April 14, 2008
I was reading Bishop Willimon’s blog and came across this post of his. Check it out. Let me (and him) know what you think. I think it’s brilliant, which may say more about the strategies I have heard about church growth than anything else.
http://willimon.blogspot.com/2008/03/practical-organizational-relevance-of.html
The Practical, Organizational Relevance of Resurrection
In a workshop with Paul Borden last year, someone asked him, “You
are a natural leader in starting new churches. What is the main thing
you look for in selecting new pastors?” Borden responded, “An Orthodox
faith, a vivid belief in the Trinity, and of course, a sure faith in
the resurrection.”
Don’t you find that an amazing response? I
thought Borden would say something managerial, “an entrepreneurial
spirit,” something like that. Or, I thought he might cite some
psychological configuration or organizational expertise in the pastor.
No. Borden demands theology, faith in resurrection.
It really
makes a huge difference as we go about reaching a new generation of
Christians, starting new churches, energizing established
congregations, making disciples (our Conference priorities), if Jesus
Christ has risen from the dead. If Easter is not true, then why bother?
Since
Jesus Christ is raised, let loose, invading a world, returning to the
very people who betrayed him, then we work not alone. The risen Christ
goes before us. We serve a God who lives to raise the dead–even us.
Therefore, we work with hope–not hope in ourselves and our efforts,
but with hope in Christ.
A couple of years ago, a District
Superintendent paid me one of the greatest compliments I’ve ever
received. He had told a pastor of our interest to move him to a
different church. “I can’t do this,” responded the pastor. “That church
is dead. It’s been dying for years and now I hear it’s really dead.”
The DS replied, “I’ll tell the Bishop but let me warn you, this guy
really believes that Easter is true. To tell him a pastor or a church
is dead means nothing to him. He just sees death as an opportunity to
see what Jesus can do.”
Will Willimon
April 16, 2008 at 5:46 pm
This brought me to tears. I think he is absolutely on the right track; without solid, New-Covenant-based theology the church is just another self help group. I know of at least one Methodist minister who has no belief in the promise of the resurrection, and there are more out there. I am so glad Bishop Willimon “gets it.”