ON BEING RESOLUTE
I wonder, does anyone take making New Year’s resolutions, seriously anymore? Were they ever meant to be taken seriously? My accountant made me resolve two years ago to get a Living Trust. I still haven’t done it, but I am resolving to get it done before my March 14th appointment with him. I think resolving to do something, and being resolute in ones resolve to accomplish it is a bit like embracing a mission. New Year’s resolutions shouldn’t be impossible, to accomplish; neither should missions be impossible to accomplish. (Except of course for Tom Cruise and Armie Hammer- without which impossible missions we wouldn’t have their fun movies to go see).
Moving on.
I believe today’s churches need mission statements that are understandable and easy to remember, embraceable by every member of the body, and possible to accomplish.
The mission statement of the UMC revised and placed in the 2008 Book of Discipline read: “Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” It was concise, repeatable and understandable. You can read about this particular mission statement and what it meant to the crafters at: http://www.umc.org/what-we-believe/section-1-the-churches
The more I lived with that mission statement the more I concluded that it assumed a great deal: 1. that the churches were actually equipping members to “make disciples of Jesus Christ,” and 2. that the United Methodist Church was singularly suited to transform the world – I presume for the better – but that was not clear.
At the 2104 Annual Conference Cal-Pac adopted another mission statement, which I put on the front of our bulletins for a little while. It read: “Inspiring the world as passionate followers of Jesus Christ so all may experience God’s life-giving love.” It is not concise, repeatable or understandable. You can read more about it at: http://www.umc.org/who-we-are/2014-california-pacific-annual-conference
The more I lived with that mission statement, and as much as I like the word passionate, I felt I knew only a few followers who could be called passionate and too many of those were not inclined to let all people experience God’s life-giving love. (I also think the term “life-giving love” is pretty lame. Life-transforming love, now that says something!)
Moving On.
Two years ago at 4:00 AM on Labor Day morning 2014 the Spirit of God woke me up out of a sound sleep to give me a mission statement which I shared with everyone at the retreat I was attending. All throughout the retreat I kept hearing stories from the presenters about brokenness, and about people throughout the world who are hurting, victimized and oppressed. Clearly, I thought, the church, like Jesus, needs to work to heal the world’s brokenness, and that will transform us all. I truly believe God gave me the words. As soon as I returned to Palm Springs I removed the lame Cal-Pac Mission statement from the front of our bulletins and put in its place the one I was given: “Transforming the church for the healing of the world.”
God’s Life-transforming love, empowers us to mature as Christians. As each of us is transformed, so too is the church transformed, to be what it was called to be. Congregations are dwindling all over Southern California, and I imagine other conferences perhaps because they have lost the will to be transformed, by the presence of the Holy Spirit. Maybe dying congregations will blame a not-up-to-par-pastor who just doesn’t inspire, or who is too burned out to light a fire under anyone, but the truth is we carry the Christ within us. We don’t really need the preacher to light the fire of faith within; the word is capable of doing that.
You are right to think that working to heal the world is a huge job, but I believe it can be accomplished one soul, one heart, one person at a time, if each one of us opens ourselves, our hearts, our minds and the church’s doors to serve, to listen and to be present to everyone we meet. Please resolve with me this year and every year to live into this mission, in the name of the Christ. Amen.
Have a Blessed New Year,
Rev. Amanda
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