The Wilderness Way #64

“Stay Focused on The Mission”

A Joint Statement by the Bishops of the Central Texas and North Texas Annual Conferences

Recent discussions around the Bishops’ Call to Action and subsequent recommendations by the Interim Operation Team have led us as bishops to voice our support of the recommended changes to create a renewed focus and effectiveness within the denomination. For too long, the church has talked about the need for change but failed to commit the time or leadership needed for change. We, in our respective annual conferences, have sought to listen to the call of God in our midst and make the necessary changes to align our priorities and our finances toward the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Changes have not been easy; however, we believe they were made in faithfulness to the call of God upon our lives. This is a time to lead in the church and not a time to shrink back from our calling or our responsibilities to reach another generation for the cause of Christ in the world. We believe this calling not only involves clergy being faithful to the mission, but more importantly, it involves the laity of the local church taking up the mantle as well.

For too long, we have lamented over the fact that our denomination is losing members and becoming irrelevant in today’s diverse culture. For too long, the cries of the poor and hurting have sought a Word from the church and sometimes found us too wrapped up in politics and institutional survival. We believe God is raising up a new generation of leaders gifted and equipped to carry out the mission of Christ in the world. We see it in the enthusiasm and excitement of young clergy and laity dedicating their lives to help the poor and doing the work of transformation in the world. We also witness it in the laity of local churches who long to see our church again become a movement of God reaching persons of diverse backgrounds and experiences and helping them to be transformed by the love of God in their lives.

This is a defining moment in the life of The United Methodist Church. With deep appreciation and respect for the accomplishments of the past, we believe the Lord is calling us to engage our future in new ways. This requires us to make the hard changes needed to refocus our attention on the missional imperatives before us. “New occasions teach new duties . . .” [Lowell: “Once to Every Man and Nation”]. We must reclaim the missional flexibility of the early Methodist movement. God is calling us to make disciples of Jesus Christ in a new generation for the transformation of the world. Accordingly, as a first step, we call upon all whom God has called to lead to join in support of the Call to Action and the recommendations of the Interim Operational Team. (Matthew 28:16-20)

In His Name,

Bishop J. Michael Lowry Bishop W. Earl Bledsoe

Central Texas Conference North Texas Conference

By: Bishop Mike Lowry On 9/20/2011