What is going on?

It seems like more and more I hear about people who are frustrated with the church they are attending. Unfortunately, I mostly hear about unrest in the Methodist Church but I'm pretty sure it is not only within our denomination.

The most disturbing to me is the situation in the Austin District. Their single adult council was a growing ministry. It was making a difference in the lives of the single adults in their area and in the area they went on their mission trips.

While I believe that there is a need for outreach to young adults, I also believe that an outreach is also needed for those over 35 but not yet 60. I agree with the members of the council who are disheartened and frustrated with the Methodist Church as a whole for allowing a handful of people to rob them not only of their ministry but also in their comfort within their lifelong denomination.

The second incident, that stands out, is that of a young pastor who made a decision on moving a patriotic symbol from the sanctuary to a place of importance in the foyer so that it could be passed while entering and exiting the church. This apparently caused one man to loose all composure. His fit in the sanctuary not only reduced the pastor's wife to tears, it also drove a wedge between members in the congregation. There is at least one young family who is considering changing churches because of the man's behavior. The young woman was not raised in church and had been asking questions about baptism and now she is unsure if she wants to be a part of something that proclaims to show love and respect and yet the actions are so completly different.

The actions that we take and the words that we speak have a lot further reach than we realize. We must learn to match our action with our words. If we are going to talk about being loving and kind - then we must do that. If we are going to say that we want to strengthen the Methodist (or any other) denomination - then we must take the necessary steps to accept people at the place they are in their lives. This is not to say that we shouldn't teach and guide but rather that we should do that carefully, without judgement. If we want to grow, perhaps we will have to find new ways to worship and welcome and perhaps we will need to turn loose of some traditions and "always done it that way ideas" and be willing to try something new. Change is not bad - just different.