is a myth, according to a church executive and author.

The reality is that the 11.5-million member denomination is poised for  hope, said the Rev. Craig Miller to church leaders attending a workshop  about myths of The United Methodist Church. The class was held during  the 2008 United Methodist School of Congregational Development.

Miller, a staff member of the United Methodist Board of Discipleship in  Nashville, Tenn., is author of 7 Myths of The United Methodist Church.  He said belief in the myths prevents many United Methodist churches from  growing.

The denomination, through the United Methodist Boards of Discipleship  and Global Ministries, has embarked on an initiative to strengthen and  revitalize existing churches and to start new ones. The school of  congregational development is part of that effort.

The July 31-Aug. 5 school is using educational tracks, plenary  gatherings and "teaching churches" to give the 300 people in Orlando and  150 at another site in Grand Rapids, Mich., strategies and ideas for  creating and developing disciple-making congregations.

"It is a great joy to see how many of our bishops, district  superintendents (and) annual conference leaders have become part of the  school of congregational development to learn together, and it gives me  great hope because as we learn together it will help us move deeper into  this idea of change," Miller said. Turning a church from slow death to  vitality requires discipline, motivation and faith that transformation  can happen, he said.

The myth that the church is dying is also contradicted by the  denomination's official statistics, which show membership increasing  worldwide.

>Being connectional

Both a myth and a reality about United Methodist churches is that "we  are connectional," according to Miller. The church is connected  institutionally, but its people are not connected as much in their  relationships with others, he said.

The clergy at the school of congregational development were asked if  they prayed for the United Methodist church down the street and if they  knew the leader or leaders in that congregation. "It is about  relationships with others," he said.

A third myth is that big churches are bad. The reality is that big  churches-those 31 United Methodist churches that have 2,000 or more in  worship-offer multiple experiences of grace, Miller said.

Of the 35,000 United Methodist churches in the United States, 47 percent  have 50 or fewer people in worship. Thirty percent of the total have  between 50 to 119 people in worship, and the rest have more than 120  people in worship. "There is a suspicion about big churches," Miller  said. "People question what it is about those churches that allow them  to grow, or they question their theology."

But the large or megachurches are the ones used to learn the principles  of creating new congregations and other discipleship-making strategies,  Miller said. In the last 10 years, megachurches, regardless of their  denomination, have been growing because they offer opportunities that  encourage people to come to them and develop their faith.

"The challenge for us is do we look to them with suspicion or is there  something we need to learn from those churches that would allow us to  flourish," he said. Churches that make disciples are those that know  their context or area, have a discipleship process for newcomers and  offer multiple experiences of grace.

>Re-envisioning the church

Local churches that desire new members but cannot get them often  verbalize a fourth myth that "there are no people out there." The  reality is that there are plenty of people in the neighborhood, but  "they are just different from us," Miller said. A church must  intentionally rebirth itself and re-envision itself to connect with  people and help them connect with God, he added.

Historically, a Methodist church was planted every one to three miles  and went to where the people were. That strategy still exists today, and  while churches do close or merge with others, there is a fifth myth that  "we have too many churches," Miller said.

It is not that there are too many United Methodist churches, he said.  The reality is that there are too many churches in the "wrong places"  and "in the wrong era."

In the Western Jurisdiction, there is one United Methodist church for  every 37,000 people, while there is one for every 6,337 people in the  South Central Jurisdiction, one per 5,400 in the Southeast, one per  8,400 in the Northeast, and one for every 7,600 in the North Central  Jurisdiction

Miller said there is tremendous potential for the church to connect with  the population growth expected across the United States by 2030. The  growth is projected to be greatest in the South Central and Western  jurisdictions, at 27 percent, followed by the Southeastern Jurisdiction  at 26 percent. The North Central and Northeastern jurisdictions are  projected to grow at 8 percent.

>Change must be embraced

The school of development is also an avenue to dispel the sixth myth,  that "we don't know how to start new churches." At one time in its  history, The United Methodist Church or its predecessor denominations  started a new church every day. Currently in the United States, the  denomination averages one church start every 7.6 days.

The reality is that the denomination knows multiple ways of starting new  faith communities, Miller said.

While some new churches do fail, others have been sustained or have  grown because they connected their discipleship systems, like Sunday  school and Bible study, with worship.

"It is a mistake to start a new church and not think of the systems to  bring people in," Miller said.

The final myth is that people in local churches do not want to change.  Often, the church does want to change, but "it is the pastor that does  not want to change or pay the price," he said. Effective congregations  are led by leaders who welcome innovation and change, Miller said.

"As long as we live with this myth, nothing will change," he said.  Churches that want change learn from others, learn with others and learn  from mistakes, he said. They are passionate for God, for others and for  God's vision.

># # #

*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in  Nashville, Tenn.

>********************

United Methodist News Service Photos and stories also available at: http://umns.umc.org

----------------------------------------------------

To unsubscribe from this group, go to UMCom.org, log in to your account, click on the My Resources link and select the Leave option on the list(s) from which you wish to unsubscribe. If you have problems or questions, please write to websupport@umcom.org.

Powered by United Methodist Communications http://www.UMCom.org