Posted: October 23rd, 2008 | Author: ak | Filed under: Apostolic, Quotes, UMC, leadership | Tags: Apostolic, apostolical, apostolicity, Asbury, organizations, Wesley | No Comments »
From Wesley to Asbury: Studies in Early American Methodism
by Frank Baker
Durham, N.C: Duke University Press, 1976
ISBN 0822303590, 978-0822303596
“Asbury’s apologia pro vita sua was contained in ‘A Valedictory Address’ to Bishop William McKendree, dated August 5, 1813. In this he used two important adjectives to describe Methodism as he envisioned it: ‘apostolical’ and ‘missionary.’ He claimed that contrary to popular opinion it was still possible for Methodism to retain ’such doctrines, such discipline, such convictions, such conversions, such witnesses of sanctification, and such holy men, ‘ as ‘in former apostolical days.’ But only if they remained a missionary church, if their preachers, bishops and elders alike, itinerated, as did Paul, Timothy, and titus, thus maintaining ‘the traveling apostolic order and ministry that is found in our very constitution.’” (these later quotes are from Asbury’s Journal, III, 475-92, especially pp. 475-6, 491-2) p. 139
The Radical Wesley: Pattern for Church Renewal
By Howard Snyder
Published by Zondervan, 1987
ISBN 0310444713, 9780310444718
“Wesley, the master organizer, never built a great evangelistic organization. He simply went everywhere preaching, and he sent out other preachers in similar pattern. Wesley’s gift for organization was bent toward the one objective of forming a genuine people of God within the institutional church. He concentrated not on the efforts leading up to decision but on the time after decision. His system had little to do with publicity or public image but everything to do with building the community of God’s people. From the beginning of Wesley’s great ministry in 1738, the secret of his radicality lay in his forming little bands of God-seekers who joined together in earnest quest to be Jesus’ disciples. He ‘organized to beat the devil’ — not to make converts but to turn converts into saints. Wesley would have nothing of ’solitary religion,’ secret Christians or faith without works.” p. 2
Posted: October 17th, 2008 | Author: ak | Filed under: Reflections, environment | Tags: composting, environment, gardening, maggots | No Comments »
These guys rock! They are amazing composters and processors of food and bio waste. They live in what started as a worm composting bin (but the maggots ate them out of house and home).
By the way, these guys are Black Soldier Fly maggots (learn more here). They are safe, disease-free, super-eaters (see this site – http://www.thebiopod.com/). Oh, and our diapers (the wet ones, not the poopy ones) are compostable (made by Nature Babycare, we love them and we’ve never had a blowout or leak!).
Posted: October 2nd, 2008 | Author: ak | Filed under: Church Planting, UMC, leadership, notes | Tags: Bishop, Church Planting, clergy, leadership, UMC | No Comments »
I met the new Bishop of The Kentucky Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church today at a clergy pow-wow. Lindsey Davis is his name. Here are some notes from the gathering:
Pastoral Effectiveness evaluated by:
- number of professions of faith (making disciples)
- worship attendance increase
Expectations
- Godly character
- To be a spiritual leader
- Practice the disciplines of our faith
- pray
- scripture study for the feeding of your soul
- worship
- acts of mercy – daily contact with the poor, an advocate for the most vulnerable among us (children, the addicted, the prisoner)
- Uphold and actively teach the doctrine and theology of the UMC
- Accept the authority of those who supervise your ministry
- Itineracy
- Be an evangelist (Luke 10.2)
- Work hard, take care of your health
- Take care of your family
- Don’t take yourself too seriously (take the work you are called to do seriously, but not yourself. It’s not about you! It’s about the Kingdom!)
- Use good pastoral judgement
- Finish the race
152,000 members of the UMC in Kentucky
300,000 people of Kentucky say they are a member or affiliated with the UMC
- We are a Sent Ministry (we need to learn to go and learn to let go)
3 areas of focus:
- Planting new churches (650 churches planted this quadrivium, 3 per year in KY)
- Leadership Development (of clergy and laity)
- Extraordinary Mission Outreach (local and global)
Primary task of a local church is to make disciples
Primary task of the conference is to develop leaders for the task
Only 6 elders under age 35 in KY conference
Inquire:
- What is the average retirement age of Pastors in the KY conference?
- What are the age ranges of Pastors in the KY conference?
