In a perfect example of the top down style that is the United Methodist Church, our primary governing body, General Conference, "voted in" a new membership vow this year. "Witness" is now added to our other vows to grow in our presence, praying, giving, and serving as disciples of Jesus.
I have no doubt that witness is a great choice (I don't know what the other ones were). However, I am not confident that adding another vow will transform us into something we are not. Surely a plethora of materials will help us interpret this new vow to congregations and to individuals.
But adding witness is not going to help us if we have failed to teach the full breadth of what the other vows mean. Prayers, presence, gifts, and service, all witness to who we are and to whom we belong to as Christ's people. So my suggestion is not to look at it as a fifth vow, even though that is what may be intended. Instead, look at faithful witness as the natural outcome of growth in each of the other four areas of growth as a disciple: presence, prayers, gifts, and service.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Oldies but Goodies
-
Can we put texting in the rear view mirror? I can save an easy ten minutes in the morning by shaving with my Norelco triple Header whil... -
The words attributed to Einstein, "The same consciousness that created a problem cannot solve it" provides the mission of Signs of...
-
The 13th Station of Light is from Acts 1:14: "All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, in... -
According to Luke, the crowd on Palm Sunday is associated with those sympathetic to Jesus: "a whole multitude of the disciples" an... -
Encourage each other every day, as long as it’s called “today." Hebrews 3:13 If it be so, O listener, dear to him in all his visi...
No comments:
Post a Comment