UMC Like a Castle

The United Methodist Church feels like a medieval castle -- predetermined roles and rules, with guards posted at every door. How did we Americans construct such from relatively simple principles of early Methodism? The immediate heirs to the Wesleys' legacy created a church that suited the infant United States. They organized into conferences to combat fierce isolation and preserve a collective identity. The space we've occupied for so long has had a blinding impact on our ability to see the spiritual. We now have a heavy investment in the castle, and feel compelled to protect it by maximizing stability and minimizing risks. "Renewal" movements sound the trumpet for Methodists to rise and march -- back to the castle. Touting our heritage is a tactic that bores young adults to tears. The result is a castle on its way to being a museum. [The Rev. Eric Van Meter, Wesley Foundation, Arkansas State University at Jonesboro, United Methodist Reporter, February 8, 2008]

Asking Folks Not to Join

Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, is one of the largest UMCs in the nation -- having added 1,139 members in 2007. But membership orientation meetings purposefully discourage people from joining, according to Dan Entwistle, director of ministries. In the first half of an orientation, attendees are told: "Our aim today is to talk you out of joining. Membership has no privileges, only responsibilities." Prospective members are told that they will be expected to contribute financially, show up every Sunday unless out of town or sick, and to put in volunteer hours. "High expectation churches are the ones that tend to be growing," Entwistle said. "People want to know they are making a difference." Attendees are invited to come back for the second half of orientation -- but only if they're ready to make the commitment. "We make it really permissive to hear and leave, and maybe join later," Entwistle says. [United Methodist Reporter, February 8, 2008]