| Bishop Says a "Theology of Being in Mission" Is Necessary to Develop Strong New Congregations | ||||||||||||
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by Elliott Wright |
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Evanston, Illinois, August 1, 2009--Forming strong new congregations takes a "theology of being in mission" as much as a "theology of attraction," according to a United Methodist bishop who holds a key position in his denomination's global structure. "We don't start new churches just to get new people in the door but to set believers to work in mission," said Bishop Bruce Ough in an interview during the 2009 United Methodist School of Congregational Development. He is the leader of the West Ohio Area and president of the General Board of Global Ministries, the denomination's mission agency. Congregations, said the bishop, are the primary contexts in which the church teaches disciples about following Jesus and adopting Jesus' mandates for transforming the world. The mission statement of The United Methodist Church is: "To Make Disciples for the Transformation of the World." "The church's mission has not changed over the course of 2,000 years," Bishop Ough stated. "It has always been to make disciples. We have added the phrase 'for the transformation of the world' to apply to ourselves the mandate Jesus set for himself in his first sermon in Nazareth (Luke 4:18-19). That was to preach good news to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, preach deliverance to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and free the oppressed--to extend the reign of God." New communities of disciples are needed to continue and expand the church's mission, said the bishop, and new congregations often have a more balance approach to individual piety and social transformation. "Older congregations can lose some of their original vision," he regretted, "sometimes confusing activities with mission." Bishop Ough did not depreciate the importance of adding numbers to church rolls; just the opposite. The fact that Ohio has 2,000 United Methodist congregations with a half-million members, he said, did not go unnoticed by the governor of the state when he and Bishop John Hopkins of East Ohio met with him. Four Focus Areas The United Methodist Church currently has four "focus areas" for ministry. These are, in short:
Bishop Ough said that the first two are often interpreted as building the body of Christ--the church--while the other two are viewed as world-transforming mission. He sees this as a false dichotomy: "Developing congregations and leaders are equally part of mission and transformation. We are transforming both lives and the world when new people come into the church." The unity of church building and world transformation, he said, was at the heart of the Seven Pathways set forth by the Council of Bishops a few years ago. "The bishops were saying that we can no longer distinguish between keeping the body of the church strong and extending the reign of God." New Church Starts in West Ohio The West Ohio Conference is starting three or four new congregations each year, primarily through a comprehensive plan that involves two primary strategies. One strategy encourages existing strong congregations to plant satellites, that is, second campuses. The other is a "restart" approach in which strong congregations bring about what amounts to a new start where a weak congregation exists or might otherwise be phased out. "We have identified 30 congregations that are capable of doing second-campus or restart ministries, and we keep adding to the list," said Bishop Ough. "These tend to be medium-to-large congregations that have the resources in both leadership and funds. The goal is for congregations to multiply themselves." Go to School of Congregational Development for more news and features. Elliott Wright is the information officer of the General Board of Global Ministries.
Date posted: Aug 01, 2009 |
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