27 Sep Going First
At the MinistryCOM conference, the closing speakers (Jon Acuff, who runs the delightful StuffChristiansLike blog), made this point about people and churches who break new ground:
“When you go first, you give everyone else the gift of going second.”
I don’t know if we were the first denomination to oppose slavery–we probably weren’t–but our stand in the early 1800s no doubt emboldened other denominations to take such a stand. If we didn’t go first, we at least went early.
In 1853, we sent a whole wagon train of UBs from Iowa to start churches in Oregon. I’ll bet no denomination had done anything like that.
In 2005, we eliminated regional conferences–the middle-management layer–and cut assessments to a mere 3.5%. Churches in most denominations would salivate over paying just 3.5% to higher church administration. I know our example hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Several years ago, on vacation, Pam and I attended a Vineyard church that planned to always use rented facilities, rather than pour megabucks into facilities. We haven’t had a church follow through on that strategy. We need a first.
Where else have we gone first?
Where else do we need a United Brethren church to go first?
Ddunten
Posted at 11:02h, 29 SeptemberGreat comments and observations. It is good to remind us that God loves out of the box thinking. As we have entered the 21st century plus 8 years, we cannot play church the same way we always have. I never thought or knew 22 years ago when I started the ministry that I would be using PowerPoint, computers, internet, youtube, email prayer chains, praise songs from iworship, small groups, praise bands, and the list goes on and on. What is next? I don’t know. HOWEVER, the church once was on the forefront with education, medicine, music, and social justice. I believe we can be on the forefront once again. We just need to look outside the box of the “church” and let God take us in areas that we never thought possible. That is when ministry becomes exciting.