People Are Dying on My Watch!

Last night a leadership institute group at our church viewed a presentation by Christine Caine.  Christine is a part of the ministry of the dynamic Hillsong Church in Australia.  She has answered a call passionately to do ministry that addresses injustice; the human trafficking trade in particular.  Christine told about a time she was speaking about Jesus in a group of people that included women who had been rescued from the sex slave trade.  When she was done, one recently freed young woman asked her, "If all that you just said is true about your Jesus, why didn't you come sooner?!"  This particular woman had been on a ship full of 60 captive women, 3/4 of whom died from lack of oxygen or being dumped overboard to avoid Coast Guard scrutiny off the coast of Turkey.  Christine Caine was stunned, and broke down weeping.  As she said in the presentation on the video, "She was right.  This happened on my watch!"

On my watch...I'm grateful for being a part of the body of Christ.  I see the Holy Spirit do great things in and through the Church - the Hope of the World.  Yet I've also seen times when congregations of all brand names being so consumed with what's going on inside their calls, that they fail to hear the cry of the people in need around them.  Representatives of our own denomination from all over the globe are currently meeting together in Florida.  One of the matters they discussing is the possibility of restructuring our organization so that we will be more efficient in fulfilling the call to lead people in new life with Jesus.  That's very important, and I'm glad it's being addressed.  Still, while our representatives are in general assembly, I wonder how many people will die or give up on life without meeting Jesus.  I wonder how many will see hope die within them.  I wonder how many will die because they don't receive the basics of life that many of us in the church take for granted.  I wonder how many will die because the world doesn't afford them justice and the Body of Christ did not stand in the gap for them.  How many will we lose while I'm typing this, instead of looking around to see where God is calling me to answer for my watch?

There's a great commercial by the United States Marines that shows people running in panic from a smoking horizon.  Then the camera swings to a view of Marines running toward whatever the conflict or catastrophe is.  The text on the screen reads something like, "Some people run toward the sound of chaos."  That's a great line, worth pirating.  With the power of the risen Jesus, we are to recognize that people are lost, endangered, and dying on our watch.  Our task, as the Body of Christ, is to run toward the sound of chaos, whatever that means for each of us and each of our churches.

I'll see you around the next bend in the river.

Generat Conference 2012 - Does It Matter?

In a few days the United Methodist Church denomination will hold its 2012 General Conference session in Tampa, Florida.  The General Conference will bring United Methodist delegates from all over the world into one big assembly for several days.  (If interested, you can follow the happenings at www.gc2012.umc.org/ )   Dating back to 1784, and meeting every four years, the General Conference is the official voice of my denomination.

In some ways a General Conference mimics a large, temporary legislative assembly.  Outside of worship occasions, speakers, and presentations, the business will bear similarity to most representative governments.  Certain hot-button issues will be debates by persons representing a variety of theological and political views.  This year there's a great deal of buzz around the structure of our expression of the Christian family.  Some are calling for sweeping changes to enable United Methodism to better navigate an era of rapid change.  Others are calling for caution.

What difference will all this make?  What will be the impact of thousands of United Methodists gathering in Florida?  I've had the opportunity to serve on a General Conference/Jurisdictional Conference delegation from our state four times.  (Admittedly on the "junior varsity" of each delegation.  Frankly, barely made the team each time!)   I learned a great deal each time and I valued each experience.  Every time, though, I had to ask whether or not we actually made any difference.  Have we stopped our denomination's overall membership decline.  And, vastly, more important, have we increased our capability to introduce people to Jesus, to change their lives, to grow them as disciples, and to get them involved in the central mission of leading people in new life with Jesus?  I'm not sure I know the full answer.

I do know this - addressing the main thing (our disciple-making mission) ultimately does not depend on large representative assemblies, any more than it depends on the latest book, the latest seminar, or the latest "how-to-grow-your-church" package.  It depends on leadership...passionate, Christ-centered, willing to risk and sacrifice leadership.  I'm very blessed to be in a part of the country where United Methodist state-wide leadership currently is very strong this way, from our Bishop to our state-wide staff, to many, many of our pastors and church leaders on the front line.  These people aren't perfect, but they see the mainstream of that which God wants, and they lead us in getting into it.  Whatever else the General Conference does, I hope it provides structure, legislation, discussion or whatever is necessary to foster more of that type of leadership.

Whether United Methodist or not, please join my in praying for the delegates to General Conference and for the General Conference itself, praying that, in the words of one of the great United Methodist leaders in our state, "We keep the main thing as the main thing!"

I'll see you around the next bend in the river.