Called Into His Mission

by Steve | Jul 21, 2021 | July/August 2021, Magazine, Magazine Articles

Dr. Timothy Tennent addresses the 2021 Global Gathering of the Wesleyan Covenant Association. WCA photo by Katy Patterson.

By Timothy Tennent –

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:16-20).

The The Wesleyan Covenant Association is to be commended for the vital role it has played in this long struggle to restore historic orthodoxy and Wesleyan affinity to our beloved church. We also cannot forget the long-standing role of Good News and the Confessing Movement, as well as movements such as the Memphis Declaration and the Houston Declaration. For decades, so many have joined this long and tortuous struggle, but a new future is dawning.  

The General Conference may have been delayed yet again but you cannot delay God’s work in the people called Methodist. As we prepare for this new movement, let us not forget to stand firm in our commitment to the authority of God’s word, the supremacy of Christ, the great message of sanctification, discipleship, and a global mission to the ends of the earth. 

It’s in the remembering of this great theme that Methodism is a missional force that led Francis Asbury to ride 275,000 miles on horseback in our opening days. We are to call and lead people to God, going all the way back to the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ. And whether it be evangelism or planting churches or establishing new global relationships, we have a mission to join with God’s mission in the world. 

There was a time when we conceptualized North America as being the center of the world Christian movement, but today it is the fastest growing mission field in the world. We have to think differently about what it means to give birth in a mission field. 

All across the world so many of our WCA partners are in the midst of one of the most vibrant movements of God in the history of world. And we get to join God in that mission of Christ to the ends of the earth. 

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me,” Jesus said (Matthew 28:18). He is the one who holds all authority and power. We are the people of a risen Lord. 

The world has seen countless leaders throughout history from Nebuchadnezzar to Joan of Arc, Alexander the Great to Abraham Lincoln. Many leaders have led great movements, fought great fights, dreamed great dreams, thought great thoughts, but no one has proved more powerful than the grave. 

We sometimes forget the radical nature of the question that the angels asked the women who arrived at the tomb. “Why do you seek the living amongst the dead?” It’s a reminder to us of a very important point that we are the people of the risen Lord. What is the implication of that question? 

It’s like he’s asking, Don’t you know that Jesus holds the keys of death and hell? Don’t you know that the saints have been redeemed? Don’t you know that sin has been conquered? Don’t you know that the blood of the Lamb has made you more than conquerors? Don’t you know that he is the resurrection and the life? This is the gospel message. 

This is what reverberates from the empty tomb to where we are today. We are not waiting for the Council of Bishops to meet and vote on something. We are not waiting on the Protocol. We have already been called into his mission. We’re already the people of the risen Lord. Paul says, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Corinthians 15:14). 

There is no Global Methodist Church unless Christ is the risen Lord. There is not a future for us. We might as well go home if Christ is not risen. But if Christ is risen, we have a global mandate to the ends of the earth. That is why Jesus said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).  

The only imperative in that passage is not the word “go.” They have already been going. They are up in Galilee. They have been going for days. The only imperative in that passage is “make disciples.” The whole passage is arranged around three participles. As you are going, make disciples. As you are baptizing, make disciples. As you are teaching, make disciples. It reminds us that it is our central work. 

The people of the risen Lord can’t help but go – blasted out of the empty tomb. Our calling is to make disciples “of all nations.” The word there, ethnos, is where we get ethnic groups from. What he is saying here is not simply put the church in every country of the world. That’s not what he commanded. He said, “Make disciples of every ethnic group in the world.” There are 24,000 ethnic groups in the world. We are called to plant the church and bear witness of Christ to every ethnic group in the world. Today, there still remain 7,000 people groups with no witness of Jesus Christ, no viable church in their midst, and many haven’t heard the name of Jesus. 

People ask if I am exhausted by all the endless conversations at General Conference about issues that we should never have had to discuss. Of course, I am. What really bothers me, however, are the conversations we never had time to discuss, all the mandates we never thought about. Wouldn’t it be great to have a whole day of annual conference to speak about how to mobilize the gospel to the ends of the earth? When is that going to happen? It will happen again. Because God has plans for us. 

Let me offer a word to those that are committed to build a new denomination. A new church cannot be built on the foundation of anger, however well placed it may be at times. You cannot build a church with the bricks of discontented United Methodists that come into your movement. You cannot build a church with the mortar of triumphalism. None those things will last. Instead, we have to be a global force of evangelism.

I want to challenge you. We need to reach 1 million new people for Jesus Christ. To do that we have to plant 10,000 churches. We have to be focused on the mission that God has called us to.

In this mission, we must never lose our long standing commitment to theological education. “Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you,” Jesus said (Matthew 28:20). If we do not train our clergy well – and in turn, train our laity well – we will be eaten alive by this culture. A feebly-trained clergy cannot stand against the challenges we’re facing in the days and months ahead. We have enormous challenges. 

Yes, it’s expensive. That’s what scholarships are for and I promise you that across this country there will be schools standing ready to help train all future ministers with the best education possible. 

“Behold I’m with you always, even to the end of age,” Jesus said. Isn’t that the great news? He is the risen Lord, he sends us out, and he will be with us until the end of the age. We have some very challenging days ahead, but Jesus is standing with us. 

For a moment, think back to December 12, 1980. You may not know what happened on that day, but that was the day that Apple stock was first put forward as a public offering. 

If you could go back in a time machine, what would you do? You would buy stock. You would put all of your money into Apple stock. People would criticize and say, “What are you doing investing in apples?” Whoever heard of Apple? They wouldn’t know what you know now. You would put all your money in it. You would go to your friends and borrow money. You would invest because you knew where it was going. You knew the future. 

As believers, we know where this is going. God is going to bring his gospel to the ends of the earth. Imagine if God were to allow the newspapers to produce one last headline when Jesus returns. The last headline of the New York Times: “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ and he will reign for ever and ever.” The last headline of the Wall Street Journal: “Every knee has bowed, every tongue confessed, that Jesus Christ is Lord.” And, of course, USA Today something like, “Jesus wins.” 

God has called us and given us a great mission. We are the people of the risen Lord. He has given us a global Great Commission and we have a mandate to the ends of the earth. 

Timothy Tennent is a United Methodist clergyperson and the President of Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. A theologian and a scholar of missiology and Global Christianity, he regularly writes at TimothyTennent.com. Dr. Tennent has authored several books, and his latest, For the Body: Recovering a Theology of Gender, Sexuality, and the Human Body. This article is adapted from his address at the Wesleyan Covenant Association’s Global Gathering in April.

Already and Not Yet

by Steve | Jul 14, 2021 | July/August 2021, Magazine, Magazine Articles

The Rev. Keith Boyette addresses the WCA’s 2021 Global Gathering. WCA photo by Katy Patterson.

By Keith Boyette –

One of the hardest seasons in life is awaiting the birth of a baby.

I’ve done it three times. The nurses told me that my title was coach. I think that was to make me feel good about my presence in the room because I don’t think that my wife appreciated or needed my coaching. Labor and delivery often do not go by the book. There can be unexpected delays, changes in circumstances, and moments of uncertainty. But eventually one way or another the moment arrives and the baby is born. All that hard work and all that pain suddenly seems to evaporate as this new life comes into the world and you hold your flesh and blood, knowing that this is a gift from God.

The waiting part is filled with frustration, anxiety, and a desire to make things happen, but the birth is filled with joy, victory, and a new vision. As the psalmist declares, “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). The psalmist continues, “You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy. That I may sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever” (Psalm 30:11-12, NLT) 

You and I are awaiting a birth. The name is revealed: The Global Methodist Church. We know a lot about this church, we eagerly await the moment of birth when it’s legally formed and begins to operate. But we’re not there yet and that is so frustrating and discouraging. More than a few of us are impatient. Some of us want to force the issue: Deliver that baby! After all, we’ve been waiting for this delivery for months, even years. 

The Hebrews waited 400 years for deliverance from servitude in Egypt. They wandered 40 years in the wilderness before they could cross the Jordan to the Promised Land. And God’s people were in exile for 70 years before they were permitted to return to their homeland in Israel. 

Our wait has been long but compared to those biblical delays, well, maybe not so long. Still, I’m tired of waiting. I’m impatient. I get anxious. I am discouraged at times, but I have learned that God does amazing work when we are waiting if we trust him and allow him to work. 

If delivery had occurred sooner, would we have been ready? When the baby comes you can’t say it’s not convenient yet. You have to be ready to move. And if there is one thing I have learned in my lifetime, it is to trust the timing of God. I have seen over and over again his timing is perfect. His ways are mysterious. I don’t always understand them but in retrospect, I always see his wisdom. 

I want to thank the thousands of people around the world who have worked to prepare for the launch of the Global Methodist Church. All of those persons who have served on the Global Council of the Wesleyan Covenant Association and delegates to our global legislative assemblies. So many people have served as officers and board members of our regional chapters, intercessors, and partners in ministry that have joined in this journey. 

The members of the Transitional Leadership Council have met weekly for more than a year preparing to usher this new baby into the world. So many have generously given time, resources, and prayers to sustain this work. 

The purpose of the Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Separation is to demonstrate to the world that we Methodists, despite significant conflict, could love one another as we part ways, blessing one another in our separation. God sent us a Jewish lawyer to find the way. Unfortunately, recent events in various annual conferences have undercut the environment created by the Protocol. I urge persons of good will in continuing to pursue the goals and objectives embodied in the Protocol. 

Our stepping out into a new day is not dependent on the adoption of the Protocol but it is the best way for most churches to address the future if they are going to be a part of the Global Methodist Church. Launching the GMC does not free churches from their present entanglement. The Protocol implementing legislation justly permits churches to align with the Global Methodist Church with all of their buildings, property, and assets without paying significant sums of money. 

This is the fair, the right, indeed, the Christian approach to resolving the impasse. Leading bishops, centrists, and progressives acknowledged this critical point when they endorsed the Protocol and committed to working for its adoption. 

The announcement of the impending birth of the Global Methodist Church is a moment of great hope for Methodists worldwide. Committed to the Wesleyan tradition, the Global Methodist Church will unashamedly proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. Our unity will be in the person of Jesus – not in an institution. 

We are single-minded in our mission. We dare to proclaim the message of our forefather John Wesley that God desires to transform our character so that we increasingly reflect the character of Jesus. Using Wesley’s phrase, we are prepared to become “more vile” for the privilege of sharing Christ with people of every nation, tribe, and tongue – especially with the poor, the outcast, and the marginalized. 

We desire to be a truly global church that enables the strengths in one region of the church to be shared across the church in every part of the world so that we all mutually benefit. Rather than being a church dominated by being U.S.-centric, we expect to be a church that experiences the rich diversity of leadership and vision that rises from all corners of our connection. 

We see our connection being rooted and grounded in the great confessions of faith so eloquently expressed in the sermons of John Wesley. I believe we’re on the cusp of a great theological revival. Rather than being fractured in what we believe and practice, we will humbly submit to Christ and live in obedience to the teachings that he affirmed from the Old and New Testaments. 

I suspect most of you have heard the words of Mr. Wesley as he looked forward to our generation: “I am not afraid that the people called Methodist shall cease to exist in Europe or America, but I am afraid lest they exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power. And this undoubtedly will be the case unless they hold fast to both the doctrine, the spirit, and discipline with which they first set out.” 

As we launch into the new future that God has called for the people called Methodists, we will not settle for the form of religion. We will press on to experience the fullness of the power of God that he promises to his church. We will hold fast to the doctrines that have been entrusted to us by those who have faithfully delivered the faith to our generation. We will know nothing but the Holy Spirit which God has poured out upon his people, seeking always to be filled to overflowing. And we will be a church that adheres to God’s discipline as we seek to be a fitting dwelling place for him as he draws near to us and draws people to himself. 

We live in what some have referred to as an already-and-not-yet season – between the first coming as Jesus as savior and his second coming when the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our God and King. In a similar vein, we are already in another not-yet season – we can be Methodists of the Global Methodist Church in anticipation of its launch very shortly. We can live out its doctrine. We can embody its mission and vision. We can keep our eyes focused on where God is calling us. We can be the church God is calling us to be, regardless of what the powers and principalities of this world dare to say. 

Declared in the phrasing of the 18th century, John Wesley said, “Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not if they are clergymen or laymen, they alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on earth.” 

Will you choose to be part of a generation who by the power of God working within us will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven upon the earth. Will you join me?   

Keith Boyette is a United Methodist clergyperson and the president of the Wesleyan Covenant Association and the chairperson of the Transitional Leadership Council of the Global Methodist Church (in formation). He is an elder in the Virginia Conference of The United Methodist Church. This article is adapted from his address to the Wesleyan Covenant Association’s Global Gathering in April.