Archive: Maintenance An Obsession, Hunter Charges

by Sara L. Anderson in Upland, Indiana

“Most churches would grow if they spent even half the time and energy on outreach that they spend on maintenance,” George Hunter, dean and professor of church growth at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky., told United Methodists gathered for the annual Good News convocation.

Speaking to a group of 600 at Taylor University in Upland, Ind., Hunter said that United Methodist membership is declining partly because ineffective church leaders do not deploy their people effectively.

“A pastor visiting unchurched people in the community will attract more people into the faith than will a pastor spending priority time and energy on meetings, judicatory matters and ecclesiastical chores.” he said. “Hire a new staff person for counseling members. Deploy volunteers in outreach and you will grow; deploy them in maintenance and ‘good church work’ and you will decline.”

But the problem is much deeper than the operation of the local church. Hunter charged that the denomination continues to use an archaic geographic pattern of placing ministers instead of sending them to potential growth areas. Early Methodism “had a goal of placing a church in every county in the U.S.A.,” he said. “And we substantially succeeded, but at that success we declared the victory ‘won,’ and the church planting era to be past—at the very same time that the population shift to the cities called for a new strategy of planting churches and deploying clergy in great numbers across our cities.” While the population of the U.S. by the year 2000 will be 80% urban and 20% rural. Hunter added, 80% of UM churches are located in rural areas and 20% in the urban areas as they were in 1900 when the country was predominantly rural.

Hunter also revealed some startling statistics from a study he’d done of North American denominations and their mission forces. Of the 30 denominations studied, United Methodism ranks 28 in per capita overseas missionaries. While the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church heads the list with a ratio of one missionary for every 139 members, the United Methodist Church supports one missionary for every 18,206 members.

This indicates, Hunter said, that the UMC is not serious about a world agenda. He also stated that the missionary ratio correlates with growth or decline. The denominations increasing their mission forces are growing in general. “Do you suppose the Lord blesses the churches that obey the Great Commission?” he asked.

Rousing applause followed UM evangelist Ed Robb’s statement later during the convocation that “We need a new generation of leaders—bold, strong, faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” And, he added, “We have not been called by God to preside over the decline of the United Methodist Church!”

Robb listed a number of things evangelicals within the church must say “no” to:

• changing God language,
• the politicalization of the church,
• proclaiming sociology as orthodoxy
• vast bureaucracies unresponsive to the vast majority of members,
• a Council of Bishops “that refuses to give leadership when an annual conference defies church law and the expressed will of General Conference, but insists on speaking prophetically to the church on subjects on which they have no expertise.”

But he also concluded with a big “yes” to renewal within the United Methodist Church. “Time and time again God has renewed His church,” Robb said. “My commitment is not tentative.” he added. “If anyone is going to leave. let the liberals leave. We will be faithful. Revival shall come!”

An unusual twist to this year’s meeting was the presence of Public Broadcasting System television cameras filming for a special on religion in America. As part of that program, which may be aired this winter. PBS correspondent Bill Moyers interviewed Ed Robb, and other reporters talked with conferees.

In another special event, Riley B. Case. Good News board member and district superintendent for the Marion, Indiana district, was awarded a doctor of divinity degree from Taylor University, his alma mater.

Bill Hinson, pastor of First United Methodist in Houston, the largest UM church in America, offered three addresses. Preaching on Daniel’s conflicts with Nebuchadnezzar, Hinson said that taking heat and experiencing tribulation was a part of life. “Where do we come off believing everybody ought to like us?” he asked. “We are followers of Christ who suffered.”

In addition to Hinson, pastor of the largest UM church in the U.S., Dr. Sundo Kim, pastor of the largest Methodist Church in the world, was in attendance at the convocation. Though not on the program, Dr. Kim, senior minister of the Kwang Lim Methodist Church in Seoul, Korea, a church of more than 23,000 members, brought brief greetings to the convocation.

Jack Williams, pastor of Stockwell United Methodist Church. Stockwell, Ind., did the morning Bible studies in the book of James, and UM evangelist Barbara Brokhoff cautioned against double-mindedness in the Christian life. “You can’t have it both ways,” she admonished. “You cannot live like the devil and have people think you’re like Christ.”

Retired Bishop Roy Nichols, who is currently assigned to a church-wide project for local church revitalization, said the church may look successful with job security, educated clergy and other benefits, but “we have produced great thunderclouds with little rain.” The bishop pointed to a lack of humility, antinomianism and poorly defined pluralism as reasons for the denomination’s difficulty. To succeed, the bishop said, the UMC must make children’s and youth ministries a priority and be a church that cares for its people.

Music for the three-day convocation was provided by Bill Mann, “the golden voice of Methodism,” and Albin Whitworth, associate professor of church music and organist for Asbury Theological Seminary. Patty Heinlein directed the children’s program and youth ministers Jorge Acevedo and Hule Goddard led the youth program.