The Wilderness Way #22

By Bishop Mike Lowry ©

“We used to have a call night at Glen Lake.”

“We used to have about $600,000 a year in shares for church development.”

“We are rediscovering core practices common to all faithful and fruitful congregations.”

“We are stepping up our Conference Communications.”

By your grace and patience, Wilderness Way #22 is an intentional break from my current theme of writing on the key elements of faith-walking in the wilderness of our time. Wilderness Way #23 will pick back up with the theme of courage.

I take this brief interlude to highlight four key areas of challenge for us in the next three months. The first is Exploration 2009. As we wrestle with where the next generation of leadership is coming from for the United Methodist Church, all across the church people have noted the absence of young clergy. They are being called “spotted owls.” (A reference to an endangered species of owls.) Recently someone commented to me, “We used to have a call night at Glen Lake.”

Here in the Central Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church we are returning to the active practice of sharing a call for ordained ministry. Christ is moving in our midst with the call of the wild! A great new adventure awaits us.

A key event called Exploration 2009 will be held in Dallas Friday, November 13 through Sunday, November 15^th. It is designed especially for youth and young adults to explore a call to ministry. You can get more information at www.gbhem.org! I am challenging the Central Texas Conference to take at least 100 young people to this event.

A critical ministry of sharing the gospel is to start new churches and strengthen existing churches. Currently we are facing a fiscal crisis in Church Growth and Development. We used to bring in as much as $600,000 a year through the Shares ministry. Today that commitment is shrinking. One of the most important ministries of the Conference is seriously undercapitalized. I am challenging the Central Texas Conference to commit to 2000 new shares! You can get information on how to make a new commitment at www.ctcumc.org/page.asp?PKValue=884!

“We are rediscovering core practices common to all faithful and fruitful congregations.”

Bishop Robert Schnase’s seminal insight on The Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations has swept across the church. He offers a detailed way of recovering core practices that make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Every congregation regardless of its size or situation will benefit from engagement in core fruitful ministry. Every now and then, I run across someone (or some church) that says “we’ve already done that. We don’t need to go.” When hear such a report I know that person (or church) doesn’t get it. This is about ongoing core practices of faithfulness and fruitfulness. I am challenging the Central Texas Conference to have teams from 200 churches present at the Fall Summit! You can get the brochure by going to the Conference website www.ctcumc.org/event_detail.asp?PKValue=1404!

Additionally we here at the Conference office are working on stepping up our communication to local churches. We exist to energize and equip local churches to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. I am challenging the Central Texas Conference to improve Conference communications! Watch our web site. Hold us accountable. Together we are going to step up for Christ and His kingdom.

By: Bishop Mike Lowry On 10/1/2009

Topics: Bishop Columns