Daily Discussion Question: In what areas should our churches and pastors be working together?
Jeremy Geerdes
of the year that I can be guaranteed to have some stimulating
conversation. To exchange ideas about ministry, debate the finer
points of theology, and just fellowship with people who I probably
won't see more than those two times a year. And every year, I go home
wishing that there would be a more consistent dialog on what's
working, what's not, who's hurting, and how we pastors - and the
churches we lead - can generally work together to make a greater
impact for the Kingdom of God.
It is a question which our denomination has considered several times.
For instance, on the Wesleyan side, our forefathers intentionally
chose to name their organization the Wesleyan Methodist Connection in
an effort to make clear that they were not a denomination but
collection of independent churches who would work together only on
those matters that were bigger than any one church could really muster
(e.g., missions). And on the Pilgrim side, prior to the 1930's, the
denominational structure was so loose that they didn't even have a
centralized headquarters or a real annual budget. Everything was done
on the basis of special appeals, a system which worked so well that,
by the time the 1930 General Assembly rolled around, the
superintendent recognized a general dissatisfaction with the polity
and governance of the church, and the treasurer reported a cash
balance in the general treasury of $56.59. The missions treasurer
added $163.59 to the total.
As I'm sure you've noticed in just the last couple of years, the World
Headquarters has launched a new emphasis on cooperation. And our
district has pushed collaboration among our local churches as a way to
effectively plant new churches. But are these the only areas in which
we should act as a denomination: getting stuff from HQ and planting
new churches?
So here's the question: In what areas should our churches and pastors
be working together?
Rev. Jeremy R. Geerdes, Pastor
Debra Heights Wesleyan Church
4025 Lower Beaver Rd.
Des Moines, IA 50310
p/f: (515) 279-5212
h: (515) 277-7491
jgee...@mchsi.com
jgeerdes.wordpress.com