Several of us "younger" clergy in the Kansas Eat Conference are attempting to organize a new way of doing and being United Methodists in Kansas. Among our hopes is to truly live out a connectional polity - to really be one Church, one people, of Jesus Christ. I'm excited by the prospects of younger people taking leadership roles in the Conference and asserting effective leadership in local churches. At the same time, I am aware of some more experienced pastors who are leery. I would imagine that if I had been a pastor for 20-30 years and some of my younger colleagues began saying that we need significant changes in style and leadership that I might be offended or put off. I hope we can all agree that for better or worse we stand on the shoulders of those who have come before us. I have too many mentors to count from those who have preceeded me in ministry. Many are still actively and vitally serving churches today. I imagine every generation thinks it can do some things better than the previous generation. I also think every generation gains more from the previous generation than we could ever realize on our own.
So, I am very excited about KEEN. I am excited for the future of the United Methodist "brand" of Christianity in Kansas. I am excited about young leaders stepping up in important ways, respecting but not being overly restricted by precedent and official polity. I also am very thankful for those who have helped shape my spiritual and professional life and who continue to inform my practice of ministry. I hope that we will continue to learn from each other and serve together for years to come.
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Thoughts about God, the church, politics, social issues, and whatever else I happen to be thinking about
1 comment:
I have found similar reactions with clergy colleagues in Missouri amidst our Pastoral Leadership Development attempts to embrace coaching, and strategies that addresses churches and ministry in decline. I pray that those who have been in ministry for a while may be open to not only support new avenues, but also to invest in them. Paul Borden's book "Direct Hit" addresses some of these notions and I recommend those of us in the mainline to consider that those in our congregations are not the only ones who sometimes find themselves inward focused. I am excited to hear of the vision that you and others in Kansas are casting. Perhaps that will be an encouragement for some of us in other states to consider as well. Many blessings in making the most!
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