September 2009
Over the course of thirty-five years that I was a pastor in seven appointments and six districts I looked forward to the twin events of Charge Conference and the annual statistical summary with the same anticipation of a visit to the dentist for a root canal. God surely has a sense of humor as evidenced by my appointment to the role of district superintendent. Now it is my turn to inflict the pain of accountability by conducting over fifty such operations this fall. I offer these words of confession, seeking both forgiveness and absolution. In point of fact, I have diligently sought for ways to change the culture and form of these Charge Conferences in the Charlotte District throughout these past six years.
I always become animated and engaged when events in the life of the church are intricately connected with the theology of our historical faith. In the spirit of John Wesley, I seek to be a practical theologian and consequently feel that all we do in the administration of the church should emerge out of our biblical-based understanding of God. The conduct of Charge Conference especially fits into the arena of theological reflection upon the mission of the church and the equipping of Christ‘s disciples.
At Annual Conference Bishop Goodpaster articulated the theological framework for our tasks within the local church and set the tone and content for each charge conference—those conferencing activities required by the rules of the United Methodist Discipline. Our Episcopal leader firmly believes that the administrative priorities of each congregation in the WNC Conference should emerge out of our theological Vision Statement: we are the people of God whose central calling is to follow Jesus, make disciples and transform the world. Empowerment for making a reality of this ambitious vision comes from an infusion of the Holy Spirit into the corporate body of our local churches. Without this source of power, our stated vision is wishful thinking, pretentious posturing, and vacuous verbiage.
We Wesleyans are Trinitarians. God is One Lord in three persons or forms. The power of God is especially manifested through the movement of God‘s Spirit within the corporate life of the local church. God the eternal Father is the source of all creation whose being is most clearly revealed to us through the gift of God‘s redeeming Son, Jesus. The crucified God who came to us in the weakness of this servant conquered death by dying; thus, God comes to us in the present moment with risen power in the form of the Holy Spirit. The power of God to trans-form the world through the actions of his disciples in every era, consequently, is derived from the infusion of God‘s loving, redemptive Spirit. The power of God to transform the world through the actions of his disciples in every era, consequently, is derived from the infusion of God‘s loving, redemptive Spirit. The doctrine of the trinity is a statement of eschatological hope, for we are drawn toward the future that God is always creating, and we know that, in all things, God‘s ultimate will shall ultimately become a reality. There is power in this Trinitarian understanding of the one God in three forms—the power of three.
It was in this theological context that Bishop Goodpaster articulated visionary goals for our conference over the next three years: 300,000 total members in the Western NC Conference, 30,000 more people in worship, 3,000 mission teams sent both near and far away in the name of Christ, 300 resurrected churches (from stagnation and decline to life in exuberant mission), and 30 new faith communities by the conclusion of 2012.
Each Charge Conference will provide an opportunity for our churches to demonstrate how a particular local church will participate in making these visionary goals a reality. During a designated period of 30-40 minutes each church will have opportunity to share insights into how this community of faith plans to be a part of the future that God wants for the Church.
In candor we may need to confess during this time of sharing that little has actually been accomplished in evan-gelism, mission teams, or programs designed to reenergize a stagnant church. But this may be an opportunity to project strategies for change. If we fail to plan, we shall surely plan to fail. If the bishop‘s challenge has stimulated no response in the administration of your church, it is indeed time for scheduled periods for prayer and contemplation. When we have no hope in the future, we also have no power in the present.
Christian Schwarz, who heads the Institute for Natural Church Development, includes a curious gauge in the NCD inventory that asks the participants to respond to the statement, “There is a lot of laughter in our church.” He observes that there is a strong correlation of laughter in the halls of a church and the quality of a church‘s life. Vital congregations are places of joy. I envision a time in which all our charge conferences will be occasions of joy, laughter, tears of inspiration, testimonies from changed lives, and the celebration of the powerful things God is doing in our faith communities. It is for this reason that I have scheduled my next dental appointment just a few days after our last Charlotte District Charge Conference.
Grace and peace,
George
George Thompson
Charlotte District Superintendent
