BOA ACTION: Motion to refer to BOB and Study Commission on Leadership Development
GCRCC Status: forwarded for April 2011 BOA action
Introduced by: David Harvey, Acts 12:24 Churches
Written by: David Harvey
Related to Paragraph(s) #: 6800-6850
Whereas:
The Western church continues to struggle while we are surrounded by revival in the southern hemisphere and Asia. According to David T. Olsen just over 17% of Americans attend church on any given Sunday. Most denominations in the United States are declining and many of those that are growing rejoice in growth of 1% to 2% per year. Denominations that thrive have demonstrated a much faster rate of growth; and
The work in a body such as this General Conference usually is concentrated on making minor adjustments to deal with present difficulties. However we should not forget that we are stewards both of the present and of the kind of church we will leave to generations that follow us. This resolution seeks to shape the church in such a way that it will thrive in future generations; and
The infrastructure of an organization or culture provides ACCESS TO PATHS OF OPPORTUNITY; and
The path to thriving for a denomination requires that the denomination build correct infrastructure that allows local churches to thrive; and
The infrastructure that a culture/organization builds will shape the future of the culture/organization; and
One of the most important roles of a General Conference is to ensure that the right paths of opportunity exist within our denomination; and
The path to a thriving church throughout history has always been through building the right infrastructure as witnessed by our spiritual father John Wesley who built an infrastructure of classes, bands and societies, which allowed the church to expand rapidly and left a legacy such that one out of every four believers in the world today trace their spiritual roots to John Wesley, (according to George Hunter); and
The church thrives when our infrastructures allow the full expression of the gifts and the passion that God has already put in the hearts of our people; and
The church thrives as we respond in bold ways to systematize what God is already doing among us; and
It seems that in the future denominations that thrive will find that the glue that holds them together is not loyalty to a denomination or feelings of affection for a regional conference, but rather people will be connected because they are of like heart and experiences and share similar beliefs and values. This connectedness will happen because they have all walked similar paths of opportunity. Denominations that recognize this and set about building effective infrastructure will thrive in the future. Those that don’t will continue their steady march toward mediocrity; and
Infrastructure building is almost always slow and difficult, and expensive work. But we must not ignore the lessons of history: that cultures that have flourished have been those that have taken the time and spent the money to build excellent infrastructure; and
We should build infrastructure that creates paths of opportunity within the denomination that facilitate the emergence of new networks of churches and network leaders; and
Spiritual authority must always be pushed down to the street and not hoarded in the bureaucracy, and
We have confidence that as we take bold new steps God works in the process to create efficient structures that we cannot yet see.
What are the paths of opportunity that we need to create in the Free Methodist Church?
1. Our pastors need a path to living a life of maximum impact
2. Our people need a path to holiness of heart that compels ministries of care and justice
3. Our churches need a path to reproduction.
Therefore, be it resolved:
1. We prepare to assist any local church that wants to plant a new church by providing access to training, assessment and coaching.
2. That we identify teaching churches in which potential planters may do an internship.
3. That we develop excellent resources to assist potential planters in raising their own financial support.
4. That we develop a way to bring together pastors of churches that mother new churches for peer learning and encouragement, and for the dissemination to other churches the knowledge and skills they have gained.
5. That we prioritize the giving of church planting grant money to local churches that are planting new churches.
6. That we create an ad-hoc commission to study the infrastructure of the church. This committee should be made up of people who understand the difference between creating infrastructure in a denomination that frees up local ministry and the creating of top- down ministry initiatives, which often seems to be our default tendency. That one of the tasks of this group be to study what local churches need to plant new churches and develop recommendations regarding what role the denomination might play in assisting local churches to reproduce.
Note: This resolution is part of a package of six resolutions that seek to prepare the church to thrive in future generations. These resolutions have some degree of interdependence. The resolutions are as follows:
Preparing to Thrive Through Decentralizing:
Resolution No.1 – Jesus said, “Go into all the World;” So Do We
Resolution No. 2 – What You Create, You Oversee
Resolution No. 3 – If You Plant Ten Churches, A Bishop You Will Be
Preparing to Thrive Through Infrastructure Building:
Resolution No. 1 – Our Pastors Need a Path to Living a Life of Maximum Impact
Resolution No. 2 – Our People Need a Path to Holiness of Heart that Compels Ministries of Care and Justice
Resolution No. 3 – Our Churches Need a Path to Reproduction
Does the resolution have a direct relationship to the vision and mission of the Free Methodist Church?
Yes.
How will the proposed change help us accomplish our vision and mission?
It will assist us to be an organization that advances the Kingdom by the full use of the passion and creativity that God has already put in the hearts of our people.
The Resolutions Committee rates this resolution as:
(A) Support – recommend adoption
Related posts:
- Resolution 16 – Preparing to Thrive Though Infrastructure Building (2) – people need a path to holiness of heart that compels ministries of care and justice
- Resolution 14 – When You Plant 10 Churches, A Bishop You Will Be
- Resolution 13 – What You Create, You Oversee
- Resolution 12 – Jesus Said, “Go into All the World.”; So do we.
