More than a Catch Phrase

One of the catch phrases that we heard several times at Annual Conference was “vital congregations.” This is certainly not a new concept, but it is one that is receiving renewed attention at this time in the life of The United Methodist Church.
Bishop Scott J. Jones, Bishop of the Kansas Area, and Jill Foss, Conference Lay Leader, highlighted the
characteristics of vital congregations in their “State of the Conference” presentation this year, naming them as:

• Inviting and inspiring worship
• Engaged disciples in mission and outreach
• Gifted, equipped, and empowered lay leadership
• Effective, equipped and inspired clergy leadership
• Small groups
• Strong children’s programs and youth ministry

Bishop Jones has also shared his ideas in a blog post about “vital congregations,” concluding his comments by writing,
“The main challenge facing our denomination today is to increase the number of vital churches.”
There has been a major emphasis at the level of the general church to assess the situation for The United
Methodist Church in North America, with the results published as a “Call to Action.”The goal of this process
is nothing less than “Reordering the Life of the Church.”
The General Council on Finance and Administration has developed an online data reporting system
known as “VitalSigns.” This includes a weekly online report of a congregation’s worship attendance, professions of faith, small group involvement, local outreach, missional support, and local church giving.  For the time being, participation in this reporting system is voluntary, although it sounds like momentum is gathering for it to be an expectation.

The General Board of Discipleship has published “Pathways to Congregational Vitality.” The Missouri Conference has developed a program called the “Healthy Church Initiative.”
So, what does all this hoopla and hyperbole mean for First United Methodist Church in downtown Hutchinson, Kansas? Perhaps nothing, but perhaps everything.

I want to spend some time together during the Sundays in July looking at “vital signs” for our congregation—
both in our life together as a community and in our lives individually as believers. I invite us to be in
study and prayer about this matter, as we move forward together into God’s future.
Grace and Peace,
Mark Conard