You got some splain’ to do….
Our scripture today refers to one of the very first church meetings. The original group of believers were all Jewish…. There might have been some proselytes which were gentiles which were believers in YHWH however would always be considered second class Jews in the temple. More tolerated than accepted.
At this point in the history of the church, it was automatic that you were a Jew in order to become a member of the church which was really just another sect of Judaism, you had the Pharisees and the Sadducees and now there were the followers of The Way.
Peter has had an event where God gave him a vision of a large sheet filled with unclean animals where he is told to Kill and eat. After three times, some men show up and invite Peter to come to a Roman Centurion’s home (a gentile’s home) and explain this new relationship with God. And during the even Peter realizes that God has extended an invitation to this new teaching and membership in the sect.
When Peter gets back to Jerusalem he has some “Splanin” to do….
Today we are going to talk about one of the biggest mysteries within our church, more specifically within our denomination.
I spent some time an annual conference this last week. There is a lot that goes on there. I will tell you that this is not my favorite event to attend. It helps that I know a good number of people and I enjoy seeing them.
The meeting is a little bit like our Administrative board meetings but on a much larger scale. There are reports from agencies and ministries, there is an ordination service and retirement service, Luncheons and dinners and awards, the budget is passed and the official reading of the appointments.
Each day starts at 7:30 with Holy Communion or special breakfast the sessions go all the way to 5PM with and evening worship that might last until 10:30 pm.
Ok, it is really nothing like our administrative board meeting but it is an important event in the NGS conference…it is a compressed session of business and worship for the nearly 1000 churches in North GA. It is the place where our connectional system is most visible.
It is the meeting where the churches, laity, clergy and agencies explain what is going on, what they are doing on our behalf.
It is where we learn how our apportionments and special offerings are spent…
How many people are served in some way.
How much the church has grown or shrunk.
It is a meeting where we take out our measuring sticks and evaluate what we are doing.
Where we vote to change what and how we are doing and as a body of 4000 attendees we worship and celebrate how God is working through the Denomination, conference, churches and even individuals.
There is so much going on that it is like watching a river flow by and trying to figure out how to jump in. and not be lost in the flood.
As a connectional church we often only notice the less enjoyable work of the conference and district.
We feel it, good or bad, when we have a pastoral change.
We whine about our apportionments because it seems to steal money away from what we think is important.
We often feel restricted by the rules and regulations.
We read about what our denomination is doing related to cultural issues and we feel it is wrong or at least it should be different.
It is easy to pay attention to the less positive aspects of a connected church and think that we would be better off on our own, making all our own choices.
While that may or may not be true, there is a lot of good that comes from being a connectional church. But more importantly, scripture supports a connected church system. There are several situations in the Bible where the Leaders in Jerusalem listen to situations and make decisions. They call for offerings and ask people to explain what is happening in the local churches.
In our denomination, United Methodist, we recognize that we are only a part of the catholic church…..Not Catholic with a capitol C. catholic as in universal church…
We acknowledge a connection leading upward to Jesus Christ being the actual head of the church.
Our structure and leadership system one of the ways we show our trust in God and join with an earthly entity larger than ourselves ultimately depending on the discernment of thousands of believers to choose the direction God has for His church.
At Conference we hear a lot about the good things our denomination does world wide.
• The people that receive food and health care in war worn places.
• We hear about new churches and children’s homes started all around the world that are bringing families to Christ all around the world.
• We saw videos and heard speakers tell us about organizations closer to home like Action Ministries which help families in our communities in the same way.
• We were shown pictures and told of the ways our conference helps the elderly and disabled and even disturbed people including children by our special giving to the homeless offering, Wesley woods and the children’s homes.
• There were also reports on summer camps, and retreat centers which are maintained by and for us as United Methodist.
The presenters came to make sure that we understood the good that our connection has done and is doing.
We participated in wonderful worship services with the very best music and speakers. The messages were encouraging and challenging and it is neat to hear the power of over 1000 people singing and praying together.
We also celebrated the ministry of our bishop and the growth that our conference has enjoyed as we became the largest conference in the United States in membership and in giving.
There is so much wonderful and powerful stuff going on that you would think that this gathering would be nothing but a completely uplifting event.
However, the meeting also includes reports acknowledging our failures. There is a feeling of disappointment and loss of churches that for one reason or another close. There is the acknowledgement of loss and a celebration of life of the clergy in our conference.
Don’t miss understand, the reports are real and the losses are litagitament but they are a very small part of the conference.
But it is a reminder that the connection of our individual churches share the Joy of success and share the Pain and disappointment of earthly loss.
Our church is bigger than the individual churches that make up our system. And because of that we are a part of something powerful, something that has amazing longevity and life.
While every congregation is important, no congregation is indispensable. No single church is directly in charge or has full control.
We acknowledge that we all need on each other in order to glorify God and to be his hands around the world.
But want does all that really mean to us as a small church?
We as a small church have the ability to participate in local, national and international work of Christ in a real and measurable way because, of the power of a connectional church system. Our giving and our participation in the system join in to that powerful river and make it stronger in all the places it goes. We are a part of the blessing that the denomination in involved in, and we in directly touch and minister to people in powerful and positive ways.
-- So there were some really wonderful things shared which should make us feel pretty good about ourselves and what we are a part of … right?
If you took a survey I would guess that at least 80 to 90% left yesterday feeling great about all that we do.
Many were probably singing praise choruses as they headed home, perhaps being most happy to be out of the conference chairs which get pretty uncomfortable after days of sitting and listening.
But I mentioned to you that this was not my favorite event.
It is easy to just say that the business portion of the conference feels so un-spiritual. But while I feel that is true, I know that it is a necessary part of being good stewards of the church. Measuring the work and the cost and making the best decisions possible.
Some might think my lack of enthusiasm comes from my concerns over the conference budget. Which would be true; however, again it is a part of the process and I have to believe that God is involved and in control. Ultimately, the report of the good that comes from out budget, our ministries far out weights my concerns and preferences, so I can let that go. (After a little grumbling.)
The thing that makes me fail to enjoy conference comes down to hearing about how successful our conferences is in our work. Souls saved, lives healed, jobs found, people fed.
Yep, it is “our” success that bothers me.
Here is my problem…. I tend to read between the lines.
I hope it is a form of spiritual discernment instead of just my point of view.
The collective success of our denomination is only the tip of the ice burg of the possibilities that exist in our culture not to mention the potential world wide.
Folks, people are dyeing in our world, in our country, our community and even our families without a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
And it comes down to a problem which is especially bad in the Local congregation.
Here is the problem in a nut shell.
“ feelings of Inadequacy and Complacency toward our world in the local church.”
The start with through the reports and the videos and the awards, I tend to see my personal failures to do all that I am called to do.
I tear up with conviction during messages and music and I wonder what it will take to make me live up to a higher standard or to at least attempt to move up to something higher. I sit in the room with 4000 people and pray for god to forgive my failures and to change me.
So that is the first struggle for me. Judging myself and how I serve you and our community.
This is no less bothersome to me when I consider how we and other churches respond to opportunities before us as houses of God.
Perhaps we feel limited by resources and gifts to make a difference and we hold back. Feeling Inadequacy and complacency for our neighbors is what I read between the lines in how local churches work for the kingdom.
Which leads me to another discernment about our success which disturbs me.
The leadership of our conference believes the statistics and the studies that they read.
One of the longest reports given at conference is from church development. Church Development has primary the job of starting new churches all around the conference.
On average our conference starts about 10 new churches a year. They say we should be starting 30 per year to be a healthy conference.
Generally, they select younger pastors that are judged to have a gift of evangelism and help them to start new congregations. They pay their salary and help with funds to find a worship space.
At conference like any progress meeting tend to gloss over the slower growth startups and focus on the success stories. But what seems to happen is about half of the new starts each year have explosive growth. This year 4 of the new church starts from last year were having over 300 people in worship, collective they has 129 professions of faith. Two of those were already starting building projects costing over 1 million dollars.
Folks the numbers are amazing. The really fantastic thing is that those churches are filled with young families with children and 2/3 of them were totally un-churched before attending one of these new churches.
One additional detail that is very interesting is that a high percentage of the people in these churches participate in some kind of mission work for the kingdom.
Some in international missions, others in domestic/ regional missions of some kind with the largest response being those that participate local opportunities like feeding and housing people, mentoring children in school work to name a couple.
-- The amazing amount of success is overwhelming. It is hard to say that there is no way that their success is not blessed by God.
With all the emphasis on this success, I again read between the lines by adding information from the conference budget. The budget for new church development is 2.5 million dollars about 1 million going the expense of starting 10 new churches this year.
I compare that to the budget for Small Membership Churches (200 members or less) is $600 per year. Then you need to add some value for other resources that is available to all the churches in our conference which cost something to maintain and make available.
But those lines in the budget are pretty far apart.
There is not much explaining needed to tell me where the conference priories are.
The commission on Small membership churches has one job for the 2009 conference. They are tasked to find small membership churches that are successful and growing and recognize them at conference next year.
Folks, I am not explaining this to you to make you angry, or upset you.
I am telling you that as far as the conference is concerned we are own our own. Their statistics and the national research support their position that new church have more impact for the kingdom. More people make professions of faith in a new church than in an established one. More young families are attracted to a new church.
As good stewards, where should they invest the funds entrusted to them?
Success bothers me; well other people’s success bothers me.
So what are we doing here?
What is our role?
Should we be packing up and heading out?
My point of view on this is simple.
We are not alone in this plain and in our work for the kingdom.
God is with us, otherwise we would not have survived this long as a congregation.
But we and most churches like us, of any denomination, have the exact same situation.
We are hard to kill, we have strong spirits that keep us alive. We are survivors which is a good thing.
But we have a real problem we are even harder to bring back to a full productive life. Because Survivors are cautious and careful and reserved. We only do what we know works and we hold back or new untried things because they involve risk.
Folks, we are survivors are around for a reason. God is keeping us and many small churches alive for a reason.
He sees potential in this place and in us as a people.
But, we have to want to see what it is enough to raise our heads and listen for his whisper. We have to be willing to go it alone as a congregation and with Gods help to prove to our community what God can do.
President Kennedy said, “It is not what the country can do for you, it’s what you can do for your country.”
Personally, I don’t care about impressing the DS, I don’t care if the conference notices. I am not looking for awards or pats on the back.
Why, because all of those things will pass away.
I am looking for our community to notice and be drawn to God as He makes Himself available in this place through us. I want to witness God making all things new…..
I want to witness how God changes me as I try to do better in my work in family relationships.
When I read Scripture I also read between the lines. From What I read, I expect that one day I will be in a meeting with God and He is going to say “you have got some splainin to do.”
He is not going to concerned with what the conference helped ro did not help us accomplish.
He is not going to be worried about our excuses or that no one in our local church would help.
He will want to know what we did with our opportunities and his gifts and power.
He will want to know how we depended and trusted him to make a difference in the kingdom where we live.
Our connection to the conference that kind of relationship. Our support allows our gifts to touch people for God all around the world and even in our conference. God has gifted us with and his life, his spirit and his power and we don’t need earthly help to respond to god’s call. We just need to listen to God and respond….
Since our church supports the collective effort of going into all the world, we can focus our efforts of reaching out to our friends and neighbors. To the children that live in poverty within just a few miles form here. We can continue to help fee the hungry and to be the creek that leads people to the river of God and the Blessings that only He can give.
Church family, it is time to stop surviving and let God help us to start thriving. You can only do that when you trust God and do something new…or at least do something outside the walls and protection of his house.
During our Final hymn consider, How is God calling you and our church to life in and for him. If you are having trouble hearing maybe you need to spend some time her at the alter or on the front row.
All Glory be to God!
