It is time for the Church to die. Yes, you read that correctly. A United Methodist Elder just admitted something that could potentially be an end to his profession. It really is time for the Church to die. Overall, we have lost our identity. We have become an utter failure in what we were raised up to do.
Now, before we go too much further, I want to clarify that I most certainly am not an advocate of the "emerging church" movement. I am not anti-denomination (after all, I am a United Methodist) and I don't want to see any particular denomination to overshadow all of the rest. I don't think the answer to the problems of the Western World rise and fall with whether or not our churches transform from denominational entities into non-denominational, free-from-man's-rules type worship groups. Even though I love small groups and promote them, I'm not even saying that the small-group cluster is the answer to Christianity's downward spiral. The only answer I see on the horizon is the death of the Church.
Now, let me see if I can explain this. Several times throughout the New Testament we are told things like this "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life."--St. Matthew 16:24b-26
I think Jesus meant these kinds of statements. I don't think he was talking in riddles or metaphor. I don't think he was trying to be over-dramatic in order to capture the people's attention so that they would listen to his teaching. I think he meant it. I really think that what he said about losing a life...dying...is what he wanted us to do.
But unlike the little boy in 6th Sense...I don't see dead people. I don't see very many people who claim Christ carrying crosses. Oh sure, we wear them around our necks, stick'em on our cars (next to our fish), and we even hang them on our walls. But I don't see people carrying them around. I don't see the Church being very inconvenienced. We sacrifice our money for things like new carpet, paint, and technology for our church, but we don't generally want to spend money on transients, homeless, or "illegal aliens." We choose politics over faith and television over Scripture. We think that family time means running around after our children for 18 years watching them in everything from sports to band concerts. Our family meals have transitioned from the dining room table into the living room. I don't think we're dying.
I wonder about a group of people who claim Christ...but only in the public sphere. We want the 10 Commandments posted on the courthouse lawn, prayer to be said at the beginning of athletic events, and even insist that God actually cares more about the people of the United States than he does for those living in hedonistic places like Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet, we don't pray at home (where we do have control). I seriously doubt many of our finest church-goers could recite the 10 commandments much less live up to them. And what was that we were told about our enemies?
I'm sure at this point you must be thinking that ministry has turned me cynical. No, not really. You see, I have fallen in love with Christ. And as such, even as broken as she is, I am in love with his bride. You know, the Church. More than anything it makes me sad.
It makes me sad that we...the Church...have become blind. We are blind to our calling. We are blind to the needs around us and the opportunities we have to serve. We claim to be committed to Christ, but only if the commitment comes at our convenience.
So there you have it. The only solution, as I see it, is for the Church to die. If the Church dies, then Christ will rise up a new creation. If each one of us will be honest with ourselves and ask God to show us where we need to die, he will do it. If we agree to lose our life for Christ's sake, then we will find the life that Jesus has called us to. The thing is, that if the Church refuses to die...if we refuse to die to ourselves and follow Christ...then we will gain the whole world and lose the only thing that really matters. As a Spirit filled entity, we will be gone forever. Resurrection, not resuscitation, is the answer to the mess we are currently in. If we do die to ourselves, only then we will live as God intends. Either way, our fate is sealed. In the words of John Donne, "therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee." Until next time...
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Thursday, June 27, 2013
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Connections
Several years ago TLC had a series on the air called Connections. The host of the series, James Burke, would take an interesting approach to history. He would begin with some obscure historical fact or event and trace people, places, and other events through time. Essentially, what would happen is that while he would start the documentary by discussing tea in Dutch-ruled India, he would end the show with radio-astronomy. Topics discussed between the two would be diverse and all connected in some way or another.
I think God does something very similar in our lives as we move along our faith journey. To show how this works, I'm going to trace some connections that God has maneuvered in my own life...I'm going to connect a Muleshoe High School choir concert to how T.V. came to Haskell.
In 2005 I was deeply searching for where God wanted me to be. I was struggling with many different things spiritually. I knew that God loved me, I knew that he was calling me somewhere, but I had no idea where or what that entailed. That December, the choir teacher and band director were having their annual winter concert. Someone came up with the idea that it would be fun for the faculty to join the band and the choir in their final performance piece at their Sunday afternoon concert. So I agreed to donate my voice to the effort. A friend of mine, Sally Messenger, also had agreed to sing. At one of the practices she asked me if I would be willing to come and help her church out with their church choir when they sang their Christmas special at the Methodist Church. They were short male voices that year and so I agreed to go and help.
Since it was getting close to the performance, I was only able to make it to a couple of practices. The Sunday we were to sing was only the second time that I had ever gone to the Methodist Church on a Sunday morning. As I sat in the choir loft that morning, I really didn't know what to expect. The church service began and they went through a couple of typical church-y things. But then a short, balding man got up to offer a prayer. At the time, I had no idea who this guy was. When he began to pray (what I found out later is called the pastoral prayer) I was absolutely blown away. I had never heard anyone pray the way this man did. He actually prayed like he believed that God was listening to him!
I found out later that this man was the pastor of the church and his name was Monty Leavell. Now Monty was instrumental in helping me discern my calling into the ministry. He prayed with me, encouraged me, and kept up with all of the necessary paperwork and details that needed to be done for my candidacy process to proceed. When it came time to look into seminaries, there were several options. But truthfully I knew that there was only one option for me. I wanted to attend the school where Monty had gone...I wanted to be formed the same way he had been formed. That's why I went to Asbury.
When I was at seminary, I met all sorts of wonderful people. People who literally had come from all parts of the world. More amazing than that, Asbury was a place that sent people back out all over the world. As a part of their willingness to be a world-wide educational institution, the seminary began to work classes into international study. My good friend Tom had gone to Costa Rica with a leadership class the second January we were in Wilmore. He talked about it so much that he really inspired me to want to go. That fall, Tom and I took an Old Testament exegesis class together under a man named Michael Matlock. Towards the end of the semester, Dr. Matlock told us that he would be teaching a course in January. As a part of that course, the class would go to Costa Rica for study with the pastors in that country. Tom highly encouraged me to go. So after prayer, Myranda and I decided to go for it.
During that class I made some wonderful friends. One of the guys in the class was Ed Dickens. Now Ed spent most of his time on the Asbury campus in Orlando, so I had never met him before. But since he was living in Georgia, he was able to take this class with us in Kentucky. After we got to Costa Rica, Myranda and I really got to know Ed better. He's a great guy to be around and is so easy to work with. He has a great sense of humor and we really just clicked. After we got back from our trip, Ed decided to take a class or two in Wilmore for his last semester. So in the spring of 2011, I got to see Ed in chapel on a regular basis. In April of that year, I finally got a call from the district superintendent telling me that I was coming to Haskell as their pastor. While I was unfamiliar with Haskell, Ed knew all about it!
You see, Ed took several classes in Orlando. One of the professors in Orlando was raised in Haskell. Apparently, Dr. Steve Harper loved growing up in Haskell so much that he would often refer back to his home town. He would talk about being raised in a small West Texas town and the influence that the people in the community and especially in the United Methodist Church had on his formation as a person. I'll never forget the day I told Ed that I was going to Haskell. He got really excited and told me how wonderfully blessed I was to be going to that place. He encouraged me to get in contact with Dr. Harper and let him know who I was.
So right after I came to FUMC Haskell, I e-mailed Dr. Harper. He e-mailed me back a very nice and encouraging letter. To this day, I have never met Steve Harper. I hope that some day I will. But until then I get to share a connection with him that is very special to me. He and I know many of the same people. Every week I get to stand in the pulpit and preach to the same individuals and families with whom he has a long history. A few weeks ago Dr. Harper's newest book was released for sale. This book is called When TV Came to Town. I have yet to read the book, but it has made quite a splash here in Haskell. Several members of our congregation have read it and have thoroughly enjoyed it.
I don't believe in coincidences. I firmly believe that God places people in our lives for specific times and for specific reasons. At the time, we might not be able to see how the connections are taking place or why the connection is significant, but as we move forward with our spiritual life we might occasionally catch a glimpse of what he's doing. All of these people are connected to me and I to them in a wonderful way. They have contributed to my preaching, teaching, and pastoral ministry. While some of these people may not know each other, they are connected in a wonderful and miraculous way. I've discovered that whether we embrace the opportunities for us to know people or not is our choice. So I am choosing to know others...to be influenced by them...to grow in my relationships with others. I want God to connect me with others and to see how those connections serve his wider kingdom. I joyfully thank God for that choir concert in Muleshoe and how it led me to know how TV came to Haskell. Until next time...
For more information about Dr. Harper's book go to http://www.amazon.com/When-TV-Came-To-Town/dp/1482779358 or if you're on facebook check out the page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/When-TV-Came-To-Town/590367387649409?fref=ts
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I think God does something very similar in our lives as we move along our faith journey. To show how this works, I'm going to trace some connections that God has maneuvered in my own life...I'm going to connect a Muleshoe High School choir concert to how T.V. came to Haskell.
In 2005 I was deeply searching for where God wanted me to be. I was struggling with many different things spiritually. I knew that God loved me, I knew that he was calling me somewhere, but I had no idea where or what that entailed. That December, the choir teacher and band director were having their annual winter concert. Someone came up with the idea that it would be fun for the faculty to join the band and the choir in their final performance piece at their Sunday afternoon concert. So I agreed to donate my voice to the effort. A friend of mine, Sally Messenger, also had agreed to sing. At one of the practices she asked me if I would be willing to come and help her church out with their church choir when they sang their Christmas special at the Methodist Church. They were short male voices that year and so I agreed to go and help.
Since it was getting close to the performance, I was only able to make it to a couple of practices. The Sunday we were to sing was only the second time that I had ever gone to the Methodist Church on a Sunday morning. As I sat in the choir loft that morning, I really didn't know what to expect. The church service began and they went through a couple of typical church-y things. But then a short, balding man got up to offer a prayer. At the time, I had no idea who this guy was. When he began to pray (what I found out later is called the pastoral prayer) I was absolutely blown away. I had never heard anyone pray the way this man did. He actually prayed like he believed that God was listening to him!
I found out later that this man was the pastor of the church and his name was Monty Leavell. Now Monty was instrumental in helping me discern my calling into the ministry. He prayed with me, encouraged me, and kept up with all of the necessary paperwork and details that needed to be done for my candidacy process to proceed. When it came time to look into seminaries, there were several options. But truthfully I knew that there was only one option for me. I wanted to attend the school where Monty had gone...I wanted to be formed the same way he had been formed. That's why I went to Asbury.
When I was at seminary, I met all sorts of wonderful people. People who literally had come from all parts of the world. More amazing than that, Asbury was a place that sent people back out all over the world. As a part of their willingness to be a world-wide educational institution, the seminary began to work classes into international study. My good friend Tom had gone to Costa Rica with a leadership class the second January we were in Wilmore. He talked about it so much that he really inspired me to want to go. That fall, Tom and I took an Old Testament exegesis class together under a man named Michael Matlock. Towards the end of the semester, Dr. Matlock told us that he would be teaching a course in January. As a part of that course, the class would go to Costa Rica for study with the pastors in that country. Tom highly encouraged me to go. So after prayer, Myranda and I decided to go for it.
During that class I made some wonderful friends. One of the guys in the class was Ed Dickens. Now Ed spent most of his time on the Asbury campus in Orlando, so I had never met him before. But since he was living in Georgia, he was able to take this class with us in Kentucky. After we got to Costa Rica, Myranda and I really got to know Ed better. He's a great guy to be around and is so easy to work with. He has a great sense of humor and we really just clicked. After we got back from our trip, Ed decided to take a class or two in Wilmore for his last semester. So in the spring of 2011, I got to see Ed in chapel on a regular basis. In April of that year, I finally got a call from the district superintendent telling me that I was coming to Haskell as their pastor. While I was unfamiliar with Haskell, Ed knew all about it!
You see, Ed took several classes in Orlando. One of the professors in Orlando was raised in Haskell. Apparently, Dr. Steve Harper loved growing up in Haskell so much that he would often refer back to his home town. He would talk about being raised in a small West Texas town and the influence that the people in the community and especially in the United Methodist Church had on his formation as a person. I'll never forget the day I told Ed that I was going to Haskell. He got really excited and told me how wonderfully blessed I was to be going to that place. He encouraged me to get in contact with Dr. Harper and let him know who I was.
So right after I came to FUMC Haskell, I e-mailed Dr. Harper. He e-mailed me back a very nice and encouraging letter. To this day, I have never met Steve Harper. I hope that some day I will. But until then I get to share a connection with him that is very special to me. He and I know many of the same people. Every week I get to stand in the pulpit and preach to the same individuals and families with whom he has a long history. A few weeks ago Dr. Harper's newest book was released for sale. This book is called When TV Came to Town. I have yet to read the book, but it has made quite a splash here in Haskell. Several members of our congregation have read it and have thoroughly enjoyed it.
I don't believe in coincidences. I firmly believe that God places people in our lives for specific times and for specific reasons. At the time, we might not be able to see how the connections are taking place or why the connection is significant, but as we move forward with our spiritual life we might occasionally catch a glimpse of what he's doing. All of these people are connected to me and I to them in a wonderful way. They have contributed to my preaching, teaching, and pastoral ministry. While some of these people may not know each other, they are connected in a wonderful and miraculous way. I've discovered that whether we embrace the opportunities for us to know people or not is our choice. So I am choosing to know others...to be influenced by them...to grow in my relationships with others. I want God to connect me with others and to see how those connections serve his wider kingdom. I joyfully thank God for that choir concert in Muleshoe and how it led me to know how TV came to Haskell. Until next time...
For more information about Dr. Harper's book go to http://www.amazon.com/When-TV-Came-To-Town/dp/1482779358 or if you're on facebook check out the page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/When-TV-Came-To-Town/590367387649409?fref=ts
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Friday, June 7, 2013
Ordination (AKA The Beginning of An Era)
Last week at this time, I was contemplating my upcoming ordination. I looked to the past and recounted the last several years that led up to this point in my life. I anticipated what it would mean to be ordained as an Elder in the United Methodist Church. But what I've come to understand and appreciate is that ordination is a moment in time. It is a good point to reflect upon where God has been leading me and begin to wonder where he will take me next. It also has spurred me on to think about transitions and new beginnings.
One of those new beginnings was in our episcopal leadership at this year's conference. The Northwest Texas Conference recently was appointed a new bishop. It was interesting to see how Bishop Bledsoe leads, how he interacts with people, and how he preaches and teaches. Our new bishop brought a lot of energy and excitement to conference. He also brought high expectations of us...both clergy and laity.
As we moved forward with conference, I found myself getting more and more excited. The reports, the opportunities for ministry, and the financial health of our denomination is looking better than it has. The staff of our conference office is intentionally seeking out ways to be a part of our ministries as United Methodists. They are listening to the needs and challenges of the local churches. And what impressed me the most is that they are being proactive in making a way for new ways of working and communicating.
Finally, on Wednesday night, it was time for the ordination service. I guess in some ways I found myself nervous. I was ready to move forward with the final goal of ordination. And when it came time for the Bishops and others to place their hands on me, I really didn't know how I would feel. The one word that comes to mind that happened at that exact moment was the word "heavy." As the leadership of our denomination laid hands on me, I literally felt the weight of the situation. It was as though the entire burden of what it means to be in ministry was being placed upon my shoulders. As Bishop Bledsoe said "Dustin Wilhite, take thou authority..." the overwhelming responsibilities, expectations, challenges, and opportunities collided. It was at that moment that I realized that ordination is not the end of a seven year process where I was now going to be able to rest on my education and spiritual growth. Ordination was simply a stopping point on the journey of being in full-time ministry. It was a point where I could gather up my courage so that more ministry, more love, and more of Christ could be poured into who I am as a person and as a pastor; not for myself, but for those whom I'm sent to serve.
On the last day of conference, Bishop Bledsoe preached a wonderful sermon on the Transfiguration of Christ on the mountain. It was during this sermon that all of what had happened to me leading me up to this particular conference meeting began fully to make sense. The ordination service was a special moment in my life. It was a marker along my spiritual path where I joyfully shared a moment in time with three other men. But it wasn't just an ending; it was also a beginning. It was the beginning of a new part of my ministry and a new way of being held responsible for my actions and decisions.
So with all this newness around me, I remember the beauty of God's wondrous grace as he leads us through our lives. In order for something new to come about, the old must pass away. While it's hard sometimes to let go of the old, the familiar, the comfortable, we must let go in order to continue to move forward. We must learn to embrace changes and learn how to minister wherever we find ourselves.
In his sermon, the bishop said that we can't freeze moments in time like Peter tried to do on the mountaintop. Instead, we have to enjoy the moment, pray, and move back down the mountain in order to do ministry. So while ordination was a point in my life that I would like to have frozen in time, I can't. It's a moment I will always remember and cherish. But it's also a moment where I cannot live.
LORD, our God, I ask in the name of Jesus Christ that you help each one of us to move forward. Help us to embrace the newness of life each day. Give us the strength to step outside of ourselves in order to be made into the likeness of your blessed Son. While we may remember those special times of mountaintops, send us into the valley for ministry. And help us to never say, "But we've never done it like that before." We pray this to you our glorious Father, through your glorious Son Jesus Christ, by the power and authority of the the Holy Spirit. Amen
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One of those new beginnings was in our episcopal leadership at this year's conference. The Northwest Texas Conference recently was appointed a new bishop. It was interesting to see how Bishop Bledsoe leads, how he interacts with people, and how he preaches and teaches. Our new bishop brought a lot of energy and excitement to conference. He also brought high expectations of us...both clergy and laity.
As we moved forward with conference, I found myself getting more and more excited. The reports, the opportunities for ministry, and the financial health of our denomination is looking better than it has. The staff of our conference office is intentionally seeking out ways to be a part of our ministries as United Methodists. They are listening to the needs and challenges of the local churches. And what impressed me the most is that they are being proactive in making a way for new ways of working and communicating.
Finally, on Wednesday night, it was time for the ordination service. I guess in some ways I found myself nervous. I was ready to move forward with the final goal of ordination. And when it came time for the Bishops and others to place their hands on me, I really didn't know how I would feel. The one word that comes to mind that happened at that exact moment was the word "heavy." As the leadership of our denomination laid hands on me, I literally felt the weight of the situation. It was as though the entire burden of what it means to be in ministry was being placed upon my shoulders. As Bishop Bledsoe said "Dustin Wilhite, take thou authority..." the overwhelming responsibilities, expectations, challenges, and opportunities collided. It was at that moment that I realized that ordination is not the end of a seven year process where I was now going to be able to rest on my education and spiritual growth. Ordination was simply a stopping point on the journey of being in full-time ministry. It was a point where I could gather up my courage so that more ministry, more love, and more of Christ could be poured into who I am as a person and as a pastor; not for myself, but for those whom I'm sent to serve.
On the last day of conference, Bishop Bledsoe preached a wonderful sermon on the Transfiguration of Christ on the mountain. It was during this sermon that all of what had happened to me leading me up to this particular conference meeting began fully to make sense. The ordination service was a special moment in my life. It was a marker along my spiritual path where I joyfully shared a moment in time with three other men. But it wasn't just an ending; it was also a beginning. It was the beginning of a new part of my ministry and a new way of being held responsible for my actions and decisions.
So with all this newness around me, I remember the beauty of God's wondrous grace as he leads us through our lives. In order for something new to come about, the old must pass away. While it's hard sometimes to let go of the old, the familiar, the comfortable, we must let go in order to continue to move forward. We must learn to embrace changes and learn how to minister wherever we find ourselves.
In his sermon, the bishop said that we can't freeze moments in time like Peter tried to do on the mountaintop. Instead, we have to enjoy the moment, pray, and move back down the mountain in order to do ministry. So while ordination was a point in my life that I would like to have frozen in time, I can't. It's a moment I will always remember and cherish. But it's also a moment where I cannot live.
LORD, our God, I ask in the name of Jesus Christ that you help each one of us to move forward. Help us to embrace the newness of life each day. Give us the strength to step outside of ourselves in order to be made into the likeness of your blessed Son. While we may remember those special times of mountaintops, send us into the valley for ministry. And help us to never say, "But we've never done it like that before." We pray this to you our glorious Father, through your glorious Son Jesus Christ, by the power and authority of the the Holy Spirit. Amen
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