A Vision for Leadership - By Robert Renfroe

Editor's note: It is natural to look to the past in celebration of milestones. Nevertheless, we believe that it is essential to simulataneously look forward to ensure that we are guided by principle and led with vision. The following eight articles are presented by godly leaders who challenge and inspire us to look to the future in ministry.

A Vision for Leadership
By Robert Renfroe

"I am more afraid of an army of one hundred sheep led by a lion than an
army of one hundred lions led by a sheep."
-French diplomat Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (1754-1838)

The problem, of course, is leadership. Not liberal theology. Not The Book of Discipline. Not our denomination's boards and agencies. Not the Western Jurisdiction, nor homosexuality, nor the seminaries. Not ultimately.

The problem is leadership.

And by that I don't mean the Council of Bishops. I mean us-the tens of thousands of pastors and laity who hold positions of leadership in our local churches.

In any failing institution, the problem is always leadership. And we do have a problem.

Since the merger of 1968, we have lost the numerical equivalent of the entire Evangelical United Brethren Church. During the last century, we closed down 38,000 churches-one a day, every day, every year, for 100 years.

Nearly half of our United Methodist churches in any given year do not receive a single member by profession of faith. In 1940, the average Methodist was 30 years old; today the average member is almost 60. Since 1985, the number of elders under the age of 35 has dropped from 3,219 to 850. Today only 4.69 percent of our elders are under 35.

Earlier this year I saw the film Children of Men based on the P. D. James novel about a bleak world where the human race had lost the ability to reproduce. As the world grew older, the sense of hopelessness grew, as well. Rather than pulling together, people quarreled and fought. And they lavished their love on inanimate symbols of the life they once had-dolls were the only part of the toy industry that flourished.

As I watched, sadly, I found myself thinking of the United Methodist Church. We have become practically impotent to reproduce ourselves in the form of converts. And it would appear that our denominational DNA has become defective to the point that we find it difficult to reproduce leaders. Why is it that the message of the United Methodist Church does not speak compellingly to young, passionate, still idealistic hearts saying, "Give up lucrative careers and exciting futures, and join us because we are about what most matters; we are changing the world in ways that business and government and even education cannot; and we are transforming lives in ways that only the gospel can?"

As I watched Children of Men, I thought about "the children of Wesley" and our future. How the signs are there that we are moving toward what the United Church of Christ has become and what the Episcopal Church is fast becoming: a dying sect, where the ministers still dress up and play church on Sundays; playing with the dolls of ritual and polity; remembering what they once had; but where the Spirit of God is absent, and the power of new life is gone.

It would be easy to blame liberal theology, seminaries, and leaders for our problems. And the statistics are undeniable. Where a radical, liberal agenda predominates our churches are dead and dying. And where an orthodox, compassionate gospel is preached we tend to see growth.

It might make us feel better to point at liberals and lay the decline of Methodism at their doorstep. It certainly lets us off the hook.

But the problem isn't liberal theology. The problem is always leadership. And every General Conference shows that the majority of United Methodists are orthodox and Wesleyan. So if there is a problem and if the problem is leadership, we must look at ourselves. Somehow, we are failing, or the problems that we bemoan with some of our social positions, seminaries, and boards and agencies would not exist.

The good news is that the solution is also leadership: leaders following the leadership of the Holy Spirit, determined to fulfill their God-given calling and willing to make the sacrifices that leadership always requires. Renewal is possible because it doesn't depend on what "the liberals" do, it depends (humanly speaking) on what we do.

To lead the church into renewal we will need to be persons of :
1. Genuine spirituality. By that I mean, we must be centered in prayer. The renewal of United Methodism will not be done in our wisdom, through our political successes, or even by the best leadership we can provide. It will be done by the Spirit of God. And so we must pray.

2. Faith. Not only in the power of God, but in the future of the United Methodist Church. We cannot believe that God is through with a people called Methodist. And we must not believe that our best days are behind us. If we do, it's not because we're being realistic. It's because we lack faith in what God can do.

3. Vision. The tendency of evangelicals is to focus on what God is doing in the local church. That's one reason our churches tend to grow. But it's also one reason the boards and agencies are filled with liberals who too often misuse the funds and the trust given to them by our congregations. The leadership that will bring renewal to our denomination will hold onto and work for the vision of a church that is faithful at all levels, including the mission field, our institutions of education, and our efforts to relate the gospel to the problems of our society.

4. Responsibility. Clergy and laity, those of us in leadership are trustees, stewards of a great gift that God gave to the world. It's the gift of the gospel, in general, and in particular, it's the gift that we call Wesleyanism: the unique understanding of the gospel that has always held together heart and head, personal faith and social reformation, and justification and sanctification. It's a gift that other generations have had to guard and defend and work for beyond their local congregations. And now it's our turn.

5. Intentionality. The struggle our denomination is facing will not end in our lifetime. It will continue long after our lives and our leadership are over. We must be intentional about raising up young leaders who will champion orthodox faith and practice in future generations. Pastors have a duty to speak to the young people of their churches and to challenge them to be open to God's call on their lives, including the ordained ministry. Those of us who are evangelical must be intentional to reproduce ourselves with young pastors who share our passion for the truth and compassion for people.

6. Sacrifice. Leadership is always costly. When Jesus spoke of it, he did not mention the special privileges, but the special sacrifices that were required. Work for renewal and you will be misunderstood. Your integrity will be questioned. Your reputation will be besmirched. Opportunities for honors and advancement will be denied to you that, otherwise, would have come your way. If Jesus could not accomplish his mission without sacrifice, we can be sure that neither will we.

At one point in Children of Men one of those fighting to renew humanity dies and a section from "The Burial of The Dead" in The Book of Common Prayer is read: "Lord, thou hast been our refuge, from one generation to another.Again, thou sayest, 'Come again, ye children of men.'" The movie ends with the miracle of new life and the promise that the children of men will come again.

One thing I know. The dying world we live in desperately needs the children of Wesley to proclaim the life-affirming, life-giving, life-transforming message that has been entrusted to us. And I believe that even now the voice of God is calling us to come again with the grace and truth that will renew the church and the world.

Rob Renfroe is the pastor of adult discipleship at The Woodlands United Methodist Church in The Woodlands, Texas. He serves on both the board of directors of The Confessing Movement as well as the General Board of Church and Society.

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Vision

A Vision for Leadership By Robert Renfroe

A Vision for Leadership
By Robert Renfroe