Thoughts from our District Superintendent:
don’t wait
We have more churches than we have pastors to serve those churches
As has previously been mentioned…we are rapidly moving toward a time much like the early days of the Methodist movement in the USA. We do not have enough pastors to pastor our churches. Certainly we have more systems and policies in place than we had 250 years ago…still…it is always a better thing to move forward on our own than to have to wait until the systems and policies step in.
So…it might be time for less than full time churches to seek out other less than full time churches with whom to share ministry. Churches could still be their own unique community of faith...while getting to know other churches with whom they might share a pastor. Won’t it be better to reach out and get to know another church or 2 or 3…before the appointment season arrives and “imposes” what works in the system…but what might not work in the individual churches?
There is work to do here. If we ask to be joined with another church or 2 in a 2 or 3 point appointment…what time will worship be in each of the churches? How will the finances be shared? How will our PPRCs work together? Can we get use to sharing our pastor?
There is more work here than this… but it would be far better to work out some of these things before May or June. There are no guarantees…but the system would appreciate help in putting churches into charges which have already gotten to know each other and genuinely look forward to working together with the same pastor.
So…whether full time or part time… it might be time for each church to reach out to its neighbor UMCs to get to know each other…to explore worship, bible study, and future possibilities. In this process we could employ the L3 culture…loving, learning, leading. It would be great to get to know each other as we explore God’s love together. It would be outstanding to learn and grow together. It would be a joy in the system if we led the way.
don’t wait! Don’t wait! DON’T WAIT!
Blessings,
Ted Anderson
District Superintendent
don’t wait
We have more churches than we have pastors to serve those churches
As has previously been mentioned…we are rapidly moving toward a time much like the early days of the Methodist movement in the USA. We do not have enough pastors to pastor our churches. Certainly we have more systems and policies in place than we had 250 years ago…still…it is always a better thing to move forward on our own than to have to wait until the systems and policies step in.
So…it might be time for less than full time churches to seek out other less than full time churches with whom to share ministry. Churches could still be their own unique community of faith...while getting to know other churches with whom they might share a pastor. Won’t it be better to reach out and get to know another church or 2 or 3…before the appointment season arrives and “imposes” what works in the system…but what might not work in the individual churches?
There is work to do here. If we ask to be joined with another church or 2 in a 2 or 3 point appointment…what time will worship be in each of the churches? How will the finances be shared? How will our PPRCs work together? Can we get use to sharing our pastor?
There is more work here than this… but it would be far better to work out some of these things before May or June. There are no guarantees…but the system would appreciate help in putting churches into charges which have already gotten to know each other and genuinely look forward to working together with the same pastor.
So…whether full time or part time… it might be time for each church to reach out to its neighbor UMCs to get to know each other…to explore worship, bible study, and future possibilities. In this process we could employ the L3 culture…loving, learning, leading. It would be great to get to know each other as we explore God’s love together. It would be outstanding to learn and grow together. It would be a joy in the system if we led the way.
don’t wait! Don’t wait! DON’T WAIT!
Blessings,
Ted Anderson
District Superintendent