Saturday, June 30, 2007

Church Development Expert Looks Beyond a Denomination in Crisis

A United Methodist leader refuses to lead a dying church. But the current reality, he indicated, is a denomination in crisis.



U.S. membership in the United Methodist Church is at its lowest level since 1930 with just over 8 million. Moreover, 41 percent of United Methodist churches across the nation did not receive a member by profession of faith in 2005.



Although the Rev. Paul Nixon, author of recently released I Refuse to Lead a Dying Church, sees much hope in the United Methodist community, at the same time, he recognizes that the denomination is in "the midst of a cultural avalanche."



"Avalanches can roll on for a while and wipe out whole villages in their path. But if we are quick, nimble, and attentive in our skiing, we may escape burial in snow," wrote Nixon in the May/June issue of New World Outlook, a mission magazine of the United Methodist Church."And when the "slide of snow ceases, we may view a panorama never before seen by human eyes, a place of fresh start," says Nixon, also director of Congregational Development in the Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church.But in that new terrain, doing church business as usual would be "insane," as Nixon stated.



Scholars and church observers have continually stressed the need for churches, particularly in the mainline denominations, to implement changes and to do so continuously.



"Churches that choose to live in yesteryear will be marginalized from further significant engagement with society, continuing simply as handfuls of old-fashioned and cultural-fringe folks marking time until the doors close," says Nixon.

CHRISTIAN POST



If you look at history Methodism started off as a movement that we would call today a cell church movement, heavily into evangelism and good works of service, all mediated through small groups. Somehwere along the way, it lost its path and became a "comfortable" church. Then decline set in, almost terminally.

Australian readers would see the same story in the Uniting Church here.

God can renew any church, just as he can save the worst of sinners.

The question is, though, will Methodism in the U.S. allow itself to be renewed?

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