by Steve | Sep 27, 2011 | Magazine Articles
By William O. Reeves
Isn’t it supremely ironic that the ones who preach on hell shouldn’t, and the ones who have the theological basis to do so don’t?
The conservative evangelical world, most of whom derive their theological heritage from Reformed theology (also called Calvinism), has recently been set on its ear by Rob Bell’s book Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived. Bell is the pastor of Mars Hill Church, a large, multi-campus ministry based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. To many readers, the book presents the argument for universal salvation—that a God of love would not consign anyone to eternal punishment because it would be against God’s nature. Bell says the belief in conscious, eternal torment is “misguided and toxic and ultimately subverts the contagious spread of Jesus’ message of love, peace, forgiveness and joy that our world desperately needs to hear.” He has been criticized by a number of conservative scholars and theologians.
But Bell has the logic right. Reformed theology emphasizes the sovereignty of God. The Almighty is all-powerful. Salvation is accomplished by God’s action in Jesus Christ and by God’s election of those who are to be saved. God chooses the elect.
If God is a God of love, and God has ultimate power, then everyone should get saved, because that’s what God wants. Not to do so would be contrary to the loving nature of God. Therefore judgment and subsequent punishment are meaningless. Hell is not an option. Everybody wins!
The problem with universal salvation is that it is not consistent with Scripture. Jesus spoke many times about the judgment of God and the fate of the wicked. The Book of Revelation describes a lake of fire reserved for the Devil, his angels, and sinners. Universal salvation historically has encouraged antinomianism, the rejection of morality in the light of irresistible grace, an attitude which was anathema to John Wesley.
John Wesley had no problem talking about the horrors of eternal punishment with his 18th-century audiences. And our current Book of Discipline affirms that “we believe in the resurrections of the dead; the righteous to life eternal and the wicked to endless condemnation.”
Once again, I am glad to be a Methodist! Those of the Wesleyan heritage, sometimes called Arminians, emphasize human free will in partnership with a loving, yet powerful God. Salvation is not totally God’s choice; faith is a human response. Therefore salvation is not a divine decision but a relationship between God and people.
God is love, so God limits divine sovereignty in order to allow the human response of faith, hope and love. This divine self-limitation enables a relationship through the incarnation of Jesus Christ—God made human.
Salvation as relationship allows human choice and also requires responsibility. God loves us first, but humans must choose relationship with God. God’s grace is primary, but we are justified by our faith. We are forgiven by God’s mercy, but we are responsible for good works (Ephesians 2:8-10). The continuing relationship between God and a person is the process of sanctification, a particular emphasis of Wesleyan Methodism.
However, being endowed with free will, humans can choose not to relate to God or to stop relating to God. Bell says, “We are terrifyingly free to do as we please.” We can turn away and even fall out of a relationship with God. Again, Bell: “We are free to resist, reject, and rebel against God’s ways for us. We can have all the hell we want.”
Ultimately, unfruitful branches are cut off and thrown into the fire, Jesus said. We can persist in our resistance against grace until we die, at which point we will experience the judgment of God. In addition to the quality of love, God is also just and holy, and these attributes do not allow a relationship with sin. If we turn to God in faith, this is not a problem; God forgives us. But if we persistently choose badly, we will be separated forever from God.
Separation is not God’s choice or desire, quite the opposite. As C. S. Lewis said, the doors of hell are locked from the inside (The Problem of Pain). For one of God’s children obstinately to refuse God’s grace must be very sad and painful for God, like a father with a prodigal son. God is always open to our return, but if there is no turning, God must let us go.
So as a Wesleyan Christian, I believe hell is real. The Biblical imagery conveys the horror of separation, and to use Niebuhr’s phrase, it should be taken seriously, but not literally. Indeed, a “lake of fire” and “outer darkness” are mutually exclusive. But you get the point.
The discussion of eternal punishment inevitably brings up other religions. Unrepentant sinners we can understand being separated from God. But what about sincere believers in other faiths? In fact, the precipitating incident for Bell’s book was a sticky note attached to a painting depicting Mahatma Gandhi. The sticky note said, “Gandhi is in hell.” Bell’s response was, “Really? We have confirmation of this?”
How can we communicate the Gospel in a world of many faiths, yet stay faithful to the Christ who said, “No one comes to the Father except through me”? Surprisingly, Bell echoes the idea of the cosmic Christ working even through other religions, an idea espoused by United Methodist scholars Bishop Scott Jones and Dr. Billy Abraham and others. Commenting on John 14:6, Bell says, “What [Jesus] doesn’t say is how, when, or in what manner the mechanism functions that gets people to God through him. He doesn’t even state that those coming to the Father through him will even know that they are coming exclusively through him. He simply claims that whatever God is doing in the world to know and redeem and love and restore the world is happening through him.”
Again, C. S. Lewis has a helpful analogy (Mere Christianity). He says that there is only one right answer to an arithmetic problem, but there are some answers that are not as wrong as others. 2 + 2 can only equal 4. But 2 + 2 = 5 is closer than 2 + 2 = 25. Among the varied spiritual systems of humankind, the only absolutely wrong answer is to reject all answers or not to attempt an answer at all.
It is important to maintain respect for and dialog with people of other religions, yet to remain true to our Christ-centeredness. When confronted with these deep tensions of faith, I prefer to say that the eternal salvation or punishment of any person is a Management decision. I am in sales and customer service!
As a United Methodist pastor, I do not preach about hell. I emphasize the good news of grace and love. Wesley himself only had a couple of sermons on the subject. My lack of attention to eternal judgment is in part a reaction against the emotional manipulation of “hellfire and damnation” preaching. It is also a choice to focus on the positive relationship of faith.
If salvation is relational, there are two implications for Christians: (1) We are responsible for our relationship with God (Philippians 2:12-13). Prevenient grace ultimately should lead to holiness. (2) There should be an urgency in our witness. It is critical that we share the good news of Jesus, because those who do not turn to God can be lost from God forever.
Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death.” That is the tragic possibility. But the rest of the verse is good news: “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Eternal separation from God is possible, but by the grace of God and our responsible witness, nobody inevitably has to go there.
Dr. William O. (Bud) Reeves is the senior pastor of the First United Methodist Church of Hot Springs, Arkansas. A version of this article first appeared in the Arkansas United Methodist.
by Steve | Sep 27, 2011 | Magazine Articles
By Vicki Brown
District superintendents and directors of connectional ministries—working collaboratively with church pastors and lay leaders—can lead the adaptive change necessary for the United Methodist Church to have a future with hope, the Rev. Jorge Acevedo told 81 new district superintendents and seven directors of connectional ministries attending a training in early September.
“It seems to many of us in the church that the greatest leverage point for congregational vitality is at the annual conference and district levels. We are a connectional church that by our very nature has a supervisory dynamic that resides in the office of the district superintendent. Leveraging this supervisory role can facilitate healthy, holy clergy who lead healthy, holy churches,” said Acevedo, lead pastor of Grace Church, a multi-site United Methodist congregation at Cape Coral, Fort Myers Shores, and Fort Myers Central campuses in Florida.
“Spiritual leaders who live in community foster transformational cultures and establish fruitful process,” Acevedo said, urging the group to tend to their own prayer life and spiritual discipline practices. He mentioned an article in Circuit Rider magazine which cited a study of 1,050 pastors. That study found that 72 percent said they only studied the Bible when they were preparing for sermons and lessons. Only 26 percent of pastors interviewed for the study said they regularly had personal devotions and felt they were fed spiritually.
“Can I encourage you to live a deeply spiritual life yourself?” he asked. He also urged them to organize their districts so pastors can be held accountable to their spiritual life. For instance, the DS could meet regularly with eight or 10 pastors who in turn met with eight or 10 more pastors with the express purpose of accountability to their spiritual life.
“If you can, trust and unity will grow. Wouldn’t it be wonderful for an entire district to own the responsibility for reaching the lost and broken in their districts? What if an entire district took as its responsibility that every child in the district was fed?” Acevedo asked.
The training event is sponsored by the Council of Bishops, the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, and the General Board of Discipleship.
Superintendents oversee the total ministry of the clergy and churches for ministry and mission within their district. Directors of connectional ministries oversee program development for the annual conference.
Acevedo said The United Methodist Church in the U.S. has lost the practice of clergy watching over the souls of fellow clergy. Acevedo said he meets regularly with the three clergy he oversees at Grace Church and that they talk about how it is with their soul, if they are abiding with Jesus, and how is their ministry.
“Left to ourselves, even the most wanna-be faithful follower of Jesus will drift, and the drift is always south,” Acevedo said, adding that it is the spiritual environments created by regular practice that can keep people going in ministry.
“In our system, bishops, district superintendents, and local church pastors are charged with creating cultures where clergy and laity work collaboratively together to release the people of God to join Jesus in his mission in the world,” Acevedo said.
Since research on vital congregations has shown that 15 percent of United Methodist churches score high in vitality, that means the UMC cannot assign all the blame for congregational demise at the feet of the “institutions” of the church. “If 4,961 congregations have figured out ways to prevail in spite of our denominational condition, that is hopeful and promising,” Acevedo said.
He urged the DSes to create a culture of relational trust, appropriate vulnerability, and audacious faith. “Radical risk-taking is birthed in a transformational culture,” he said.
Vicki Brown is associate editor and writer, Office of Interpretation, Board of Higher Education and Ministry. This article was distributed by the Board of Higher Education and Ministry.
by Steve | Sep 27, 2011 | Magazine Articles
By Frank Billman
“Aldersgate has become a city of refuge for me, a place where I can come and I can magnify and praise the Lord—a place where you are stripped of all titles…and you can just enjoy the goodness of the Lord,” Bishop James Swanson of the Holston Annual Conference told participants at Aldersgate 2011. “The Council [of Bishops] has not assigned me to Aldersgate. The Holy Spirit assigned me here. I come of my own volition as I have become a regular attendee.”
The 35th annual national conference on Spirit-filled living sponsored by Aldersgate Renewal Ministries (ARM), was held July 27-31 in Dayton, Ohio. More than 1,300 children, youth, and adults attended the United Methodist family conference.
Worship at the adult conference was led by a worship team from the University of Georgia Wesley Foundation, singing traditional hymns woven together with contemporary worship songs. Dancers, banner bearers, and an artist all ministered during the celebrations. Worship artist Mary Ellen Martin of Joelton, Tennessee, also led an equipping session on prophetic art. “A question: Why is this an ‘arm’ of the UMC and not The UMC?” wrote one clergywoman from Ohio on her evaluation sheet. “Worship like this should be part of our conferences and churches.”
As a part of the conference, more than 130 “Prophetic Prayer Appointments” took place, offering an individual 15 minutes with a 2-person team with gifting in prophecy and in words of knowledge who would pray and then speak God’s words into the attendees’ lives.
The children’s ministry celebrated the theme “Transformed.” Kids learned lessons from people who encountered Jesus, the ultimate transformer. Highlights included creative games, a global prayer night, and worship leadership in the Sunday morning Holy Communion celebration.
“The Gate 2011” saw more than 300 young people begin to desire and discover an extraordinary life of faith; becoming “Devastated by God’s Love and Ruined for the Ordinary.” One young man said of his experience, “I have been a Christian since I was 12. I thought I was living a life that was very pleasing to God. I never smoked or drank, but that truly was not all that mattered. I found out I need more of God in my life, and I need to give more of myself to Him and now feel that God is giving me a calling.”
Adult session speakers were the Rev. Jasmine Smothers from Norcross, Georgia; the Rev. Dr. Jeff Greenway from Reynoldsburg, Ohio; the Rev. Jacquie Leveron from Wellington, Florida; the Rev. Dr. Mark Virkler from Buffalo, New York; and the Rev. Dr. Craig Green from Livingston, Tennessee.
When asked, “How has the conference helped you in your spiritual journey?” a lay woman from Pennsylvania answered, “Re-filled, renewed, resting in the arms of my God!” A Kansas participant wrote, “It’s so refreshing to know that there are Spirit-filled Methodists in place around the U.S. and the world. We’re expecting a mighty move of the Holy Spirit to sweep through the Methodist church soon!” A clergy person from Indiana answered saying, “Inspiration to persevere in local church ministry. It gives me hope for the future of the UM Church; God’s not finished with us yet! I’m refreshed, revived, and ready to initiate new prayer ministries in the church I pastor.”
Since the conference, ARM has received testimonies of physical healings, people being filled with the Holy Spirit, and speaking in tongues for the first time.
Does attending an Aldersgate conference really make a difference? A father from Tennessee wrote: “I loved it so much, but I didn’t realize the full extent of what God was doing until the ride home. He has healed areas I didn’t know were broken. He has broken off things I didn’t know I had. Monday, my 11 year old daughter asked me, ‘What happened to you in Ohio? You are different, what did they do to you? You are so much nicer.’ And thanks to the equipping sessions [with Mark Virkler], I now understand my dreams. God is showing me the difference between my thoughts and His voice. He really speaks a lot if I will only listen, and since I left Aldersgate 2011, I have been.”
Bishop Ernest Lyght has already welcomed the Aldersgate conference back to Charleston, West Virginia next July 11-15, saying, “We have started praying for Aldersgate 2012, that it might be a marvelous Pentecostal experience for all participants.”
You can go to www.Aldersgate2012.com to register for next year’s conference. Bishop João Carlos Lopes, President of the Council of Bishops of the Methodist Church of Brazil will be one of the keynote speakers for that next conference.
Frank Billman is the Director for Church Relations for Aldersgate Renewal Ministries.
by Steve | Sep 27, 2011 | Magazine Articles
Christians continue to top the list among the most persecuted religious groups in the world. According to The Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life’s recent report, “Rising Restrictions on Religion,” threats to Christians and religious freedom around the world are rising. The report found that nearly two thirds (59 percent) of the world’s population lives under high government restrictions on religion, and almost half (48 percent) live in areas with high religiously motivated social hostilities. Because some of the world’s most populous countries also have the highest religious restrictions, only about 20 percent of the world’s countries have high religious restrictions and hostilities.
The recently released study compares findings from mid-2009 with a nearly identical mid-2006 study. Overall, the study found that within three years, restrictions rose in 12 percent of the world’s countries (23 of 198). Decreases in religious freedom occurred primarily in countries that already had high restrictions and hostilities toward religion, and gains for religious freedom generally happened in countries that already had low restrictions. The report noted a growing polarization between countries with established religious freedom gaining more, while those with established restrictions became more restrictive.
Christians are harassed with the most frequency of any religious group in 130 countries, followed by Muslims in 117 countries. Jews face harassment in 75 countries even though they make up less than 1 percent of the world’s population. Harassment means these groups experience “physical assaults, arrests and detentions, the desecration of holy sites and discrimination against religious groups in employment, education or housing…verbal assaults on members of one religious group by other groups or individuals in society.” Unsurprisingly, government and social harassment is most persistent in Middle East-North Africa, with reports of such incidents from all 20 countries in the region.
Muslims are more often harassed by governments than private groups or individuals, and Jews more often experience social harassment than government, but Christians experience both in almost equal frequency. Coptic Christians in Egypt continue to face persecution, and are barred from public-sector jobs and universities. The study was done before the “Arab Spring,” but reports indicate religious freedom has decreased since the uprisings. In Yemen, Christians are increasingly persecuted. In 2008, a group of Yemenis were arrested after converting from Islam to Christianity. Malaysia is one of the most restrictive countries, and its religious restrictions also increased “substantially,” although the constitution allows religious freedom. In practice, however, the government enforces limitations on Islamic beliefs, and in some cases, sends individuals practicing “‘deviant’ forms of Islam to religious ‘rehabilitation centers.’”
The study also considered laws against blasphemy, apostasy, and defamation of religion. Although these laws are sometimes purported to protect religious freedom, Pew found that “in practice they often serve to punish religious minorities whose beliefs are deemed unorthodox or heretical, and who therefore are seen as threatening religious harmony in the country.” Countries that have laws prohibiting blasphemy and defamation are much more likely to have government restrictions and social hostilities toward religion. More startling, the governments of countries that enforce blasphemy, defamation, and apostasy laws are five times more likely to attempt eliminating an entire religious group. Eighty percent of Middle Eastern countries have such laws, the highest of any region in the world.
Other regions of the world also showed notable trends, according to the Pew study. Though known for its religious intolerance, China’s government did not increase religious restrictions. Social hostilities, however, increased as conflict erupted between Buddhists and Muslims in Tibet’s Xinjiang Province. Europe’s social hostilities and government restrictions noticeably increased in the three year period. Government restrictions rose as France implemented a ban on full head coverings, affecting Muslim women who wear the burqa or niqab. Also affecting Europe’s score was the Serbian government, which refused to legally register some religious minority groups.
Religious freedom is strongest in the Americas, and conditions in the United States remained relatively unchanged in the three year period. Despite the relative calm though, things are not perfect. According to FBI reports, there were at least 1,300 religiously motivated hate crimes annually in the years between 2006 and 2009. The report notes that these years do not include incidents motivated by recent controversies over Islamic centers and mosques in New York and other parts of America.
Clearly there are serious and growing threats to the fundamental right of religious freedom. With 2.2 billion people living under varying degrees of religious restrictions, and Christians experiencing restrictions, harassment, and even persecution in 66 percent of the world’s countries, there is much work to be done to reverse this growing trend.
Kristin Rudolph writes for the Institute on Religion and Democracy in Washington, D.C. She recently graduated from The King’s College in New York City with a Bachelor of Arts in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics.
by Steve | Sep 27, 2011 | Magazine Articles
Fifty-nine pastors of prominent United Methodist churches from across the United States have written an open letter to the denomination’s bishops in regard to ministerial colleagues who have pledged to perform same-sex weddings, despite the church’s prohibition against such ceremonies.
The Revs. Tom Harrison, Charles Kyker, Ed Robb III, Ken Werlein, and Steve Wood spearheaded the communication to the United Methodist bishops. An additional 54 pastors joined the effort.
A website (www.faithfulumc.com) has been launched in order to give clergy and laity across the United Methodist Church the opportunity to also sign the letter.
As was published in the last issue of Good News, more than 900 UM clergy have openly pledged to perform same-sex unions, contrary to the standards of the United Methodist Church.
What follows is the text of their correspondence.
The names of the churches of the signers are for identification purposes only.
—The Editor
Dear Bishops,
We are writing out of genuine love and deep concern for our church. We believe that the unity and the future of The United Methodist Church are in jeopardy.
According to The United Methodist Reporter “more than 900 UM clergy, in conferences across the country (The United States), have pledged to officiate at same-sex weddings and other services celebrating homosexual unions.” In the same article, the Rev. Bruce Robbins (identified as the originator of this movement) “acknowledged he had been discouraged by failures to effect change in the church’s positions on homosexuality either legislatively or through Judicial Council rulings, and sought a different approach.”
For forty years we United Methodists have listened to each other, respected each other and have engaged in holy conferencing on the important issues of same-sex marriage and the practice of homosexuality. And every four years, our discussions have culminated in General Conference determining the church’s position. Though the discussions and resultant protests have not always been pleasant, there has been the assurance that we would respect the decisions of General Conference and live by the covenant that holds us together. The unity of The United Methodist Church has been preserved as a result of this commitment to holy conferencing and to respecting the decisions of General Conference.
If we take them at their word, at least 900 of those who want to change the Book of Discipline regarding same-sex marriage and the practice of homosexuality are no longer willing to honor our Wesleyan way of holy conferencing and respectful dialog. As the article cited above states, the Rev. Robbins and others are encouraging and committed to massive acts of ecclesiastical disobedience, hoping that The United Methodist Church will not possess the resources or the resolve to enforce the church’s position. We are grieved that, evidently, the process of holy conferencing and the mutual respect necessary for good-faith conversations are no longer valued by so many of our colleagues. Their promised actions not only threaten the integrity of our church’s connectional relationships, they undermine any hope of future dialog and prayerfully working out a solution to our church’s seemingly intractable divide.
We do not know how many, if any, marriages or “holy unions” of same-sex couples will be performed by UM clergy in the near future. But we do know the destructive effects that will result in our local churches and throughout the denomination if such services are performed by UM pastors. Even if such acts of disobedience are dealt with appropriately, if they occur in large numbers, the members of our church will simply not understand how such actions are possible. And they will wonder who is allowing them to occur. If pastors performing such services are not dealt with quickly and with genuine consequences for their disobedience, our members will believe that the leadership of the church has failed them. As the Call to Action Committee reported, many of the persons in our pews do not have a high degree of trust in our denominational leaders. How the threatened disobedience is handled will either restore their trust or further weaken it.
What we are sure of is that our members will not support an institution that will not enforce its covenant. Many of us struggle every year to defend to our members why we should pay apportionments that support boards such as the General Board of Church and Society that regularly lobbies and writes legislation to change the church’s position regarding the practice of homosexuality. If we ever come to the point that we are having to explain why the church is not holding those who break the Discipline accountable in a real way, we may no longer be able to convince our members of the wisdom of contributing to the general ministries of a church that seems bent on its own destruction. Telling them that we are required to do so by the Discipline and by our being a United Methodist congregation will not have much moral force if others are allowed to break the Discipline and be unfaithful to our United Methodist positions without meaningful consequences. Some of our members will demand to know why we and our congregations should be required to live by the Discipline, if others are not so required.
Honestly, we fear that many of our people will decide that if The United Methodist Church will not live by the covenant that holds us together, it will be time for them to find another church. The positive ministries of transformational discipleship that we are attempting to build are threatened by this group of defiant clergy. This is true even if the threatened disobedience occurs in a different annual conference from our own. What happens in one part of the church affects the perception of the church in all geographical areas.
We are asking you as a Bishop of The United Methodist Church and we are asking the entire Council of Bishops to issue a statement before the threatened disobedience occurs. Please take to heart how much damage will be done to our congregations and to the entire church if Dr. Robbins and others disregard our time-honored process of holy conferencing and respecting the decisions of General Conference. Disobedience to the Discipline is the antithesis to holy conferencing and to our United Methodist way. Please lead and issue a statement proactively that the Council of Bishops, regardless of their individual beliefs, will enforce the Discipline, will seek appropriate discipline for those who break our covenant, and that the unity and the integrity of the church will be maintained. Such a statement will hearten our members and give us a foundation for calming their concerns and persuading them to remain faithful members of The United Methodist Church.
We sincerely believe that the future of The United Methodist Church is at stake. What Dr. Robbins and others are proposing will lead to anarchy—and the end result will be the demise of the church we love. We write not as members of any board or caucus group, but as United Methodist pastors who have committed our lives to this great denomination and who treasure our Wesleyan heritage. We believe there is a way forward—and that way requires that pastors and congregations live by the Book of Discipline, and that our Episcopal leaders maintain its integrity by enforcing it unapologetically.
The Church needs you to lead. We need you to act before the promised disobedience occurs. We need you to issue a public statement that you understand the proposed disobedience to be a grave threat to the unity and the life of the UM Church and that you stand together in your commitment to defend and enforce the Book of Discipline. We pray and trust that you will.
Yours in Christ,
Originators
Rev. Tom Harrison, Asbury UMC, Tulsa, OK
Rev. Charles Kyker, Christ UMC, Hickory, NC
Rev. Ed Robb III, The Woodlands UMC, The Woodlands, TX
Rev. Ken Werlein, Faithbridge UMC, Spring, TX
Rev. Steve Wood, Mount Pisgah UMC, Alpharetta, GA
Signers:
Rev. Jorge Acevedo, Grace UMC, Fort Meyers, FL
Rev. John Allen, Trietsch UMC, Flower Mound, TX
Rev. Rurel Ausley, Niceville UMC, Niceville, FL
Rev. Mark Beeson, Granger Community Church (UMC), Granger, IN
Rev. Davis Chappell, First UMC, Lawrenceville, GA
Rev. Bryan Collier, Orchard UMC, Tupelo, MS
Rev. Robert Collins, Jr., Centenary UMC, Modesto, CA
Rev. Talbot Davis, Good Shepherd UMC, Charlotte, NC
Rev. Stephen Dodson, Peachtree City UMC, Peachtree City, GA
Rev. Nolan Donald, Wordserve UMC, Fulshear, TX
Rev. Charles Ferrara, New Life Community Church UMC, New Fairfield, CT
Rev. Scott Field, Wheatland Salem UMC, Naperville, IL
Rev. Robert Gorrell, Church of the Servant (UMC), Oklahoma City, OK
Rev. Jeffery Greenway, Reynoldsburg UMC, Reynoldsburg, OH
Rev. Randall Hageman, Gateway Community UMC, Houston, TX
Rev. Chet Harris, Dueber UMC, Canton, OH
Rev. Neal Harris, First UMC, Reedley, CA
Rev. Matthew Hartsfield,Van Dyke UMC, Tampa, FL
Rev. Tony Holifield, Central UMC, Fayetteville, AR
Rev. Jerry House, Jr., Christ UMC, College Station, TX
Rev. Godfrey Hubert, Foundry UMC, Houston, TX
Rev. Chong IL Kim, Bible UMC of New York, Dix Hills, NY
Rev. James Leggett, Grace Fellowship UMC, Katy, TX
Rev. Kenneth Levingston, Jones Memorial UMC, Houston, TX
Rev. Joseph MacLaren, University Carillon UMC, Oviedo, FL
Rev. Jim Martin, The River UMC, Richmond, TX
Rev. Jorge Mayorga Solis, Metro Region Superintendent, Milwaukee, WI
Rev. David McEntire, First UMC, Lakeland, FL
Rev. Gregory McGarvey, Carmel UMC, Carmel, IN
Rev. Randell Mickler, Mt. Bethel UMC, Marietta, GA
Rev. Allen Newton, St. James UMC, Montgomery, AL
Rev. Randy Paige, Christ Church UMC, Port Jefferson Station, NY
Rev. Gregg Parris, Union Chapel Ministries (UMC), Muncie, IN
Rev. Wade Paschal, First UMC, Tulsa, OK
Rev. James Preisig, Lee’s Summit UMC, Lee’s Summit, MO
Rev. Michael Ramsdell, First UMC, Mansfield, TX
Rev. Stephen Ramsdell, First UMC, Waco, TX
Rev. Phil Roughton Christ UMC, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Rev. Charles Savage II, Georgia UM Foundation CEO, Norcross, GA
Rev. James Savage, Riverchase UMC, Hoover, AL
Rev. Mike Schreiner, Morning Star Church, O’Fallon, MO
Rev. Robin Scott, Clear Branch UMC, Trussville, AL
Rev. Ralph Sigler, Harvest Church UMC, Dothan, AL
Rev. Roger Spahr, Cornerstone Church, Watertown, SD
Rev. Lester Spencer, Gulf Breeze UMC, Gulf Breeze, FL
Rev. Gregory Stover, Armstrong Chapel UMC, Cincinnati, OH
Rev. Richard Thompson, First UMC, Bakersfield, CA
Rev. Tim Thompson, Frazer UMC, Montgomery, AL
Rev. Doug Thrasher, Hillside UMC, Woodstock, GA
Rev. Robert Tindale, Killearn UMC, Tallahassee, FL
Rev. Ronald Watts, La Croix UMC, Cape Girardeau, MO
Rev. Stephen Wende, First UMC, Houston, TX
Rev. Alice Wolfe, Christ UMC, Baltimore, OH
Rev. Harold Zimmick, Asbury UMC, Madison, WI
The originators of the letter to the Bishops, invite clergy and laity to visit www.faithfulumc.com to add their names to the appeal to the Bishops.
by Steve | Sep 27, 2011 | Magazine Articles
By Reed Hoppe
Arthur and Mary Alice Ivey are Mission Society missionaries who have served in Huancayo, Peru since 2001. Arthur graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology with a degree in civil engineering. He worked as an engineer for many years while he felt a growing call to serve cross-culturally. Mary Alice graduated from Georgia State University with a degree in early childhood education and taught school for several years. The Iveys participated in short-term mission trips for 13 years while praying about moving overseas.
What the Iveys discovered after they moved to Peru was that people would come to know Christ very quickly, but there was no structure in place to disciple these new Christians in their faith.
After spending several years learning the language and getting to know the culture, the Lord gave Arthur a formula for discipling new Jesus-followers.
Arthur leads four discipleship groups at a time, each comprised of eight-to-fifteen members. They meet for two hours each week to fellowship and study Scripture. Each group stays together for about two and a half years. Every person in the group commits to begin discipling someone else within six-to-twelve months. Many of the members start their own discipleship groups, which has led to 250 groups discipling more than 3,400 people at this time.
“The Western church model doesn’t work well in Peruvian culture,” said Arthur. “Most Peruvians are culturally Catholic, and 10-15 percent are evangelical. Many people are syncretistic. When people can’t find the answers they are looking for in church, they leave, and many of the churches are losing members.
“I think the discipleship model has worked so well in Peru because it met a deep need in the heart of the Peruvians. Peru is a very social culture, so the interactive Bible study works well. We have gone to the people with the gospel message and they have found the answers they were searching for in Jesus.”
The Iveys also run a Kids’ Club ministry. More than 1,000 children, ranging in age from two to fifteen years old, come to the Clubs each week. Mary Alice writes the curriculum and disciples many of the leaders who coordinate the 12 groups currently meeting.
The Iveys’ goal is to bring people to know Jesus as Lord and train them to be able to witness to and disciple others. They have seen a dramatic change in many people’s lives as they accept Jesus and seek to live a godly life.
Just this past Easter, Arthur accompanied three brothers to visit their father in prison. Flavio, a former pastor, is in prison for the murder of three people. He also sexually abused his two daughters when they were young. One of his sons, Benjamin, spent time in prison due to the fact that his father involved in him the murders.
Benjamin, Jose, and Moises had not seen their father in more than 15 years. During that time, Benjamin accepted Christ and has been discipled in one of Arthur’s small groups. Benjamin now wanted to tell his father that he had forgiven him. Flavio was thrilled to be reunited with his sons. He came to know Jesus several years ago through a discipleship group that one of Arthur’s colleagues started in the prison. Flavio now leads several discipleship groups in the prison.
After leaving the prison that Sunday, Jose decided to give his life to Jesus. Arthur said, “It was wonderful to spend Easter Sunday experiencing the Lord Jesus’ resurrection power working in the lives of persons to bring salvation and restoration.”
Lizbeth is one of Flavio’s daughters. “Lizbeth and her mother knocked on our door one day looking for help, and we connected her with one of our discipleship groups,” said Arthur. “She was just destroyed. Through the discipleship group, she came to know Christ. She was able to forgive her father and was set free from the pain she had carried throughout her life.”
Lizbeth is now a powerful witness for Jesus. She has traveled all over Peru, speaking about her abuse and how Jesus set her free. Most of Lizbeth’s family has now come to know Christ. They are responsible for personally starting 12 discipleship groups throughout the years, which have ministered to hundreds of people and helped others find freedom in Christ.
“There are so many similar stories,” said Arthur. “I see God moving among his people in Peru to set them free to be the Church he desires them to be—a Church that longs to know him more intimately and wants others to know him, too, a Church that disciples people,” says Arthur.
Reed Haigler Hoppe serves as an associate editor for The Mission Society and is an ordained deacon in the Alabama-West Florida Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. You can make a donation to the Iveys’ ministry at www.themissionsociety.org/people/ivey.
