Laity Matters

With Christmas less than a week away and a new year rapidly approaching, I hope you and the leadership (lay and clergy) of your church will take time during this busy time to visit the Vital Congregations link on this website, if you have not already done so.

In my previous entry in “Laity Matters” I wrote about congregational focus. Conference leadership believes Vital Congregations has tools that will help your church maintain or increase its focus “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” One of those tools is the metrics that will tell your church whether it is being successful at “making disciples” by measuring five things: worship attendance, professions of faith, small group participation, activity in missions and giving to mission.

Recently, after worship at my church, First United Methodist Church of Ferris, I was contemplating two of those metrics that increase during Advent every year, not only in my church but also in churches across the conference and the country. Why does worship attendance and giving to mission become more important to so many people this time of year?

As I was leaving church after a board meeting, I was admiring the decorations in and around the church building. While driving past the front of the church with the nativity scene in place for everyone to see, and with the floodlight hidden in the rafters of the stable shining down on the baby in the manger, I answered the previous question with another question. Could it be because the church is more focused on Jesus during Advent?

As Christmas comes and goes and we soon begin a new year, my prayer will be that your church will be more focused on Jesus as we set about our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. If you find that you might be struggling in this area, I hope you will check out Vital Congregations as I believe it will help get you focused in that direction.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,

Steve McIver, Lay leader, Central Texas Conference