Comments for Five Practices http://fivepractices.org Growing in grace. Strengthening communities. Thu, 26 Apr 2012 09:32:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Comment on Remember the Future: Praying for the Church and Change by Dave Whitlock http://fivepractices.org/blog/remember-the-future-praying-for-the-church-and-change/#comment-1127 Dave Whitlock Thu, 26 Apr 2012 09:32:37 +0000 http://fivepractices.org/?p=1724#comment-1127 These have been helpful to laity! Thanks! These have been helpful to laity! Thanks!

]]> Comment on Remember the Future: Praying for the Church and Change by David Jolly http://fivepractices.org/blog/remember-the-future-praying-for-the-church-and-change/#comment-1123 David Jolly Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:27:07 +0000 http://fivepractices.org/?p=1724#comment-1123 Thanks Bishop for the leadership and insights. God be with, and lead each of the delegates and the decisions that are made. Thanks Bishop for the leadership and insights. God be with, and lead each of the delegates and the decisions that are made.

]]> Comment on Remember the Future: 30 Days of Preparation – Day 30. We See A New Church by Daniel Dorrance http://fivepractices.org/blog/remember-the-future-30-days-of-preparation-day-30-we-see-a-new-church/#comment-1118 Daniel Dorrance Tue, 24 Apr 2012 22:19:04 +0000 http://fivepractices.org/?p=1660#comment-1118 This has been such an inspiration series of articles I'm a little saddened that this is the last one. Bishop Schnase, I hope you have a great General Conference and I hope your voice and these ideas are heard. Things seem to take so long to change in a church environment so please continue to reiterate these messages and keep them fresh. I also hope there are initiatives to look beyond bringing the message of Jesus to people in other ways than the church building, Sunday worship type model that has been in place for so long. The methodist movement was started as an addition to the traditional worship of the day to bring the message of Jesus to the people in a more personnel way. I also hope that some new deas are lanched quickly to try some things and evolve the ideas through what works and what fails. Most of our society's great ideas where not dreamed up from scratch but evolved from earlier concepts. So I think we just need to pick some things to try without over thinking in committees, vision plans, mission documents, etc. Find some talented, passionate people who aren't afraid to fail and go for it. Many will fail but I guarantee there will be some amazing successes. Thanks and have a wonderful General Conference This has been such an inspiration series of articles I’m a little saddened that this is the last one. Bishop Schnase, I hope you have a great General Conference and I hope your voice and these ideas are heard. Things seem to take so long to change in a church environment so please continue to reiterate these messages and keep them fresh. I also hope there are initiatives to look beyond bringing the message of Jesus to people in other ways than the church building, Sunday worship type model that has been in place for so long. The methodist movement was started as an addition to the traditional worship of the day to bring the message of Jesus to the people in a more personnel way. I also hope that some new deas are lanched quickly to try some things and evolve the ideas through what works and what fails. Most of our society’s great ideas where not dreamed up from scratch but evolved from earlier concepts. So I think we just need to pick some things to try without over thinking in committees, vision plans, mission documents, etc. Find some talented, passionate people who aren’t afraid to fail and go for it. Many will fail but I guarantee there will be some amazing successes.

Thanks and have a wonderful General Conference

]]> Comment on 198. We See a New Church by Carla Sutton http://fivepractices.org/blog/198-we-see-a-new-church/#comment-1111 Carla Sutton Mon, 23 Apr 2012 01:04:26 +0000 http://fivepractices.org/?p=1361#comment-1111 On Palm Sunday 15 young people were confirmed and joined the United Methodist Church in Weston, Missouri. Two of them were baptised in a local creek the day before by Pastor Jim Voigt. This was an unprecedented event in the life of our church! We are a small congregation, but we have been growing and more young families have been attending, joining and getting involved. We are in awe of what God is doing in our midst. On Palm Sunday 15 young people were confirmed and joined the United Methodist Church in Weston, Missouri. Two of them were baptised in a local creek the day before by Pastor Jim Voigt. This was an unprecedented event in the life of our church! We are a small congregation, but we have been growing and more young families have been attending, joining and getting involved. We are in awe of what God is doing in our midst.

]]> Comment on Remember the Future: 30 Days of Preparation – Day 26. Cultivating Clergy Leadership by Robert Stemme http://fivepractices.org/blog/remember-the-future-30-days-of-preparation-day-26-cultivating-clergy-leadership/#comment-1102 Robert Stemme Sat, 21 Apr 2012 15:25:30 +0000 http://fivepractices.org/?p=1643#comment-1102 I fear that removing the guaranteed appointment system will move us toward a time when in order to find a church to serve an ordained clergy will need to candidate for that position...Now the problem is that none of us were trained in our seminary experience on how to successfully candidate for a position....we were led to believe that our Bishop and Cabinet would take care of our being appointed to an appropiate church where we could serve. As a Intentional Interim Minister I have served under both systems...And each system has some advantages and disadvantages...one of the disadvantages of the "Call System" is that you had better be serving where you will until your retirement by the time you reach your fifties...while the appointment system deals better with older clergy who have a lot to contribute to efffective ministry.. I fear that removing the guaranteed appointment system will move us toward a time when in order to find a church to serve an ordained clergy will need to candidate for that position…Now the problem is that none of us were trained in our seminary experience on how to successfully candidate for a position….we were led to believe that our Bishop and Cabinet would take care of our being appointed to an appropiate church where we could serve. As a Intentional Interim Minister I have served under both systems…And each system has some advantages and disadvantages…one of the disadvantages of the “Call System” is that you had better be serving where you will until your retirement by the time you reach your fifties…while the appointment system deals better with older clergy who have a lot to contribute to efffective ministry..

]]> Comment on Remember the Future: 30 Days of Preparation – Day 26. Cultivating Clergy Leadership by Brian Gath http://fivepractices.org/blog/remember-the-future-30-days-of-preparation-day-26-cultivating-clergy-leadership/#comment-1101 Brian Gath Sat, 21 Apr 2012 11:24:23 +0000 http://fivepractices.org/?p=1643#comment-1101 Well I got that wrong! (note to self: reading comprehension goes down when kids and dog all decide to get up at the same time) I like a lot of what I read here. My concern for the system you propose is this: I would not want someone to spend tens of thousands of dollars going to seminary and dedicate years of their life traveling through our process to find out, only at the end, that the church does not choose to appoint them. Well I got that wrong! (note to self: reading comprehension goes down when kids and dog all decide to get up at the same time)

I like a lot of what I read here. My concern for the system you propose is this: I would not want someone to spend tens of thousands of dollars going to seminary and dedicate years of their life traveling through our process to find out, only at the end, that the church does not choose to appoint them.

]]> Comment on Remember the Future: 30 Days of Preparation – Day 24. A Healthy Urgency by Ray Brunner http://fivepractices.org/blog/remember-the-future-30-days-of-preparation-day-24-a-healthy-urgency/#comment-1098 Ray Brunner Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:54:03 +0000 http://fivepractices.org/?p=1634#comment-1098 As a church we need to bring more people to a faith in Christ. Instead we are focused to much politics, our ministers do not seem to know how to do evangelism. My church hasn't had a minister in years that can reach out to the community and bring people to a belief in Christ. As a church we need to bring more people to a faith in Christ. Instead we are focused to much politics, our ministers do not seem to know how to do evangelism. My church hasn’t had a minister in years that can reach out to the community and bring people to a belief in Christ.

]]> Comment on Remember the Future: 30 Days of Preparation – Day 24. A Healthy Urgency by Ray Hodson http://fivepractices.org/blog/remember-the-future-30-days-of-preparation-day-24-a-healthy-urgency/#comment-1093 Ray Hodson Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:57:47 +0000 http://fivepractices.org/?p=1634#comment-1093 Amen! Amen!

]]> Comment on Remember the Future: 30 Days of Preparation – Day 21. At the Margins by Robert Stemme http://fivepractices.org/blog/remember-the-future-30-days-of-preparation-day-21-at-the-margins/#comment-1083 Robert Stemme Sun, 15 Apr 2012 15:31:13 +0000 http://fivepractices.org/?p=1612#comment-1083 Dear Bishop and my former pastor Robert....Thank you for underscoring the fact that the mission and action of the church is not in the General Conference but as local churches reach out to those on the margin..I fear that all the restructuring which we may do at General Conference in Tampa may indeed miss the main point of our goal of inviting those who are outside our walls to become active followers of our Lord Jesus. Robert Stemme Dear Bishop and my former pastor Robert….Thank you for underscoring the fact that the mission and action of the church is not in the General Conference but as local churches reach out to those on the margin..I fear that all the restructuring which we may do at General Conference in Tampa may indeed miss the main point of our goal of inviting those who are outside our walls to become active followers of our Lord Jesus.

Robert Stemme

]]> Comment on Remember the Future: 30 Days of Preparation – Day 19. Log Jam by Lydia Istomina http://fivepractices.org/blog/remember-the-future-30-days-of-preparation-day-19-logjam/#comment-1081 Lydia Istomina Sat, 14 Apr 2012 16:39:27 +0000 http://fivepractices.org/?p=1603#comment-1081 Logjam is obviously a threat to the Wesleyan movement. I am glad that the General Conference will attempt to lighten up the Book of Discipline to remove the jam to allow the natural flow of the work of the Spirit in a local context. I believe that adaptive leadership skills will help us all to transit away from this temporary blockage. Thank you, Bishop for your courage to tell the truth! I was recently in conversation with our brothers and sisters from Eurasia and realized how much behind they are when it comes to their critical approach to the Book of Discipline. As soon as I mentioned the revision of the BD, all pastors got horrified. For them, in their context, the Book of Discipline is equal to the Scripture and pastors and DSs try hard to follow every paragraph. The statement such as, "Each pastor should hold the Scripture in one hand and the BD in another..." scared me. We have so much more freedom here to discuss our problems than pastors in Central Conferences. Russian people culturally are more tuned, I think, to the authoritarian structure. It will be interesting to see how they respond to the work progress of the General Conference. Again, thank you! Lydia Logjam is obviously a threat to the Wesleyan movement. I am glad that the General Conference will attempt to lighten up the Book of Discipline to remove the jam to allow the natural flow of the work of the Spirit in a local context. I believe that adaptive leadership skills will help us all to transit away from this temporary blockage.
Thank you, Bishop for your courage to tell the truth! I was recently in conversation with our brothers and sisters from Eurasia and realized how much behind they are when it comes to their critical approach to the Book of Discipline. As soon as I mentioned the revision of the BD, all pastors got horrified. For them, in their context, the Book of Discipline is equal to the Scripture and pastors and DSs try hard to follow every paragraph. The statement such as, “Each pastor should hold the Scripture in one hand and the BD in another…” scared me. We have so much more freedom here to discuss our problems than pastors in Central Conferences. Russian people culturally are more tuned, I think, to the authoritarian structure. It will be interesting to see how they respond to the work progress of the General Conference.

Again, thank you!
Lydia

]]>