We United Methodists know that diversity in unity is crucial. Our way of being the body of Christ is connectionalism—unity in doctrine, mission and discipline, but diversity in many of the ways we express that unity. We are a global church with congregations in more than 40 countries on four different continents.The Kansas East and Kansas West conferences are finding a new way to express that connection. Kansas West has voted to enter into a covenant relationship with the Zimbabwe East Annual Conference. The Kansas East Conference has formed a partnership with the Haiti District of the Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas.
When I hear about all of the wonderful things God is doing in the world, I get excited and I think, “I want to participate in that!” I want so much to make a difference—to be used by God for God’s purposes. I know that God has a plan to save the world and that God is actively working on that plan. How can I be part of it?
When numbers represent worship attendance, membership, participation in Sunday school, youth involved in UMYF, offering totals or time spent in hands-on mission with the poor, they are more than just numbers. They represent real human beings and their journeys on the way of salvation. Leaders—both laity and clergy, administrative councils, cabinets and bishops—should pay close attention to the numbers that indicate our missional effectiveness.
The mission of the United Methodist Church is “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”
I am excited to participate in God’s mission that includes evangelism, worship, discipleship and Christian action. I know from the Bible that God is in the business of saving the world, and God has given me the privilege of participating in that process as part of his church.
The transformation of the world has been on my mind in the last several weeks. The news reports out of Haiti after the earthquake have been quite disturbing. Two friends of mine, Revs. Sam Dixon and Clint Rabb, died when the Hotel Montana collapsed.
But my sense of loss is miniscule compared to the tens of thousands of Haitians who mourn their dead and worry about having enough to eat. I have visited with Joe and Shirley Edgerton, who were in Port-au-Prince when the earthquake struck, and heard some of their story. I asked their advice about the future.
I am asking, “What are Christians to do?”
A team of people from the Kansas West Conference has just returned from a visit to Zimbabwe. As guests of Bishop Eben Nhiwatiwa and the Zimbabwe East Conference, they were exploring a possible covenant relationship between our two conferences. Zimbabwe has suffered from corruption and political oppression for decades. There is hunger there. Although no natural disaster, a cultural disaster is tearing the country apart. I am asking, “What are Christians to do?”
A full discussion about transforming the world would go far beyond the limits of this short article. But there are several traits of United Methodist social action that help us know how we are participating in God’s transforming work:
Responding to human need. My daily Bible study this year has focused on Matthew 25 where Jesus is clear—those who make it to heaven are the ones who feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give water to the thirsty and care for those who are sick and in prison. The power of television and Internet focuses our attention on the latest disaster, and I am proud that United Methodists are involved. However, Haiti is not the only place where people are hungry, homeless and in great need. I believe Christians should be involved in social action in their home communities, in their state and internationally.
Addressing deep issues. We have learned a lot about the causes of poverty, and we should be giving attention to the steps that will make the greatest difference in people’s lives 20 to 30 years from now. Offering personal salvation through Jesus Christ makes a difference. Education makes a difference. Teaching people economic skills and agricultural skills makes a difference. When I was in Mozambique, Gracie Michel, the first minister of education in independent Mozambique and the wife of Nelson Mandela, thanked the United Methodist Church for teaching that education is important, that women are equal to men and that healthy practices can cure disease. Our missionary work for more than 150 years has made a difference.
Focusing on fruitfulness and effectiveness. Sometimes well-meaning people want to make a contribution that feels good to them. Christians should be asking how to maximize our fruitfulness. We have a powerful network through our connectional system. United Methodist missionaries have been in Haiti and Zimbabwe for decades. Our General Board of Global Ministries and its United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) have effective ways of delivering the help that is most needed. Sending money is more effective than sending bottles of water. Sending health kits is a tangible way of contributing. Eventually, there will be a need for Volunteers In Mission teams to go, but we know from past disasters that such involvement must wait until the time is ripe.
Staying for the long term. The attention of the media will leave Haiti soon. The need for response will still be around for years to come. People are still dealing with the effects of Hurricane Katrina four years later. The devastation in Haiti was even greater, and we need to be prepared for the long-term help that should be offered. The problems being generated in Zimbabwe are not going to be fixed quickly even when genuine democracy returns. At our best, we United Methodists stay longer than others. After the Greensburg tornado when many other relief groups left, we continued to help.
Demanding accountability. Often people are uncritical about where they give their money. United Methodists are committed to accountability, transparency and faithfulness in handling our money. Our connectional way of doing church means we know where the money is going and we have ways of making sure that it is used well. Unfortunately, there are many people who give money that ends up being wasted, embezzled or misused. Our United Methodist connection minimizes those problems.
Respecting the local Christians. A group of Baptists has been in the news and currently is in jail on charges related to an attempt to take children out of the country without proper permissions. One of the hallmarks of United Methodist mission work is our respect for and cooperation with local Christian leaders. Many times, well-meaning Americans don’t take the time to understand the local situation and the local perspective on important issues. We do not always have the right answers, and we need to work in partnership with our Christian sisters and brothers who are on the ground. Our mission philosophy emphasizes partnership. If the Kansas West Conference continues its work in Zimbabwe, it will be a covenant where both conferences have something to offer and something to receive.
God is a missionary God who is in the business of saving the world. At our best, the United Methodist Church is a missionary church making us available for God to use for God’s purposes. Over the years, we have built up good procedures and structures for effective mission. At times like this, we need to remember what we know.
From time to time, we United Methodists voice our beliefs about how Christian teaching impacts issues of morality and social justice in our society. We have done this to oppose gambling, smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, racism and sexism. As bishop, I have sometimes used my position to express our church’s teaching when I thought it would make a difference and bring our church together around its core beliefs.
This winter, I will be speaking and writing to our Kansas legislators urging them to abolish the death penalty. Our Social Principles are eloquent about the sanctity of human life and how capital punishment undermines our society’s values. However, I will be adding four additional arguments to what our church officially teaches.
The first is the fact that recent developments in DNA technology have shown that people on death row were wrongly convicted. John Grisham’s “The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town” is a powerful, true story about how police misconduct and jury bias made a mistake that only a federal judge could correct. Killing a convicted person forever removes the possibility of fixing such a mistake. The uncertainty of even our best evidence ought to stop us from delivering a final judgment.
The second argument is about the unfairness of our legal system. Wealthy people get the best legal representation and the fairest trials. Poor people relying on court-appointed attorneys are often poorly represented. The poor are much more likely to be convicted of capital crimes even when all other factors are weighed.
The third argument is economic. Death penalty cases, along with appeals, are incredibly expensive. They consume state money and court time when our state budget is already suffering from an economic downturn. The state budget is reducing the amount of money for senior-citizen care, for K-12 schools and for economic development. To continue spending money for capital punishment is to misplace our priorities.
Fourth, I believe life in prison without parole is an adequate and possibly harsher punishment for the most serious crimes. A lifetime behind bars is both punishment and an opportunity for repentance. It is a punishment because the person lives every day with the wasted opportunities and the drastic limitations of prison life. It is an opportunity because they have time to make their peace with God and commit their lives to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
The people I know who engage in prison ministry have shared with me eloquent stories of how people in prison do occasionally turn their lives around. Retired Bishop Ken Carder recently shared with me a story about how one man spent his prison days ministering to other inmates as they were dying. He will never leave prison but, after his conversion, chose to allow God to use him to ease the suffering of others.
Legislators vote for bills with a variety of motivations. Some want to do the right thing. Some seek to represent the views of their constituents. All of the legislators I know are seeking to balance all of the various factors—moral, political, economic—to help Kansas be the best state it can be.
I urge you to contact your representative and senator and ask them to do the right thing—abolish the death penalty.
Social Principles, “United Methodist Book of Discipline,” 164G, pp. 125-6
We believe the death penalty denies the power of Christ to redeem, restore and transform all human beings. The United Methodist Church is deeply concerned about crime throughout the world and the value of any life taken by a murder or homicide. We believe all human life is sacred and created by God and therefore, we must see all human life as significant and valuable. When governments implement the death penalty (capital punishment), then the life of the convicted person is devalued and all possibility of change in that person’s life ends. We believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and that the possibility of reconciliation with Christ comes through repentance. This gift of reconciliation is offered to all individuals without exception and gives all life new dignity and sacredness. For this reason, we oppose the death penalty (capital punishment) and urge its elimination from all criminal codes.
“God’s creation is in crisis. We, the bishops of the United Methodist Church, cannot remain silent while God’s people and planet suffer. This beautiful natural world is a loving gift from God, the Creator of all things seen and unseen. God has entrusted its care to all of us, but we have turned our backs on God and on our responsibilities. Our neglect, selfishness and pride have fostered pandemic poverty and disease, environmental degradation and the proliferation of weapons and violence. Despite these interconnected threats to life and hope, God’s creative work continues. Despite the ways we all contribute to these problems, God still invites each one of us to participate in the work of renewal. We must begin the work of renewing creation by being renewed in our own hearts and minds. We cannot help the world until we change our way of being in it.”
Beginning with these words, the Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Church has spoken a message of hope and action to protect God’s creation. This letter and the accompanying Foundation Document are a major statement calling the people of our church to a deeper awareness of these problems.
For some, the awareness comes as bad news. It is sort of like going to the doctor for a physical when you have not been through that for years. You dread what you are likely to hear. You know there are issues with your health, and you have avoided the examination by an expert because you would rather not know the details. But eventually, you realize that things are getting worse and something needs to be done.
People in the United States have been concerned about preserving the environment since the creation of Yosemite National Park in 1864. As modern science is improved, we have become more aware of the many ways in which all aspects of the world interact and must be in harmony with each other. Growing industrialization in the 20th century led to pollution, decreased quality of life and increasing health problems in many parts of the world. Also during the last century, the world’s population expanded dramatically, and wars killed millions of people and disrupted almost every country’s social life or infrastructure. The rise of communism and the destructiveness of totalitarian dictatorships in many countries contributed to huge economic and social problems. None of the problems addressed by the bishops’ pastoral letter are new.
This does seem, however, to be a timely message to the people of the United Methodist Church and, through the Church to the world, that something needs to be done. We need to understand the problems and then plan courses of action that will contribute to solving the problems. Sometimes the easiest actions to plan are those that will change other people’s lives or cost them money.
I propose we all examine our own practices and ask how we can live more faithfully in line with God’s will for creation.
Toward that end, the bishops have made nine pledges in our pastoral letter.
Personally, I am already taking steps. When getting a new car, I directed the conference to buy a hybrid that increased my average miles per gallon by 10. I now use cloth bags at the grocery store to avoid plastic. I am using more digital communication to cut down on travel to meetings where that is possible. I am encouraging churches to avoid paper plates and Styrofoam cups in favor of reusable service items.
Over the next year, you will hear me preach and teach on these topics from a biblical and theological basis. The Council of Bishops’ documents are well grounded in Wesleyan theology and biblical truth.
God’s love for the whole creation and our role as people on a journey toward entire sanctification means we need to pay attention to all of these matters.
I encourage you to study these documents and ask how you can respond. They can be accessed online from the Resource section at www.umc.org.
It was a revelation given to the children of Abraham—there is only one God. One of the holiest and most important verses in the Old Testament is Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.”
The Hebrew conviction that there is only one God and that this one God is universal has shaped much of world history and is the foundation for Christianity. Since those times, we have discovered that there are many planets, solar systems and galaxies. Yet, our theological conviction remains unshaken. Wherever you go in the whole universe, the God who revealed himself to us through Christ is the only God of the whole creation.
Our understanding of outer space is not the only thing that has changed in recent years, however. Our own planet earth has become a smaller place. We travel effortlessly from our homes to many destinations around the world.
We have people born in other countries living in our state. Whereas many of our people came here from northern Europe in the 1800s, now our newest residents are from Central America, Mexico, Southeast Asia and Africa.
Our businesses are affected by what happens elsewhere. Kansas was settled in a time when beef raised here was being shipped back to the East on newly built railroads. Now, we are selling our beef worldwide. The price of wheat and corn is dependent, in part, on what kinds of harvests there are in South America and Russia. Oil and gas are commodities traded globally. This process is called globalization—the economic and cultural integration of all the world’s peoples.
For us as Christians, we need to ask how this is all related. How is it that a universal God and a Christ who died for the sins of the whole world should be related to all the peoples of the world?
I am not sure of all of the answers, but I am deeply grateful that the United Methodist Church is a worldwide church. We have congregations on four continents in more than 50 countries. We are connected by our common doctrine, mission and discipline. The bishops of our church know each other and are actively building trusting relationships among the group. When we give mission money, we know the people who will be putting it to good use in places far away from us.
God has positioned us to be used very effectively to accomplish God’s mission in a globalizing world. Yet, we continually need to ask for God’s guidance about how we can best move forward.
The Kansas West Conference is exploring the possibility of a covenant relationship with the Zimbabwe East Conference. The Kansas East Conference has a long history of supporting mission work in many countries around the world.
I am chairperson of the study committee on the worldwide nature of the United Methodist Church, which is asking how God can best guide us into a future where we are even more fruitful than we have been so far.
In this process, all of us can remember to pray for our United Methodist sisters and brothers around the world. We can contribute money to UMCOR for disaster relief, just as people around the world have sent money to Kansas for disaster relief here.
And we can continually pray the Covenant Prayer of John Wesley.
“I am no longer my own, but thine. Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee, exalted for thee or brought low for thee. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal. And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it. And the covenant which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.”