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Institute trains international Methodist leaders
by Alice M. Smith

The secret to reaching the billions of people who haven't heard the gospel message-that's billions with a "b"- is to multiply the witnesses by training indigenous leaders who can and will spark in others a passion for evangelism.

That's the concept behind the International Leadership Institute (ILI), founded by the Rev. Wes Griffin, a clergy member of the North Georgia Conference, and his wife, Joy, in 1998.

"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few," Wes Griffin said of developing countries where people are eager to hear the gospel but there are not many trained evangelists. "They say to us, 'give us advance leadership and we will reach our nations.'"

ILI's third annual international seminar, which took place September 4-18 at Historic Banning Mills retreat center in Whitesburg, Georgia, brought together 29 leaders from 18 countries, among them four Methodist bishops from Indonesia, the Philippines, Kenya, and Brazil, as well as annual conference president from Malaysia. On September 7, they fanned out across the conference to speak at more than a dozen United Methodist churches, as well as to several Baptist churches.

"The leaders selected to train (at the international conference) will train at least 100 leaders back in their nations," Wes Griffin said. By applying one of the key ILI concepts of multiplication, "this conference will multiply from 29 to 2,900."

Yet the demand of those who would like to participate far exceeds the number who can be accommodated, Griffin said. "We turned away 75 people who wanted to attend. We quit advertising six months ago."

The cost for an individual participant is about $3,000, and since most have limited resources, they pay only the $300 registration fee while the remainder is provided through scholarships. The ILI program is supported broadly by churches and individuals "across the nation," Griffin said.

The "alumni" from last year's international seminar have already trained 1,000 other leaders, while since 2001, ILI participants have provided training for a total of 1,700 people in their respective countries.

In addition to the annual international institute, some 8 to 10 national and 20 to 30 regional seminars take place each year.

Just like the folks they teach, the ILI staff is international in scope. Others on the ILI leadership team include Al VomSteeg, former head of the Mission Society for United Methodists, who, in retirement has assumed the post of international director of training; Peter Pereira, a native of India and ordained elder in the Northern Illinois Conference, who oversees work in Central Asia; Nonval Trindade of Brazil, a medical doctor and seminary graduate whose territory includes Central and South America; Rob Frost, a national evangelist with the British Methodist Church whose territory is Europe; and Isaac Lim, president of the Methodist Church of Singapore who oversees work in East Asia.

ILI teaches eight core values that are essential to evangelistic work but emphasizes that church leaders must adapt their methods to the cultures where they work. The eight values are intimacy with God; a passion for the harvest; visionary leadership; cultural relevance; multiplication; family priority; stewardship; and integrity.

Rafail Murillo, a Methodist pastor in Mexico for 45 years who attended this year's international institute, said there were at least "three important" factors why the ILI conference was beneficial: seeing Christian brothers and sisters from around the world, the opportunity to learn, and the chance to relax a little.

"We are working hard here everyday," he said, "from 7:30 a.m. to 10 or 11 at night, but it's another kind of work [from the day-to-day duties of a pastor]."

In such an international setting, belief in Jesus Christ is the central uniting factor. "No matter where we are from, the gospel has the same roots and the same expressions, the same themes and the same hopes," Murillo said.

Muumbe Kalembo of Zambia, who is involved in educational work with children and their parents and whose husband teaches at the Theology College of Central Africa, said the ideas and concepts presented at the institute, along with the recharging of one's batteries, are invaluable in work back home. "The vision of ILI is to equip leaders, and that is really needed in leadership positions," she said. "People look up to you, and you reach a point you need someone to help you...in the work."

Each person on the leadership team brings substantial skills and experience to the work. Before starting the institute, Wes and Joy Griffin worked in Tallinn, Estonia, under the auspices of the World Methodist Council, to help found the Baltic Methodist Theological Seminary.

They returned to the U.S. in the nick of time for Wes' colon cancer to be detected and treated. During that time, with the encouragement of North Georgia Bishop Lindsey Davis, the couple searched for "God's vision for their lives." The result was the International Leadership Institute.

Under Pereira's leadership, India became the first country to begin implementing the ILI program, and five national seminars and 13 regional conferences have been conducted. Pereira grew up in the U.S. and was working as an engineer when he felt God calling him to ministry in his native India.

He described a conference in India last year when 40 percent of the pastors who attended agreed to go home and plant another church. "I could see God's grace in this group," Pereira said. "Only the Lord could do that..Just surviving for them is a big thing."

Trindade also was imbued with a passion for evangelism before joining the ILI team. He had helped his father plant the Methodist Church in Paraguay, a neighboring country to Trindade's native Brazil, and also served as a medical missionary and a teacher at a Bible institute. He joined the staff last year, after serving as a volunteer.

As president of the Trinity Annual Conference of the Methodist Church of Singapore, Isaac Lim has many responsibilities, including an international prayer conference to unite Methodists around the world in praying for renewal for the church. Originally scheduled this year to coincide with the 300th anniversary of John Wesley's birth, the conference was postponed to next June because of the SARS epidemic.

Lim, like the other members of the leadership team, is committed to ILI and sees its value in the development of leaders. "ILI is a good vehicle to inspire and to refresh the lives of leaders, many of whom are Methodist leaders," he said. "I see a positive contribution ILI will make on the global stage."

While the organization is encouraged by what is already happening, there is much work to do, Pereira said. "There are many parts of the world we need to go to. That is my burden.to inspire people to plant churches as Methodists."

For more information on the international prayer conference, see www.ipcwr.org. For more information on how you can support the organization, visit www.ILITeam.org or call (770) 832-1244.

Alice M. Smith is the editor of the Wesleyan Christian Advocate. This article is reprinted with permission.

Bible study transforms church
By Linda Green

Transforming a church from a struggling congregation into a dynamic one can be as simple as focusing on a fundamental Christian practice: Bible study.

The Rev. Dennis Blackwell cites Bible study as a factor in his church's growth from 40 people to 300 in the 15 years since he became pastor. In the process, Asbury United Methodist Church in Pennsauken, New Jersey, became a congregational resource center of the UM denomination's Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century initiative, providing mentoring help for other African-American congregations trying to grow.

"Bible study is important for Asbury, as it should be at every church, because it is the way we encounter God on a daily basis, and it reveals to us the character and purpose of God," Blackwell says. "Bible study is one of the foundational tools the Holy Spirit uses to transform our lives and to build Christian character."

Blackwell led a training class on Bible study and faith formation at the "Great Event," the black church initiative's national training meeting held in September. He described how Bible study is required for all Asbury leaders.

Lay members lead the church's Bible study, and the daily classes cover a range of topics. "People like variety," he says. "People go to Baskin Robbins because there are 31 flavors, and they have all types of hours to be convenient for people. We have a variety of Bible studies at different times during the week to be convenient for people to come and take it."

When Blackwell went to Asbury 15 years ago, the church had no programs or money. "But by God's grace and the spirit leading.we began biblical study and started to grow," he says. The church began weekend studies and a four-day Bible institute with the members.

"When they grew in the faith, their church work ethic radically changed. We've seen people's lives be transformed because of the daily intake of the Scriptures," he says.

"Systematic study and a daily intake of Scripture are vitally important, essential, paramount, and necessary for faith development, faith formation, and for you to become who God ordained you to be," he notes.

During his class at the "Great Event," Blackwell offered curriculum ideas and strategies for doing Bible studies in local churches. Marlene Pollard, with Union-Wesley United Methodist Church in Chester, Maryland, says she felt enriched.

"I'm going to carry what I learned about Bible study back to help inspire my church," she said. "Bible study is important because it is very vital to not only live the word but to encourage others to do so also."

The study classes strengthen Asbury's congregation during a time when the members are without a church home. The congregation meets in a high school and elsewhere because of structural damages to the church building three years ago.

"Bible study is one of the things that kept people close, on fire, and faithful to the church during this transition," Blackwell says.

During the training session, he provided participants with seven spiritual life principles that drive the Asbury church. Those principles involve teaching quiet devotion, walking daily with God, praying, witnessing, ministering to others, building fellowship, and teaching people how to make disciples for Christ.

Of the seven, none is more important than another, Blackwell says. "They intertwine and are interconnected, but foundational to them all is daily devotional time."

Linda Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer.

 

UM bishops visit leaders on Capitol Hill
By Mark Tooley

The United Methodist Council of Bishops, during their November meeting outside Washington, D.C., heard from several members of the U.S. Congress, including one Republican senator who urged them to be more cautious in their political pronouncements.

"We can't be a political organization," Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama told the bishops. "The liberal churches-politics has hurt them. Conservative churches will be hurt too if they get too close to that flame. We have to be careful."

"I believe in this church," Sessions said. "I want us to be a prophetic voice in the world. But I don't want to see it [United Methodism] in decline and failing to reach its potential."

Sessions is a member of Ashland United Methodist Church in Mobile, Alabama. He is a frequent lay member of the Alabama/West Florida Annual Conference, and attended the 1996 General Conference as a delegate.

Speaking about the important issue of homosexuality within United Methodism, Sessions approvingly recalled reading A Moral Vision of the New Testament by Richard Hayes, a Duke Divinity School professor who opposes homosexual practice.  The senator read the book at the recommendation of his bishop, Larry Goodpaster.

Sessions also spoke about the Bush Administration's nomination of Alabama attorney general Richard Pryor to a federal judgeship, a nomination fiercely opposed by liberal senators because of Pryor's opposition to abortion.

Referring to Pryor as "my good friend," Sessions lamented that Pryor's nomination has been blocked because Pryor is a devout Roman Catholic who supports his church's teaching about abortion.

"Will we disqualify a member of the greatest church?" Sessions asked, pointing out that Pryor's stance on abortion is the same as the Pope's. "He [Pryor] and his wife have guided their lives by it [the Roman Catholic faith]," the senator observed. "They deserve respect."

"We're all religious nuts, aren't we?" Sessions asked bemusedly. "We were founded by them." He wondered how a devout Orthodox Jew or Muslim could be confirmed to a federal position if devout Roman Catholics were to be excluded.

Sessions complained, "My church is using the same rhetoric," as has been employed against Pryor's nomination. "That hurt my feelings," he said.

Similarly, Sessions said President Bush, also United Methodist, has probably been disappointed by the criticism of his policies by his church. "I'm sure it was hurtful for him for his church to question his faith," Sessions said. The United Methodist bishops and other denominational leaders have been especially outspoken about the U.S. war to overthrow Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

"President Bush has a high degree of moral commitment," Sessions pointed out. "His belief is that the U.S. has a leadership responsibility to liberate people from oppressions. It's a deep moral belief coming out of his faith."

Retired Bishop Don Ott asked Sessions if the bishops should not make political pronouncements. 

"You've got every right to do that," Sessions responded. "But I'm not sure bishops know much more about Afghanistan than lay leaders in your churches." 

When retired Bishop Melvin Talbert asked Sessions why President Bush had declined to meet with United Methodist bishops as a group, Sessions said, "Presidents are people too. They get hurt. He's usually pretty open to meeting with people." 

Other members of the U.S. Congress who spoke to the Council of Bishops were Senator Richard Lugar (R-Indiana), Representative Barbara Lee (D-California), Representative Elijah Cummings (D-Maryland), Senator Craig Thomas (R-Wyoming) and Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-Maryland), along with former Representative

Lee Hamilton (D-Indiana). Lugar, Thomas, and Hamilton are United Methodists.

During their November meeting, the bishops decided to appoint an executive secretary for the Council of Bishops who will work in Washington, based in the Methodist Building on Capitol Hill. Retired Bishop Roy Sano will serve in this position.

The cost of this will be $240,451 for the quadremnium, including $15,600 for a residential apartment in the Methodist building, $5,000 a year for a one room office there, and salary for the executive secretary. These expenses will be paid out of the Episcopal Fund.

Mark D. Tooley is the executive director of UM Action, a committee of the Institute on Religion and Democracy in Washington D.C.

Not your typical ministry, but The Cell is reaching GenX
By Sybil Davidson

Patrick Jansen rolls up to the Newnan Waffle House on a Harley Davidson motorcycle. He's wearing futuristic shades and has an earring in each ear. It doesn't take long to realize he's not your typical United Methodist pastor. Attend one meeting of his new urban ministry-The Cell-and you'll quickly realize it's not your typical United Methodist Church.

For one thing, The Cell meets in tattoo parlors, coffee shops, people's homes, pizzarias, and even bars. Stained glass windows are replaced with just plain stains, and music is piped through a thumping sound system instead of an organ.

Jansen is reaching out to a group of unchurched young people in the Atlanta area in such a way that they never see it coming. "Seventy-two percent of people under age 35 in Atlanta are not affiliated with a church," said Jansen. "Many of these are unfound [unchurched]. They're not Christians. To get these people to show up even at a contemporary church service is a stretch."

Jansen himself is a member of Generation X (people born between 1965 and 1981), and though he was a pastor of a traditional church for several years, he too didn't totally feel he fit there.

"I am working on a new model," he said. "We aren't bashing the traditional church, but we don't have the dream of ever having a facility. We want to invest in people and mission."

The goal of The Cell is to set up groups of around six people who meet once a week at the time and place of their choosing to discuss life, religion, and scripture. So far he has established cells in the eclectic East Atlanta Village, Conyers, Gainesville and Newnan-six meetings total. Members range from a young drug-addicted prostitute to a young professional couple with children.

A typical cell meeting begins with a time to socialize, and moves onto a discussion about what's going on in everyone's lives. The last portion of the meeting is a prayer-type conversation in which everyone is given a passage of scripture and tells what it says to them.

"The Cell is real hands-on. It's not participatory worship in the meaning that people stand and sing or read scripture aloud. Each person is part of the meeting and provides a crucial portion of the lesson," Jansen explained.

Though the underlying theology that Jansen presents is Wesleyan, the groups don't focus on teachings of the United Methodist Church. They start at a much more basic level.

"We cultivate a Wesleyan approach because I'm Wesleyan in my theology," said Jansen. "But we are working first and foremost on expressions of love. We don't spell it out, but our desire here is to move people on to perfection. If the first expression they see is people helping people in need, we're moving in the direction we want."

Much like the work of foreign missionaries (Jansen's business card reads "Urban Missionary"), it is a slow and tedious process reaching "unfound" young people. "We're so far from the denominational level I can't even picture that yet," Jansen said. "A girl in one cell is wrestling with whether there is only one God. A guy covered in tattoos and piercings wonders if God loves him..It will take years for some of these people to say 'I'm a Christian.'"

By Sybil Davidson, design editor for the Wesleyan Christian Advocate in Georgia. Used by permission.



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