To Keep, Not to Keep

Autumn delights us with color and the opportunity to practice the art of letting go. Letting go, shedding, or freeing ourselves offers us the chance to grow more deeply in grace and truth. If the trees can shed their gorgeous leaves - then so can we shed ourselves of the things that are no longer necessary.

Here are some things I want our United Methodist denomination to let go of as the Body of Christ... as well as things I want us to keep.

Let go of ...guaranteed appointments for UM clergy; honor the clergy leaders who show growth rates in the number of Professions of Faith within their flocks.

Let go of ...jurisdictional conference in the UMC; keep the election of bishops and move it into the last few days of General Conference.

Let go of ...three different sets of financial and statistical number gathering (i.e. fall charge conferences, January Check Days, and April audits); keep one annual report due at the end of the calendar year.

Let go of ...clustering within the Indiana Conference of UMC; keep opportunities for cooperative ministry to grow where they do so naturally, creatively (i.e. stop trying to manage them).

Let go of ...all the hoopla (arduous steps) and huge structure of the Board of Ordained Ministry process for ministerial candidates; keep mentors, quality educational, mental health & family standards for future/current leaders within the church.

For our local congregation, Calvary United Methodist Church, here in suburba Indiana...

Let go of ...idea that someone else will fix it, do it, take care of it, and/or give financially for ministry to happen; keep and embrace personal responsbility for all to exhibit leadership in ministry (lay, staff, clergy alike).

Let go of ...our busyness, distractions, and life-clutter; keep inner stillness in order to listen more deeply to one another and grow our relationships with God, self and others.

Let go of ...our hang ups, nervousness, uncomfortability or whatever it is that keeps us from cracking open a Bible to learn or attending a small group in order to find out more about God and our Christian faith; keep small groups of all kinds open and operational as little communities of hospitality, wholeness, and great learning!

What do you want to let go of?

What do you want to keep?