Comments on will |u| be a disciple?
www.willubeadisciple.com: Some Thoughts on The Methodist Church

Yes, sorry if I wasn't clear about that. This...

2010-02-25T10:08:16.959-06:00

Yes, sorry if I wasn't clear about that. This is actually a more helpful view because he is somewhat of an outsider but he does actually know what he is talking about. The United Methodist Church gets a lot of unsolicited advice from people who don't really know what they are talking about. Whether or not we agree with Craig, he does appear to know the system.

I agree with you Will that it is best to take thes...

2010-02-25T09:45:38.000-06:00

I agree with you Will that it is best to take these comments as suggestions from a brother outside our family - however, he was a United Methodist pastor before going to start LifeChurch - so he does have some insight into what it means to be a UM.

Fortunately, I think that this is an area that is ...

2010-02-25T07:09:14.812-06:00

Fortunately, I think that this is an area that is being talked about in the Methodist system. We did just remove one year from the total length of the process. What used to be three years of probationary ministry in now two years on residency. I am a little torn as well. While the process is very long (and seems longer) one can realistically start serving at the very beginning. If the concern is being able to get right into it, we allow that, while the permanent status of ordination takes some more time to attain.

I agree with Michael, this does deserve a little more space than a comment window.

As a young and "rising" (or at least I l...

2010-02-24T08:43:00.546-06:00

As a young and "rising" (or at least I like to think so) leader in the UMC, I'm really torn on how I feel about the ordination process. I very much acknowledge and appreciate the accountability provided in length of the process. For those seeking deacon and elders orders, perhaps the process shouldn't commence until they are in their second year of seminary study. They begin their residency period then, so that two years after they graduate, they could be ordained. This discussion deserves far more space than a comment window, but it's just an initial thought, and an area where I agree with Craig.

I agree with Craig's point about the use of th...

2010-02-24T08:37:40.884-06:00

I agree with Craig's point about the use of the funds for the "Rethink Church" campaign. They definitely could have been better used, though 1,000 church plants isn't exactly something that I would have recommended either. The deeper critique, and a valid one, is that as a denomination we do have too much money tied up in ineffective places. I'm not sure what a solution to this would look like in detail, but I'm sure there is one.

Craig makes some valid points about the itinerant system; however, his first premise is just flat incorrect. The congregation does have a say in who their pastors are, but that say is exercised through the SPRC/PPRC and the clergy evaluation process. This being said, I do agree with him that the itinerant system does create some difficulties in the long-term vision planning of a church. However, one of the primary values of the itinerant system is that it helps to protect congregants from shifting their loyalties to a particular pastor and away from Christ.

Overall, Craig stirs the UM pot, which I appreciate because it can (or has the potential to) inspire new creativity in making our ministry as a denomination more effective.

Very interesting reading... good honest conversati...

2010-02-23T08:17:48.839-06:00

Very interesting reading... good honest conversation offering much food for thought.

Craig Groeschel has added another post, this one o...

2010-02-23T07:14:38.749-06:00

Craig Groeschel has added another post, this one on the ordination process. http://tinyurl.com/ylyshnq

Matt, I like your thought about the Rethink church...

2010-02-23T07:12:45.831-06:00

Matt, I like your thought about the Rethink church campaign. I really think there is a danger of someone being inspired by the commercial and then going to a UM church in their community and finding it nothing like what they saw in the commercial. It is a common mistake in marketing to just leave the product the same and tell everyone it is different. (It only works for a while.)

I think they are valid points so far, but they are...

2010-02-22T21:36:21.136-06:00

I think they are valid points so far, but they are sort of blanket statements. As a 25 year old guy, he's right about not wanting to join an organization or denomination. I think people my age are looking for a community. I don't know how well the Rethink Church campaign has been. While what they say in the commercials are true of some UM congregations, there's so many that aren't there yet. The UMC is a bit slow to change. I think University is headed in the right denomination, but the denomination is not in the clear yet.

Comments on will |u| be a disciple? www.willubeadisciple.com: Some Thoughts on The Methodist Church