The bad news, as you know, is that the United Methodist Church is
declining. Membership, attendance, and giving have all decreased. In fact,
membership in the United States is at its lowest point since The
Evangelical United Brethren and The Methodist Church merged in 1968.
The good news is that many of our denominational leaders are now
talking about the decline openly and honestly—and it seems they are
committed to doing something about it. They are to be commended. Of
course the question is: What is to be done?
Several groups have been commissioned to address the worldwide
nature of The United Methodist Church, as well as restructuring the
denomination. We are grateful for all who love our church enough to care
about its vitality and its future. No doubt the global dimension of United
Methodism needs to be re-thought and the structure of the church needs to
be reformed to be effective in reaching a changing world for Christ.
John Wesley took the structure of the early Methodist movement
seriously, as did Francis Asbury when he came to the American colonies.
Because of their organizational genius, Methodism became more than a
powerful but brief revival. It became an enduring force for spiritual
renewal and social holiness on both sides of the Atlantic.
Believing that churches should grow and developing criteria by which
congregations and pastors can be held accountable is not only justifiable—
it’s important. Too much emphasis can be placed on numbers. But in the
8,200-member congregation I serve, we look at numbers all the time. Our
senior pastor Ed Robb often says, “We count people because people
count.” And we count how many people join every year; how many attend
church, Sunday school, and small groups; how many are going on mission
trips and serving the poor in our own community; and how many give
regularly to God’s work, because all of those markers provide some
indication of whether people are growing in their faith.
Structural change — certainly necessary. Markers to determine growth
— important. But the United Methodist Church and its future will not be
transformed by either.
What is required for United Methodism to become a powerful
movement of God again cannot be engineered by task forces, boards and
agencies, or denominational leaders. They can remove some barriers to
growth and they can hold local churches accountable for growth. But they
cannot produce the movement of God that will produce real growth and
they cannot create the dynamic spiritual leaders who will lead local
congregations in effective ministry.
The United Methodist Church will never see dynamic growth again until
our pastors and our congregations:
1. Believe that People are Lost Without a Saving Faith in Jesus
Christ. John Wesley instructed his preachers that they had nothing to do
but to save souls. Of course, he was committed to helping the poor and
transforming his culture. But his primary task for his preachers was to
bring people to faith in Christ so that their souls could be saved from
judgment and hell. I once sat in a meeting of 30 UM preachers who were
asked why we need to take the gospel to people outside the church. Many
answers were given but they all had a common theme—so people can have
a better, more meaningful life. Not one said because their sins have
separated them from a holy God and unless they come to faith in Christ
they will spend eternity apart from his love. When the pastors believe that
the main reason people need Christ is a quality of life issue—it does not
create the passion or the urgency found in Wesley’s early preachers who
believed that eternal souls were at stake.
2. Experience The Anointing of the Holy Spirit. The work of the
church is spiritual work. In fact, it is spiritual warfare. It will not be won in
the flesh, no matter how well-meaning or how well-structured or how
well-measured we are. When Jesus began his public ministry, in Luke
chapter 4, he proclaimed, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he
has anointed me….” He did not begin his ministry until he was empowered
by the Holy Spirit. Likewise, after his resurrection he told his disciples not
to begin their ministry until the Holy Spirit had come upon them and they
had received his power (Acts 1:8). God is free to anoint his preachers and
his churches with the Spirit whenever he chooses. But the pattern we see in
Scripture is that the power of the Holy Spirit most often comes when
persons have committed themselves to times of prayer, worship, and
fasting. Personal revival among our pastors, I believe, will be required
before we see a revival in the true effectiveness of the church.
3. Increase Their Vision for Ministry. Some of us by our inherent
nature are more visionary than others. But all of us can become more
visionary than we are at present. How do we do this? First and foremost,
we get our eyes off ourselves and spend time contemplating a God who is
sovereign, omnipotent, and passionate about lost people. He is a God who
can overcome every obstacle we face and inadequacy we possess. Second,
we must spend time looking at a world that is lost. When local
congregations focus on themselves and their needs and their problems,
they die. When they look at the world God loves and Christ died for, when
they care about the lost and the hurting, and when they believe that others
are more important than themselves (Philippians 2:3), their hearts and their
vision are enlarged. And as a result, their mission increases in impact and
effectiveness.
What can our leaders do to help the United Methodist Church grow?
Yes, address structural concerns and the issue of accountability. But every
bit as important, if not more so, they need to speak to us as if people
without Christ are lost and souls matter; call us to prayer and worship and
fasting—that we might experience the anointing of the Holy Spirit; use the
resources of the church to bring us in contact with the most effective
pastors in the country, men and women who are passionate visionaries
whose love for God and the lost is inspiring and infectious.
Our leaders also need to pray for us. I’m sure they do already. But they
need to pray for our pastors and our churches. This battle for an effective
United Methodist Church that reaches the lost and impacts our culture will
not be won by power or might, but by his Spirit.
Renfroe
Rob Renfroe has been the President and Publisher of Good News since 2009. He has been involved in United Methodist renewal and reform for many years, having served as the President of the Board of Directors of The Confessing Movement before taking the leadership role at Good News. Rob is also the pastor of adult discipleship at The Woodlands United Methodist Church in The Woodlands, Texas.