Hello, Kathy! I understand that you would like to share some ideas about the future of The United Methodist Church in our area. Before we dive in, why don’t you introduce yourself and share what you have been doing in ministry for the past few years?
My story begins with growing up as a Catholic. Being Catholic is really a full-body experience: so much of my life was centered on going to Mass every week, the sacraments (I went through Baptism, First Confession, First Holy Communion, and Confirmation), as well as certain dietary restrictions, celebrating the Holy Days of Obligation, and memorizing a lot of prayers!
I left the Catholic church when I left home, but it still stays with me in many ways. Something was missing that I couldn’t articulate. When I decided to return to church, I was drawn to The United Methodist Church because I already had a desire to change the world. I sensed that transforming the world was central to what United Methodists were all about. It seemed like a divine fit!
Fast forward many years, and I find myself an ordained elder in the PNW Conference. I have served as a campus pastor (Go Cougs!), a small-church pastor, an interim pastor, and now as the Transitional Ministry Developer, helping small churches figure out their next ministry steps. I’ve been serving in the last position since 2018.
Now that we all know you a little better, what’s the first thought you’d like to share?
Through all my work, I still cling to the idea that we Methodists are called to transform the world by being and becoming disciples of Jesus Christ who collaborate with God in this effort. We are also called to share this life with others and encourage them to become disciples.
However, in my experience with congregations of all sizes and types, I don’t see any of them entirely focused on this mission. Instead, we have become just like other churches that focus on worship and taking care of their own members. If you don’t believe me, imagine your pastor announcing that there will be no more Sunday worship. Chaos will ensue.
I’m reminded of the story in 1 Samuel, chapter 8, in which the people of Israel forgot their unique calling to be God’s chosen, and they demanded that Samuel appoint for them a king:
“You are old, and your sons do not follow in your ways: appoint for us, then a king to govern us, like other nations.” – 1 Samuel 8:5
Ouch! For Samuel to hear that the Israelites wanted to be “like other nations” must have cut him to the quick.
In the same way, we Methodists were not meant to be “like other churches.” We were meant to be different. My big, bold idea, therefore, is that we should close 90% of our churches and convert the other 10% to Discipleship Centers. This will allow us to live into our calling to be and become disciples of Jesus Christ, and call others to discipleship, which is focused on the transformation of the world, with God’s help, of course.
So you are proposing shifting from traditional churches to what you call “discipleship centers.” What are they, and how would they differ from most congregations today?
Discipleship centers would focus on the two aspects of the Christian lifestyle that John Wesley emphasized: personal piety and social holiness, translated for our 21st-century setting.
Personal piety was the means by which a disciple developed their relationship with a loving God, with the ultimate goal being union with God. John Wesley firmly believed that people could have a transformative relationship with God in this life, and he recommended developing this relationship through prayer, the study of Scripture, fasting, and worship, which allowed participation in the sacraments of baptism and communion.
Before you, dear reader, jump down my throat and say that John Wesley prioritized worship, please remember that he wanted the people called Methodists to participate in worship at the local Anglican Church, not build their own separate churches. It was only when those pesky Americans insisted on being “just like other churches” that John Wesley relented and gave them the outlines for being a “church.”
I wholeheartedly agree with the idea of sending Methodists to other churches for Sunday worship. I believe our current “people called Methodists” should participate in worship at their local Protestant or even Catholic Church.
A Discipleship Center would offer educational and participatory classes focused on helping people experience God’s presence and would organize members into small groups that build deep spiritual and supportive relationships.
This focus on deepening one’s personal relationship with God is a goal in itself. Still, it is also foundational to the second purpose of Discipleship Centers, and that is equipping the disciples with the tools necessary to work on building the Kingdom of God and supporting that work with the shared resources of the members: this is what John Wesley called social holiness.
The relationship with God and the work of building the Kingdom of God are two sides of one coin. It is not possible to stay focused and committed to kingdom building without the spiritual support of a relationship with God. This is hard work, and we need God’s strength, courage and wisdom to keep at it.
Every Discipleship center would also have a well-equipped kitchen and fellowship hall, because breaking bread together is an essential community-building activity. Notice how many times Jesus is portrayed in the Gospels as either sharing meals with others or talking about food. Jesus knew how to build a community!
It almost goes without saying that the Discipleship Centers would not plan events on Sunday mornings so that the disciples could attend worship elsewhere.
We already have Discipleship Centers: our camps function as such, though there is room for improvement, as always.
Our kids learn about God’s love, eat and play together, and challenge themselves to grow in so many ways. Opportunities to get away from the routines of life and immerse oneself in a different setting are great for having transformational experiences. I think we need to be more intentional about discipleship growth with our kids and vastly increase the number of adults who regularly attend our camps for retreats and other events.
If there is clear communication about our expectations for both our camping experiences and our overall discipleship goals, we will be golden. Our camps, however, are a good starting model for Discipleship Centers, even if they do occasionally sneak in a worship experience!
What would you say to someone who might agree with you that many churches have de-centered formation and discipleship, but would argue that vital churches already take discipleship seriously?
I would ask them to define “vital churches.” As long as the primary event of the church is Sunday morning worship, it is not possible to really focus on discipleship formation and transformational action.
Worship for Methodists is like a drug we are addicted to. It is the activity we turn to because it is easy, and we think we “do” it well. Worship feeds our need to feel like we are “real Christians” and distracts us from asking ourselves about the purpose of the church. We expect our pastors, first and foremost, to design and lead worship services, and the primary request from congregations to the Conference leadership is to receive a pastor who is a “good preacher.”
Worship design and implementation are entirely within our control, which increases its addictive qualities. In contrast, the work of building the Kingdom of God is risky, complicated, and unpredictable in its outcomes. We have no control over the outcomes of our work for God. This work often leaves us feeling exhausted and disappointed, and our only respite is to return to the community of disciples for mutual support and reminders to practice the presence of God.
I can count on one hand the number of communities of faith in our area that are actually functioning as Discipleship Centers, and not as addiction centers to easy Christianity.
I think this is a good place to pause the conversation for a moment so people can read along and offer their own questions and feedback. Thank you for sharing these provocative ideas with us!
I, for one, have more questions than when we started. I’d like to pick this back up soon to learn more about how you imagine we could make this transition and, perhaps, push back on some of your assertions about ‘church.’ You also have me ruminating about a counterproposal that may address some of the concerns you are raising. Again, thank you!
Rev. Kathy Neary serves as Transitional Ministry Developer for the Pacific Northwest (PNW) Conference of The United Methodist Church. She was in dialogue with Patrick Scriven who serves as Director of Communications for the PNW Conference.
Kathy’s model might serve the church well, particularly when combined with small local groups connected to a ministry center. Those small groups could gather around a shared ministry, while forging bonds by praying, doing Bible study conversing, eating, and yes, even worshipping together. Laity would lead these groups. Clergy would serve within the ministry centers and could visit local groups as needed. The practices of the Church of the Savior might give a useful model for how such groups might function.
I add worship to my list because shared worship can help keep the focus on God. It can also strengthen and support bonds within the group. Naturally such worship need not conflict with other churches’ worship services, so members could still worship in local churches.
Wow, as an itinerant pastor this model and the comments Kathy makes that accompany it does not reflect my experience. Having served one congregation that was described by a State Legislator at an advocacy day, “You are the little church with the big footprint,” and others serve in the Way of Jesus; I fear Kathy may not be hearing fully the stories of our congregations.
My question is what do you do with Jesus teaching and preaching in the synagogue or Paul praising the work of church leaders?
Is it perhaps you are creating a different organization, and perhaps both/and could benefit more people than your either/or?
Are you aware there are churches, aka the beloved community, that are hurting from your words and leadership? How many eggs do you need to break for this omelet?
How do you fit the loneliness epidemic, which grows with church closures (studies show where there are more churches per capita there is lower suicide per capita) into your theory?
Has Kathy’s theory been tested? Has it been proven?
If not, why have so many churches, including one that I know of that had been part time for over 100 years, been told they should fold? Even though their community saw them as a beacon?
Who reaps the rewards of their assets? How are those assets accountable to the entire church, who did not have knowledge of this theory? Have our churches been unknowing mice in the experiment of proving this theory?
I once said that my ideal church would gather on Sunday morning for about 20 minutes of praise and celebration. Then we would split into our small groups to discuss our discipleship work of the previous week, look at new opportunities to serve, or lift one another up. There would be groups for a wide variety of abilities, interests, passions – even for the homebound (easier now with Zoom).
Beverly Thomas, President of Crest To Coast Missional District
What about the elderly who have reached a time in their life that they are forced to slow down and simplify their lives, not able to get out as much to do these things, who still need a close relationship with God? It seems they will have no where to go to maintain the tradition they have been accustomed to. United Women In Faith has been great at trying to transform the world in their Mission work but we see that slowing as we are aging. Our groups are older, smaller and less physically active, with a few exceptions.
Hi All,
Thank you so much for your comments. I hope to spark such a conversation about the future of our church with even more people.
Beverly, I appreciate you bringing up United Women in Faith, and by extension, all the previous incarnations of our womens’ groups. They actually model very well the discipleship groups I am imagining. Add to them the original and current deaconess programs, and we have a model for training and deploying all clergy. Did you know that at the National Deaconess Training Center in Kansas City, MO during the 1920s and 1930s the program was actually a four year training program that included classes in theology, biblical studies and preaching? In addition, the women would select a speciality to focus on, and some of these were early childhood education, health care for communities, and what we would call community organization today. These deaconesses would be deployed to places that “real clergy” chose not to go to. Our own Bea Green was deployed to help organize the Greater Okanogan Group Ministries, or GOGAM.
Gayle, it sounds like you have been thinking about the future too! I look forward to hearing more of your ideas!
Kathy, great ideas your sharing. Stay tuned for more about worship!
Lisa, I can hear in your comments a deep passion and commitment to the elderly who are in our churches now. However, leaving things as they are will only result in our small and mostly elderly congregations without any pastoral support, and having to deal with church buildings they can’t afford to maintain or repair. I think we need to be honest with our members about the unsustainability of our current church model, and engage them in the conversation about the future! We have lots of wise and experienced church goers sitting in our pews, and they have much to share. There will be a transition period between the old and the new, and we need to plan for this transition with a focus on compassion and kindness toward those for whom this change will be painful. But change is coming. We can shape the change that needs to happen, or watch our congregations struggle to a sad and unsatisfying end. I vote for the former!
[…] publishing that article, I have received some constructive comments that have made me consider another option. We […]
[…] I’ll grant your fundamental critique. Many of our congregations have de-centered discipleship and spiritual formation. We’ve poured […]