Transformation Volume 3 Issue 3
Ministry Magazine
of
The Desert Southwest Conference
Christian Leadership Can Transform the World
Fall 2011 | Desert Southwest Conference Communications | www.desertsouthwestconference.org
Fall 2011
Contents
Contents Publisher’s Pen
3
What is Christian Leadership?
4
The New Leader and the Future of the Church
5
The Church + Technology = Social Leadership
8
Godly Play, Lessons of Faith and Leadership
10
Se Inicia La Escuela de Formacion Liderazgo
20
A New Leadership Training School Has Begun Who Will Lead Us Into The Future?
Rev. Dan Hurlbert at Desert Southwest Annual Conference June 2011
Special Features Disney & the Church Exceeding Expectations & Overcoming Stereotypes
12
Lifting Up Methodist Women in Leadership
14
21 22
UMNS Photo by Cassandra Zampini
Read Transformation online at http://www.desertsouthwestconference.org/Transformation 2 | Transformation | Fall 2011
M inistry M agazine
of
T he D esert S outhwest C onference
Fall 2011 Volume 3, Issue 3 Contributors
For general inquiries or subscription information, e-mail: communications@desertsw.org, call 602-266-6956, or mail Communications Department, 1550 E. Meadowbrook Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85014-4040. Transformation is provided quarterly in Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter by the Communications Department of The Desert Southwest Conference. Transformation is also available online by going to www.desertsouthwestconference. org/transformation. Individual articles and photos may be used by DSC churches and organizations. Views in Transformation come from representatives of official Conference groups or by request of Conference Staff. Viewpoints may only be those of the writer and may not be representative of the entire Conference. Questions about the reproduction of individual articles or photos should be directed to Stephen J. Hustedt, Conference Director of Communications (602-266-6956 ext. 220 or steve@desertsw.org).
By Stephen J. Hustedt, Director of Communications
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eadership, and specifically servant leadership, is an area often held up to be important in The United Methodist Church. It is a priority in The Desert Southwest Conference Strategic Direction and as an area of focus for the entire United Methodist Church. Even with such a focus on leadership the church still laments a lack of strong leaders which is causing ministry to fall short. Additionally, leadership in a Christian context is even more complex than it is in other settings. It would appear to almost be contradictory to that of the secular world’s definition of a leader who is sometimes believed to have been “born a leader” because of his/her commanding authority and influence. The definition of a Christian leader is more about the motivation behind the influence which comes from service, listening, and following. True servant leaders must follow the example of Jesus and be brave enough to stand up for what is right, while remaining humble and focused on God’s abundant love. Christian leaders must embrace a changing world that desperately needs to hear the Good News, but must remain firmly planted in the spiritual practices that bring them closer to God. There is not a single workshop or book that can develop an individual into a fully matured Christian leader. There are no quick fixes to fill the void of diverse and strong leadership we experience in the church. Forming Christian leaders is a long and intense process. Indeed, we may not even know where to start filling the void. Still, leadership remains a focus in The United Methodist Church because we cannot fulfill our call to make disciples of Jesus for the transformation of the world without leadership. New, diverse, strong, and principled leaders must be brought up. So how do we begin?
Stephen J. Hustedt There is good news. Through Jesus there is no crisis that we cannot overcome. There are answers out there to how we develop diverse and strong Christian leaders. This issue of Transformation will explore some of those possible answers and look at leadership in the church through different filters. It will attempt to provide tools and direction to those looking to raise up new leaders and encourage those who may be called to move into leadership. All things are possible through God, even transforming the world. † Christian leaders find influence from service, listening and following.
UMNS photo by Mike DuBose Fall 2011 | Transformation | 3
By Stephen J. Hustedt, Director of Communications
Rev. Mary Lou Adame, Rev. Joel Bullock, Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño, Rev. Jay Cooper, Christina Dillabough, Rev. Dan Hurlbert, Stephen J. Hustedt, Rev. Cynthia Kristopeit, Rev. Dr. Candace Lansberry, Rev. Dr. Jimelia Martin, Rev. Robert Rynders, Glen Simpson, Rev. Jane A. Tews, Rev. Karen Vannoy, Bishop Jaime Vázquez, Rev. Jeri Wilkerson
Publisher’s Pen
Transformation
Raising up Christian leaders is possible through God
What is Christian Leadership? By Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño
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eadership raises many images for me. In community organizing I have learned about primary, secondary and tertiary leaders. Primary leaders are the ones who can see the bigger picture, hold up a vision, and inspire others to work toward the vision. Secondary leaders can gather others and organize them for the work ahead. Tertiary leaders are those who can take specific tasks and make sure they get done, like assuring that a meeting place is acquired and set up for gatherings. While some persons have natural leadership traits, others learn how to lead. There are leaders who can spark a whole movement, and leaders who lead through 4 | Transformation | Fall 2011
long perseverance. In the church I have seen all of these aspects of leadership, but I understand Christian leadership to be so much more. As disciples of Jesus we follow his leadership. Jesus is our model for how we are to lead, our primary leader who holds up the vision of the world as it should be. With Jesus we journey toward this world of redemption and reconciliation, of justice and peace, of being the persons God our Creator made us to be. Our leadership as Christian disciples is focused on and committed to joining Christ Jesus in the re-creation of the world. We are called to significant world transforming leadership.
Jesus was a primary leader, charismatic and inspiring, but he also broke the rules of leadership. Leaders are expected to be seen in the positions of power, up front. They are to assume the best place at the table of authority. Others are to follow leaders at their beck and call. Jesus says, “That may be the way the present world works, but this isn’t the way you are to lead. Look at me, I came to serve” (Luke 22:24-27). Servant leadership is the character of our leadership as followers of Jesus. We are to serve in the world in the name of Jesus the Christ bringing healing to a broken world, challenging evil wherever it exists, and proclaiming the good news that God has heard our human cry, seen our suffering, and sent Jesus to us full of mercy and grace. We serve even sacrificially, out of love for God and love for our neighbor. Is this not the greatest lesson Jesus came to teach us? Our leadership must always point not to us but to Jesus who is our leader and our hope. We have great leaders in the Desert Southwest Conference, clergy and lay alike, men and women, young people and even children. I can only begin to imagine what God can do through us if we will but trust God and serve in the name of Christ Jesus. I can assure you that if we lead as Christ’s own servant leaders, the world will be transformed! †
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The new leader
and the future
of the church By Rev. Karen Vannoy, Covenant Council Chairperson
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oren Mead of the Alban Institute noted that churches are going through the most significant changes since the fourth century. We are, in Mead’s words: “pulled by the new and constrained by the old.” Or as the Call to Action bluntly stated, the way we do church no longer works. One look at our own conference’s Strategic Direction reveals the crucial role leadership is to bear in changing the trajectory of our churches. While no one knows what tomorrow’s church will look like, it is clear that a new kind of leader is needed to navigate this sea of change. Three old leadership assumptions have proven themselves to be either inadequate or unhelpful. They are: 1. Leadership training which focuses only on training for the task: We have issued guidelines and job descriptions for everyone from the pastor to the church secretary. Yet in all of this verbiage, we have continued to go downhill. While leaders clearly need to know their specific task, too much attention has been paid to this while neglecting more important areas. 2. In the past the job of a leader was to recruit and inspire followers, and the success of a leader was measured by the number of followers she/he acquired:
Winning church elections became a sign of leadership, as did winning the vote on anything. 3. Unspoken but nonetheless true, we have placed as paramount the expectation for leaders to maintain the structure and procedures of church: Delegates to regional, jurisdictional and national conferences too often strengthened failing structures and shored up cumbersome procedures, often without accountability from those structures themselves. We do not need nor can we afford to wait until the new paradigm for church emerges to make changes in our leadership practices. A new breed of leader is already emerging. Many of the qualities we need are budding forth within our fold; others are found in organizations outside of The United Methodist Church. While there’s no denying that some leadership traits seem inborn and God given, the ones named here can all be taught as skills necessary for today’s church to become the church for tomorrow.
The new leader is more about developing other leaders than about acquiring new followers Two factors are critical here. One is that we are in a leadership crisis in our local churches. We know what needs to be done to bring about remaking the church, but we simply do not have the leadership to implement the changes. This can be seen in points highlighted in the Vital Congregations report: •
We need more small groups but don’t have the leaders to start them. Story continues on page 6 Fall 2011 | Transformation | 5
Continued from page 5
Prayer before a disaster response UMNS Photo by Mike Dubose
•
•
We need more programs for children and youth but lack the leaders for the basic ministries of Sunday school and youth programs. We need to share our faith in worship, grocery stores, ball fields, locker rooms, restaurants and bars, yet most of our laity are too uncomfortable and ill prepared to do so.
The second factor is the leadership model Jesus provided. He worked with the kind of ordinary people we see every day. Yet he brought out in them the passion and belief to change the world. He focused on the transformation of those around him, and through them, the world itself was transformed. Every leader today must see as his/her primary task to identify and unleash the leadership abilities in others.
preferences run contrary to the basic purpose of the church. This practice can be seen in everything from the way we conduct worship to the way we handle the use of our property. It is no respecter of age and can be as operational in youth groups as it is in older adults. We spend time, money, and energy maintaining programs and practices our membership likes, but do not reach or appeal to people outside our walls. This will always be a tendency of congregational life, but our leaders must challenge the preferences and maintain focus (time, money, and leadership energy) on our purpose: to make new disciples and transform the world.
The new leader is able to The new leader is willing deal with conflict to subsume personal preferences to the basic purpose of the church Too many of our churches are preference driven and not gospel driven. The personal preferences of the membership are valued so highly they are not sacrificed even when those 6 | Transformation | Fall 2011
Gil Rendle said the old model of church prized keeping the people happy and the clergy satisfied. Conflict was seen as a sign that the people weren’t happy, and clergy dissatisfaction surely followed. Even a cursory reading of the New Testament will reveal that deep, troublesome conflict was a prominent feature of the early church and before them, within the fellowship of the disciples. Conflict, in fact is a catalyst for creativity, and many business leaders today will mine conflict as a way of keeping their organizations on their toes and always looking ahead. We
needn’t be afraid of conflict; the early church weathered it and so can we. It’s how we handle conflict that is the key. The new leader keeps the focus on Christ and our purpose, not on ancillary issues. Conflict that sinks to character assassination, that isolates or condemns the “losing side,” that has as its resolution a goal not in keeping with the gospel (think color of the new carpet, getting rid of the pastor, or contemporary vs. traditional worship music). That sort of conflict will arise, but must be named for what it is: destructive to the cause of Christ. Constructive conflict sets guidelines so that people can be heard. With constructive conflict decisions are made after prayer and study. Leadership can support the decisions and the body as a whole can move forward. Handling conflict means saving it for the things that really matter.
Rev. Lorenza Andrade Smith visiting with Lester, a homeless man to understand the plight of the homeless and needy. UMNS Photo by Mike DuBose
The new leader is strategic but not political
We often hear the criticism; the church is too political. What do you think is meant by that? If we advocate for the poor, as Jesus did, we will find ourselves in competition for power and leadership around this issue. When do we cross the fine line between strategy and politics? One Webster definition describes politics as activities characterized by “artful and often dishonest practices.” Most likely the criticism is rooted in our lobbying or bargaining over positions or candidates for the sake of winning or maintaining control by particular leaders, and when the connection between the issues cannot be easily connected to the core of the gospel. When we strategize to
win souls for Christ we are engaged in discipleship. When we strategize to maintain power and leadership (even if we claim to do so in the name of Christ) we are engaged in politicizing the gospel. One thing is clear, the new leader must be open to examination on this, and stays clear of being “too artful.”
The new leader is authentic & real, without posturing or pretensions
Church leader and Pastor Jay Cooper, invite people to an unconventional Bible study atmosphere. Photo provided by Pastor Jay Cooper In 1906 Albert Schweitzer said the study of Jesus has been for theology a school of honesty (The Quest for the Historical Jesus by Albert Schweitzer). Without authenticity we will die. Nothing can be more antithetical to the cause of Christ than a Christian who has to hide his/her true feelings, ideas, concerns and behaviors in order to exercise leadership. The young, especially, can sense genuineness, and many of them report that is why they don’t like church. Alcoholics Anonymous does a better job of being real in a community setting than we do. How do they get there? By valuing honesty over good behavior, and by not judging others who fall off the path. This is possible for us as well, and is our true heritage as Christians. Our hope rests not just on ourselves but in the knowledge that God never assigns us a task that we are not capable of meeting. Because of who God is, we already have the people needed to lead us into tomorrow’s church. We just need to experiment with some new blueprints along the way. † Fall 2011 | Transformation | 7
The Church + Technology =
Social Leadership By Pastor Jay Cooper, Jacob’s Well UMF and Christina Dillabough, Designer/Editor
In social gatherings, two topics are usually taboo: politics and religion. The latter of the two is part of the conversation we take part in when we live out what our Conference and The United Methodist Church has committed to do, making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. It’s pretty tough to talk about making new disciples without ever talking about your church or your religion. Yet, talking about technology at your church can be a fun and fascinating conversation if your church is making the most of technology and social media. If you are talking about Jacob’s Well UMF, it’s also a pretty funny conversation. Just type in the following link in your web browser to view one 8 | Transformation | Fall 2011
of the humorous videos used during worship: http://tinyurl.com/6ardb5j. Better yet, just click on the embedded link in the online version of this publication at http://www.desertsouthwestconference. org/transformation. Jacob’s Well UMF is doing some amazing things with technology. They have a simple but engaging website that doesn’t feel overloaded. http://www.jacobswellumc. org contains an online calendar, ways to connect/meet through social media, an online newsletter subscription page, e-mail the pastor page, prayer request page, and the pastor’s blog, along with their story about leadership, and what they believe. Through their website, you can donate online and so much more!
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UMNS Photo
“The main reason we’re exploring new ways of reaching out to people through technology and creative media is because it seems clear that our definition of church has to expand beyond Sunday morning worship or even weekday Bible studies. For better or worse, people are so incredibly busy today and finding it more difficult to make our designated ‘church’ times fit into their schedules. We could make them feel guilty for choosing soccer over worship on Sunday mornings or ‘Dancing with the Stars’ over our evening Bible study, or we can try to reach them where they live and work and play. One of the ways we can do this is through technology, which has a way of seeping into every aspect of our lives. I mean, who doesn’t check their Facebook page or waste time online while at the office at least 10 minutes a day or more? Why not use those media to give people an opportunity during their day-to-day work and busyness to reflect on their faith, engage in a short spiritual discussion or comment on a few scripture verses? Our church Facebook page has a discussion tab where you can start an on-going conversation about a book or scripture passage. It’s easy to use a simple function like this to expand our definition of church to a community of friends and strangers ‘meeting’ at various times throughout the day to grow in their faith. I love the idea of blurring the so-called sacred and secular worlds so that our understanding of church continually explodes outside of four walls. The need to gather for corporate worship and fellowship will always exist, but won’t it be cool when the day comes when the saying, ‘I go to church’ no longer makes sense?” -Pastor Jay Cooper
New Church making use of Technology Photo by Jacob’s Well UMF
ReThink church would agree. Just visit http://www.rethinkchurch.org and click on the Learn More tab. The website states, “Consider with us that spirituality and church doesn’t have to be confined to a building, or to a Sunday, to be real. It is an everyday connection, present and available anywhere, anytime. It exists in global issues, communities, and it is a part of your personal life.” Churches all over the United States in various denominations are talking about the technology revolution within the church. Within our own denomination we find Grace Adventure United Methodist Church. They have no building but have a strong foundation in social media. Grace Adventure UMC invited the community through Facebook to come for free bubble tea and had 361 people attend the event!
How To Pastor Jay shares his current and future plans for the church involving the use of social media: Twitter: “I’ve resisted it for a while as a pastor because it seems to narcissistic (‘Look at me! Look at me!’) but it can be a great way to communicate with people in the way they’re accustomed to: in sound bites. We’ll have two Twitter accounts: one for me as the pastor and one for the church in general. My personal one will reflect on interesting articles I’ve read, world events, and scriptural reflections. The church account will post daily scripture readings, upcoming events
and church ‘news.’ If your Tweets aren’t interesting or engaging, no one will follow you. Also, there’s a fine line between over-Tweeting and under-Tweeting. Three tweets a day is a good rule of thumb (but only if you have something interesting to say). We’ve played around with the idea of having a Tweeting Team, but Twitter is mostly about establishing a personality with your followers so you don’t want to come off as split-personality.” Facebook: “We use it to create invites to events, post pictures of past activities, relay church news and most importantly give first-time guests or people interested in the church a ‘Face’ for the church. We’ve found that most people find us today through Facebook and not our website.” Video: “At worship we’re going to transition to pre-recorded video announcements. I’ve always thought church announcements during worship are the most boring thing, so we’re trying to spice them up a bit. I’m excited about our Jon-Stewart-esque thing where two TV news reporters give very brief re-cap of national, local and sports news (all while poking fun at each other) and then end with church announcements. It’s more engaging and memorable than me just standing up there.” Blog: Pastor Jay’s personal blog is http:// www.soulsgonewild.net. He plans on transforming it into a community blog with various writers throughout the week. Texting: Morning Star UMC from the
Missouri Conference encourages texting during their worship services and forwards the most relevant questions to the pastor’s onstage laptop. Texts not addressed during worship receive a reply thanking them for their text with an invitation to speak with the pastor at another time. Adding this teen-friendly way of communicating increased the church popularity with local teens so much that Morning Star UMC became the fastest-growing new UMC in the state of Missouri. It averages 2,200 people in worship at four services.
Final Push/Thoughts
In the Holston Conference, Out of The Box Worship Center has been labeled one of the fastest new-church starts in The United Methodist Church. Pastor Ronnie Collins explained, “Jesus hung out where the people were, and today the people hang out on Facebook.” The use of technology and social media is not reserved for “new church starts” or “mega churches.” Existing small congregations can use these resources to boost their current attendance and attract a younger population to their services, mission projects and outreach events. The Dakota City UMC in Nebraska installed three 55-inch LCD screens in the sanctuary instead of a more expensive rear projection system. Now they can make use of online resources like http://www. Story continued on next page Fall 2011 | Transformation | 9
Church + Technology = Social Leadership sharefaith.com, and http:// www.youtube.com to enhance their worship experience. They can prerecord people from their congregation for testimony videos. This Dakota church actually saved money by ordering the digital UM hymnal package instead of the newest hymnal books. Pastor Jay shares, “I’m sure there are lots of other ways of engaging our communities through technology that I’m not aware of but I hope that the church will always be open to trying new things. I’ve never
“Computers and smart phones are the new stained glass windows through which the world can connect to something beyond themselves.”
understood why the church is always light-years behind most of the world when it comes to being creative. Shouldn’t we feel the most freedom to be creative? God certainly isn’t standing in our way of trying new things.” †
– Pastor Jay
Editor’s note: For more information about how to use Social Medial at your church visit, http://www.umcom.org and click on “Social Media for Churches” found in the Knowledge Center.
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Godly Play lessons of faith and leadership
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he first time someone experiences Godly Play can be quite surprising. It is unlike any spiritual formation experience that most churches share on a Sunday morning, or any time of the week. The room is quiet, even calm. The children, easily 10-25 in a room, sit intently watching as a storyteller pulls small objects out of a box. And parents and teachers alike 10 | Transformation | Fall 2011
By Rev. Joel Bullock, First UMC of Phoenix are surprised that children who are often described as “loud” or “disruptive” sit quietly and calmly for a complete hour. Better yet, they want to come back again. What is this program that is so different from what many think of as the normal classroom setting? I was first made aware of Godly Play through a congregation member. After hearing about Godly Play, I was sure
that it was a stretch to expect kids to sit through an hour in almost silent reverence. Many adults cannot do that, including myself. There is an amazing power in Godly Play as a means to experience God’s Word in community. Godly Play brings people and the stories of the people of God together. It allows everyone a safe space to ask questions that we all carry. The
children have an opportunity to see themselves in the stories from the Bible and think about what feelings the people might have felt. It is a step toward engaging them not only in a lesson, but in a way of life. They are not told what to think or believe about the stories/lessons but rather encouraged to ask questions and among themselves ponder the answers they come up with together.
What is Godly Play? Godly Play is the art of experiencing the great parables and sacred stories of Christianity alongside silence and worship to become fully aware of the mystery of God’s presence. Pioneered by Jerome Berryman, the goal of Godly Play is to cultivate an openness to the ever present Holy Spirit, the Creator, and Redeemer. To achieve this goal, children learn the language of Christian faith creatively in community. Godly Play has been used in a wide variety of churches under different names and has been used by chaplains in hospitals, missionaries in foreign countries, pastors with congregations, and parents in family worship times. Traditionally used with children, Godly Play recognizes an innate spirituality in children that adults often forget and encourages curiosity and imagination in experiencing the mystery and joy of God. In short, Godly Play helps create an atmosphere that uses a child’s way of learning; their work is their play and their play is their work. Each lesson employs a creative process to discover depths of meaning, combining worship, communion, artistry and community. Each lesson also offers the child an opportunity to place the story in context with the larger story and within their own life experience through asking questions and using unique, art materials like modeling clay. Godly Play is also a way of preparing children to join in the worship and life of their congregations as they develop a deeper understanding of stories, symbols and rituals. Particularly, the Montessori Method that the curriculum employs parallels what most congregations practice including prayer, saying the Lord’s prayer together, taking communion, and hearing scripture. Perhaps most importantly, Godly Play is designed to meet and engage each child where they are in their faith journey.
merchant have been?” “Who was the buyer?” The children were excited to think about possibilities. However, one young girl seemed upset. Her name was Melody and she was about nine at the time. She shifted on her legs and postured herself. Her face was confused. Then in a loud, almost angry voice she said, “No one would want to ever give up everything. What is so special about the Pearl?” She demanded to know the answer. So I asked the children what they thought the Pearl might really be. They wondered some more and Melody was still not satisfied. So I suggested that she continue wondering about it and we could talk about it later. After all, many theologians spend lifetimes considering what certain stories really mean. In a traditional classroom setting, the teacher or curriculum might emphasize certain suggestions or “answers” to problems like “what is the Great Pearl?” In Godly Play, the emphasis is not on prescribed answers, but on learning to talk to God and learn to take time to answer our own questions. To do that, the storyteller must give up the authority to be right and have the answers. And even more than that, the children must learn to “Walk more slowly and speak more softly because someone might be talking to God.” The children are the ones who create a theological understanding that is so deep and moving. A few weeks went by, and Melody announced her discovery to everyone in the Godly Play class. She said she had been thinking about the story of the Pearl and had figured out what the Pearl was. She went on to say, “I started to think about the buyer and the seller and why the buyer would pay so much for the pearl. It did not make sense. But then I realized, the buyer was Jesus, and I am the Pearl.” Melody gained the confidence to articulate her faith journey and was able to share it in community. Melody often came back on Sundays encouraging others to wonder where they fit into the stories. She became a transformed disciple, and lead other children discover their faith journey in God’s wonderful Story. † Photos courtesy of Rev. Joel Bullock. Left: Godly Play lesson. Right: Girl doing her “work” during Sunday school. Contact Joel Bullock, First UMC of Phoenix at joel@firstchurchoncentral.org for additional information about Godly Play.
A Child Engages in Theology A few years ago I was the storyteller and was sharing with a group of children the parable of the Pearl of Great Price. After the story there was a time for “wondering.” Many questions were pondered like. “What was the story about?” “Who might the Fall 2011 | Transformation | 11
Disney
& the Church, By Rev. Dan Hurlbert
C as it is my own lea been both led w my own. Years ago I dis the skill set I wanted but a offer courses in multiple busi by the Disney Institute at the Dis Over the course of those d of the program we were asked to crea to make disciples of Jesus Christ. I then spent four weeks of study reviewed notes from a series of several D.I. useful pieces, and put together a unique single To date I have trained over 100 leaders most recently I trained the Desert Southwest Con The training is presented in a multi-media more leaders who feel confident in their ability to le page with regard to the mission of the church, the ima We must remember that Disney’s goal, to ma also does many things the church can learn from and gr One significant Disney concept that has importa fact, most places of amusement, like fairs and carnivals, w if his venture was to be a place where families could have the park was opened. This created not only the idea that Di (known as cast members) were to have a clean, well groom years later and decades after Walt’s death, Disney parks are Ask anyone who doesn’t go to church, “why?” and asking for money, the church is cold, unfriendly, and full of and employing radical hospitality (which Disney is also very can and should be engaged in. We can learn a lot from Disney and the world aroun Jesus’ own use of culture to draw in others “who’s picture is is appropriate. We may be surprised to find that God can use surprised, as was I, that when God is looking for leaders Go
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Left Page Photo: Rev. Dan Hurlbert and his wife, Susan Root at EPCOT Walt Disney World Right Page Photo: Members of U of A Wesley building a monorail during leadership training. Photos provided by Rev. Dan Hurlbert
Developing quality clergy and lay leadership was the point of our conference strategic direction that first grabbed my attention. I was looking to grow my own skill set as a pastor. I also knew that my current pastoral charge, Desert Skies United Methodist Church, had great lay leaders who were ready to go to the next level. I was somewhat afraid of leadership a lot like working with fire. It is great and necessary but in the wrong hands it can burn people. As I examined adership history I found instances where I had been both a good and bad leader. I also found instances where I had well and burned. It was with some reluctance that I decided the time was right to engage in leadership development on
scovered that I learn best when I am engaged in something enjoyable—so I searched for training that would not only give me also, if possible, be fun. What I found was the Disney Institute (D.I.). D.I. is the teaching arm of the Walt Disney Company. They iness topics and in various locations. In the Spring of 2008 I attended a three-and-a-half day course in “leadership excellence” taught sneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA (for information about Disney Institute see http://www.disneyinstitute.com). days I learned Disney’s best practices and was directed to reflect on how I might best use them to inform my own leadership. Near the end ate a leadership goal for ourselves. My goal was to create a leadership development program at Desert Skies that could help equip lay people
leave developing my program. In addition to my three and a half day D.I. course I read several books about Walt Disney and his company, I lectures I had previously attended, and I gathered information about Disney from the internet. I took all of my learning, extracted the most e day training event that combines some of Disney’s best practices with successful church leadership models. s at Desert Skies as well as leading full or part day trainings in local churches, campus ministries, district and conference training events, and, nference center staff. a format with several hands-on activities that represent different leadership models. The result of the training at Desert Skies has been getting ead, creating more turnover in top leadership positions with a much larger pool of leaders to draw from, and having more leaders on the same age we want to project, and the intentional behaviors we want to engage in. ake money for shareholders, and the church’s goals are different things. To achieve theirs Disney does things the church would not do. Disney row with. ant application in the church is the issue of stereotypes. When Walt set out to build Disneyland there was nothing else like it anywhere. In were seen as seedy places populated by shortchange artists and people of questionable morals (see the musical “Carousel”). Walt knew that e fun together he would have to overcome that stereotype. He did so by showing an hour of “Disneyland” on television every week before isneyland was different, it also built anticipation. Walt also insisted that the buildings and grounds look “brand new” everyday. Employees med appearance. Everybody, even Walt himself, was expected to pick up trash whenever encountered no matter what it might be. Over fifty e known for being clean and the cast members are known for their friendliness. Disney overcame the stereotype. d you are likely to hear the following stereotypes: The church is full of hypocrites who say one thing and do another; the church is always cliques. We overcome these stereotypes by practicing social holiness in putting our beliefs into action, educating people about stewardship, y good at). Disney calls this “exceeding expectations.” It is how they and we can overcome stereotypes and it is a best practice our leaders
nd us that can help us fulfill our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. I am constantly reminded of s on that coin?” and “a sower went out to sow” are but two examples of him using culture. We must sift through available ideas to find what e the likes of Disney to teach us that we too can be “a place where guests become friends and friends become family.” Perhaps you may be od can even use the likes of us. † Fall 2011 | Transformation | 13
Lifting Up Lifting Up Lifting Up United Methodist Women In Leadership
By Christina Dillabough, Communications Designer/Editor
“The United Methodist Church affirms the leadership of women. We believe that men and women are both called to leadership in the church and in the world. It has, however, not always been easy for the church to live what it believes. Women have often had to struggle to serve Christ in and through the institutional church, but women have persevered. Their perseverance has blessed the church, leading it to greater faithfulness to Christ Jesus. We must continue to find ways to welcome and encourage the leadership of women, young and old. The church and the world need the leadership of women.”
-Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño
Photo by Mike DuBose
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alk to any female clergy about their call to ministry and a few key messages continue to resound. God’s call, although often heard as a whisper, is strong and persistent. His will is often made clear through another woman’s preaching. Men and women alike often struggle with the idea of women in ordained ministry.
According to Rev. Jane A. Tews, “It is, of course, important to continue to encourage women to explore and accept a call to ministry, just as it is important to encourage every person, regardless of gender, age or station to explore ministry. Diversity among clergy adds a breadth, depth and balance that strengthen the church and more accurately reflects God’s Kingdom.” Every woman called to ministry has a unique story influenced by factors like age, race, experience, and personal history. Some of the women called to ordained ministry in The Desert Southwest Conference have agreed to share their stories. Rev. Dr. Candace Lansberry shares her story of ministry
church staff roles, it was at Young People’s Convention [YPC] in Pasadena that I received an audible call from God to enter into the candidacy process toward ordination. My initial foray into the world of The UMC was a culture shift for a long-time Mormon girl. Having women in ordained ministry was a new concept for me. Certainly women in church leadership roles were normative, I had held every position a woman could hold in my former denomination, but my experience through the early nineties in The UMC affirmed my general sense that men were more effective as pastors and preachers. The struggle to come to grips with my own call was exacerbated by my perception of the effectiveness of women in ministry whom I observed. Now, since then I have observed many wonderful women in ministry, but those in my observable experience at that time were nil. Until YPC, where the communion celebrant, a woman, wowed me with her leading of liturgy, her powerful preaching, and her overall worship leadership, which enabled me to experience God in a remarkable way. And I audibly heard God say to me, ‘You need to be doing that!’ And the gender ‘issue’ for me flew out the window. Even today, however, I occasionally come face-to-face with this bias against women in ordained ministry. Sometimes it comes from people who simply feel it is
theologically incompatible with Scripture. My only possible response to those people is to share my call, to share the call of other women in the Bible, and to lay claim to the mantle God has placed over me in my work and ministry.” There are many biblical accounts where Jesus forgave the sins of a woman and lifted her up as doing the right thing, recognizing her great faith and love for the Lord, and equipping her to proclaim the Good News. In John chapter four we learn of a Samaritan woman that met Jesus at Jacob’s well and after listening to Jesus she runs out to the city and tells others of her encounter. Many Samaritans from that city believed in Jesus because of the woman’s testimony. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” -John 8:12 (NRSV) Mary Magdalene followed Jesus just as the 12 disciples did but was never counted as a disciple of Jesus Christ. All four Gospels agree that Mary Magdalene was the first one to whom the Risen Christ appeared and she was the one Christ entrusted to tell the others. The United Methodist Church encourages its members to read Bible passages carefully, word for word and investigate the key terms and various areas of context, then state the original meaning Fall 2011 | Transformation | 15
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“I became involved in The United Methodist Church in Prescott, Arizona at the invitation of an elementary music teacher with whom I worked, who also happened to be the choir director at the local UMC. She invited me to sing in the Christmas Cantata in 1985, and that began a wonderful journey into ministry in The United Methodist Church, culminating with my ordination as an elder in 1997. My interactions with an invitational lay person, Liz McKinney; a wonderful teaching pastor at that first church, Rev. Dr. Don McIntyre; a ministry boss and mentor who got me thinking about ordained ministry, Rev. Dr. Travis Kendall; and the opportunity to serve as Christian Education and Youth Director at Claremont United Methodist Church while my husband Mark and I went to seminary enabled me to respond to God’s call to ordained ministry as I journeyed in faith with people who loved me and saw my potential. Though I explored ministry through serving as a lay person in a variety of
Every person called to ministry has a unique story. Photo courtesy Cassandra Zampini of UMNS
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United Methodist Women In Leadership of the passage and ask what the passage means today. “We interpret individual texts in light of their place in the Bible as a whole. We are aided by scholarly inquiry and personal insight, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.” (The Book of Discipline 2008, page 78 ¶104) “God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness.’” -Genesis 26 (NRSV) Man and woman both were instructed to rule over the earth in a partnership. In the book of Ruth we learn that women did not end up sharing equal rights with men. Women could not own land or work for themselves. Without a husband or son to support her, a widow would live on the outskirts of town as an outcast and could only glean to sustain herself. These laws were not divinely inspired but created and upheld by man. In the United States men and women have struggled to earn equal rights for women. But even today, people struggle with the concept of men and women being equal. For over 50 years, The United Methodist Church has officially supported women in ordained ministry but sometimes the people behave indifferently towards their newly appointed female clergy.
Rev. Dr. Jimelvia P. Martin shares her unique calling and early ministry experience “I joined The United Methodist Church in the early eighties, coming from the Episcopal Church. I moved and I encountered my first woman pastor. She was one of the first African-American women to be ordained in the South Carolina Conference. At that time she was the forerunner for Black women in ministry for the Methodist church and I saw her belittled and abused as the pastor of a two hundred member congregation. Even though they did not treat her with kindness, she mentored me and others to be leaders on the local and conference level. This was the beginning of my 16 | Transformation | Fall 2011
UMNS Photo of Bishop Linda Lee Blessing the elements journey in The United Methodist Church. While teaching the fifth grade, I could not understand why the students who went to church and Sunday school did not know the meaning of spirituality. At this time we had a pastoral change. I felt the tug on my heart to teach confirmation class. We started with four students and at the end of the class we confirmed ten youth and eight adults. My new Pastor suggested that I go to Lay Speaker school and there the instructor pulled me aside and started teaching me about the spiritual gifts. I started being the first speaker of the week for revivals and I was one of the speakers for the United Methodist Women program. It was that Sunday that my Pastor told me I was going to seminary. And the journey to ordained ministry began. At first I wanted to be a Christian Education Director, but God had other plans and I heard the calling to Pastoral ministry. One of the struggles I encountered was being accepted as the pastor of a local congregation. Even today, I have men calling me lady instead of Reverend or Pastor. During the early years of my ministry they wanted to cut the salary because I was a single female pastor stating that I did not need as much as a man. In the twenty-first century I have had men state that they did not want to pay me what the salary was because I had a husband. Many persons of my generation and older still have a hard time in accepting
the leadership and the authority that comes with the office of pastor from a woman. Before I arrived to this location, one of the young adults left the church when he found out that a woman was coming because he was taught a woman should not be over a man in church.” In 1 Timothy 2:8-15 (NRSV), Paul writes that he would not permit women to teach or have authority over man. However, the Apostle Paul writes “there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” -Galatians 3:28 (NRSV) Rev. Dr. Martin finished her story with a very familiar statement, “The expectation of the role of female clergy is a struggle. Some people recognize the awesomeness of God on your life, but most of the time they only invite you to teach and/or preach for women’s activities.” According to the 2004-2009 General Conference on Finance and Administration records which were last updated in February 2011, all of the United Methodist Conferences have a larger number of women in Lay Leadership than men. The percentages range from 57.05% female in the Southeastern Jurisdiction to 60.81% in the Western Jurisdiction. However, female vs. male Clergy percentages are nowhere near as close. The national percentage of female clergy was reported at 24.6% in the 2010 report from General Conference on Finance and Administration.
United Methodist Women In Leadership Rev. Mary Lou Adame shares her story of call and ministry “My top priority in life was not to become clergy. In fact that was the last thing on my mind. My husband and I were very involved in the ministry of the church. I was very content to work as a layperson but the Lord had other plans for me. God never gave up on me he waited patiently until I answered the call. I have a favorite scripture that has gotten me through some rough times in my life. Philippians 4:13 ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ When my husband passed away at the age of 50 after 23 years of marriage I was devastated. I was 40 years old with two children 12 and 8 years old. The death of my husband left a major void in my heart and life that I decided to keep myself busy so that I would not have time to think about my loss. The summer of 1995 I attended Lay Missionary training at Perkins School of Theology. I bonded and became friends with people that attended from other states, Carlos from Georgia a very energetic young man, Miguelina from Wisconsin, and Lupe from Albuquerque. Carlos was asked to preach while at the training and he did an awesome job. You could see that he loved preaching and serving the Lord. Once we all went home we kept in touch and then one day while watching the news Carlos’ picture was on CNN. I was in shock when they announced that he had
perished when the Value Jet he was in went down in Florida because of the canisters that exploded on board. I could not believe it, I made the comment to friends, what a loss for the Hispanic community. He was going to be an awesome preacher. The question heard was, ‘What are you going to do about it?’ I could not hide nor run away anymore. I said to Him, ‘Here I am Lord, send me.’ There are more blessings than struggles and I don’t regret going into ministry. For women thinking about going through the process of ordination I say go for it. Be strong and believe in yourself especially through the challenges. Remember that God called you into the ministry and be obedient to his call. I am in ministry first because of the call to ministry and second because there were courageous women that came before me that answered the call and with God’s strength and guidance they opened a path for women to go into ministry.” 2006 was the 50th anniversary of the General Conference of the Methodist Church granting full clergy rights for women. All local congregations were asked to observe and celebrate the full clergy rights for women and the conference sessions were to include a liturgical act as a part of this celebration. Great strides have been made in support of female clergy. Inspiring and empowering other women to become ordained. In 2009 the total female clergy count was 10,404. The following year that number increased by over 500 new female clergy!
UMNS Photos of women in ministry
Rev. Cynthia L Kristopeit shares the story of her calling into ministry “I was raised in the Lutheran Church, and some of my very first memories are of being in that old church. I remember a Christmas program that my sister and I were in vividly (I was probably about 6), along with a Mother/Daughter Banquet (violets on the tables), and standing next to my dad and aunt and being able to sing out of the hymnal. I remained very devout, and attended church, Sunday school, VBS and later youth group. At the church my family attended, Confirmation was a three-year process with strict requirements: worship every Sunday; sermon notes; choir; Sunday school and Youth Group were absolute. I later realized that kind of discipline was the formation of my calling to ministry. Years later, I would feel a strange yearning in my heart when I attended church, but I didn’t quite know what it meant. My husband had been raised United Methodist, and we visited many churches searching for the right fit. It was The United Methodist Church on the campus of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee that made me feel so welcome. The first Sunday we visited they were having communion, and they said everyone was welcome. (That was a theological change from the Lutheran Church I was raised in). It had a profound effect on me. I became very Story continued on page 18 Fall 2011 | Transformation | 17
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United Methodist Women In Leadership active in that church, even working in the office. After a move back to our hometown, we joined another United Methodist Church. It just so happens that our church received an associate female pastor (their first). Seeing the Rev. Judy Jacobson in the pulpit sent an electrical shock through my body. In an instant I knew that was the yearning inside me. That was what God had been calling me to. It was several years after that experience that I finally had an opportunity to serve as a Local Licensed Student Pastor (as I finished my undergraduate education). Those churches loved me into ministry.” It is out of the faith and witness of the congregation that men and women respond to God’s call to ordained ministry. Every local church should intentionally nurture candidates for ordained ministry and provide spiritual and financial support for their education, where practical, as servant leaders for the ministry of the whole people of God. (Excerpt of 303.4, The 2004 Book of Discipline) Through prevenient grace, God gives us a desire to know Him and live in relationship with him. This is not something that we have to strive to acquire. As difficult as it may be for the individual, male or female to discern His call, for some people, prevenient grace means a life in ordained ministry. The newly ordained, Rev. Jeri Wilkerson shares about her call into ordained ministry “I received my first call to ministry during confirmation in the Catholic Church. A deacon taught our class, and I frequently asked him meaningful questions about the faith, even perhaps challenging him at times. He affectionately received these inquisitions and answered them patiently, but more importantly, was interested in hearing what I thought. Through his nurture and the call of the Holy Spirit, I was not only ready to 18 | Transformation | Fall 2011
Photo courtesy of UMNS Woman on Greensboro walk.
confirm my baptismal vows, but to commit to Christ in a more meaningful way. With the other Confirmands I processed up the aisle of the church with my aunt Jerellen, a former nun by my side. The priest gave my hand-made stole to her and she placed it around my neck. The priest blessed me and gave me my new Catholic name, Saint Claire, the first nun who gave up her rich life to lead a monastic one. The stole around my neck felt natural and right. I knew I was being called to ordination. My only choice however, was to follow the footsteps of the other called women in my family, and become a nun. Discouraged and frustrated by my only option for ministry within my tradition, I became more and more distant from the church. By sixteen years of age, I had not only left the Catholic tradition behind, but God as well. I spent the next ten years of my life having no faith and yet, studying the Bible, so I could argue against the hypocrisy of the church and the existence of God. Then it happened. I had spent my evening arguing about the factual evidence of the story of Noah. But, while I was driving home and recalling the evening’s arguments, my heart opened up. I remembered being in love with God, and with Jesus Christ. I remembered my childhood faith. My heart triggered by memory, started to beat
harder, started to become alive again. Beauty I had not seen before surrounded me and my perspective was changed. Soon afterwards, I began to have a sense of calling again, this time to ordination as a pastor in The United Methodist Church, which I had been attending for the sake of my children. I was a doubter of all things related to church. I read the entire Book of Discipline before deciding to even become a United Methodist. I knew the serious and sometimes rigorous expectations of ordained ministry in this denomination. So my answer to God, for the next three or four years was, ‘Are you kidding? Me? You know what you’re getting into, right?’ I kept expecting God to change course and pick someone else. God kept leading me to stories of Moses, David and Paul; imperfect, flawed, doubtful, incorrigible people who God chose to become leaders. At the same time I was being encouraged by Rev. Dr. Candace Lansberry to become more and more involved at Song of Life UMC. It felt good to teach and to preach, to lead others in small groups and to create worship but I couldn’t leave my five and ten year old children to attend seminary. I couldn’t ask my family to uproot themselves and move to California. How would I tell my Catholic mom I wanted to become a
United Methodist minister?! Those excuses weren’t enough. I soon found myself on a plane headed toward Claremont School of Theology for three days of the week. Seminary was lifechanging and transformative, and though I went there to study about God and religion and the church, I learned so much more about myself and God’s call on my life. It was grueling and hard, but so wonderful and worth it. I was nurtured by the community of women I lived with who were also defining what it meant to be women in ministry. Our conversations sparked revelations about who we were in life and who we were as called by God. Significant, long lasting, and supportive relationships became the foundation of my ministry and my life. This year at Annual Conference, I processed down an aisle, my Aunt’s convent ring on my finger. Watching proudly from the audience were two significant women who were on this journey with me, my daughter and a friend from seminary who nurtured my calling and continues to nurture it. I said my vows and I stood and received a hand-made stole, laid upon me by Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño, the first woman Bishop I had ever met, and by Rev. Dr. Candace Lansberry, the second woman pastor I had ever met and I received my new name. ‘Take thou authority, Rev. Jerellen Espinosa Wilkerson.’ My name, because God called me, just as I am, imperfect, and a bit of a rebel, but faithful and true, a woman after God’s own heart.”
Ciona Rouse leading others for the Greensboro walk. Photo courtesy of UMNS Conclusion Although the call to ministry is not an easy road for anyone, it is a life in relationship with Jesus. Even in biblical times, that was not easy but so worth it. Imagine for a moment what it meant for the disciples to drop everything and follow Jesus. None of them, not even Judas wrote
anything about regretting their decision to follow Jesus. There is an accounting of immense regret for choosing to deny Him. The burden is heavy but those that feel the call to ministry must also drop everything and begin the pursuit. †
Editor’s Note: Any person who feels called to ordained ministry should first talk with a pastor or district superintendent. He or she will be able to help finding the appropriate contacts and discern the first steps to take towards ordination. Additional information can be found at the following three websites: Explore Calling: http://www.gbhem.org/explorecalling Ordained and Licensed Ministry: http://www.gbhem.org/ordainedministry Beginning Candidacy: http://www.gbhem.org/beginningcandidacy Fall 2011 | Transformation | 19
El Plan Nacional de Ministerio Hispano/Latino (NPHLM) de la Iglesia Metodista Unida describe los pasos para abordar las cuestiones espirituales, sociales y económicos. Es un plan de cuatro partes que se centra en el desarrollo de nuevos líderes, nuevas congregaciones, iniciativas de inmigración y asistencia médicas en la comunidad Hispana o Latina. El plan nacional está trabajando para resolver la importante tarea de formación de futuros líderes. Uno de los objetivo en este plan es alquilar 75 nuevas iglesias Hispanas para el año 2012. Además de orientación espiritual la iglesia Metodista Unida tiene programas que incluyen servicios jurídicos, defensa pública y educación para asegurarse de que los problemas de fe, crecimiento personal, y crecimiento social no se omiten. El Plan Nacional implementa estrategias que centran Cristo para cerrar la brecha entre los ciudadanos y la asistencia médica. Aplicación de la NPHLM no sólo crea nuevos centros de alabar El Señor, resulta en la revitalización de los barrios. Para aprender más acerca de la NPHLM, visite http:// new.gbgm-umc.org/plan/hispanic/.
Notas: Para aprender más sobre Liderazgo en los ministerios hispanos, hable con Obispo Jaime Vázquez Olmeda en: 1550 E. Meadowbrook Avenue Phoenix, Arizona 85014 Tel: (602) 266-6956 Ext 213 E-mail: jvazquez@desertsw.org
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Se Inicia La Escuela de Formacion de Liderazgo C Obispo Jaime Vázquez Coordinador de Ministerios Hispanos
uando fui nombrado como coordinador de ministerios hispano en la Conferencia del Desierto del Suroeste, me di a la tarea de visitar a cada una de las siete congregaciones hispanas existentes en Phoenix, Somerton, Nogales, Tucson y Las Vegas. Congregaciones hermosas con gente cálida, sedienta del Señor. Algunas de estas Iglesias se habían iniciado hace poco tiempo, otras ya con muchos años de fundadas dentro de nuestra Conferencia. Me encontré que los pastores que atienden estas congregaciones están en el proceso de la preparación teológica y son pastores locales y líderes laicos, que valientemente han aceptado el llamado santo de servir a Dios al frente de una comunidad Cristiana de nuestra amada Iglesia Metodista Unida. Y todos ellos con una pasión por llevar el mensaje de salvación al pueblo hispano. A pesar de ello, estas congregaciones son pequeñas, van desde cinco personas hasta setenta personas aproximadamente y me cuestionaba, “Que podemos hacer para que nuestras congregaciones hispanas crezcan?” “Como podemos alcanzar a la comunidad hispana que rodea a estas iglesias?” Qué programas podemos implementar para motivar y capacitar a los miembros laicos de estas iglesias para llevar a cabo la gran comisión de ir y predicar el evangelio de Jesucristo? La respuesta de Dios en oración fue, el de iniciar una Escuela de Formación de Liderazgo, cuyo objetivo y enfoque principal, fuera el de capacitar por medio de talleres a los líderes laicos para que tuvieran las herramientas para cumplir con el llamado de compartir de las Buenas Nuevas de Salvación en su iglesia local.
El 24 de septiembre de 2011 iniciamos las primeras clases de liderazgo. Fue una día lleno de emociones al escudriñar las Escrituras y descubrir cada uno de los asistentes el llamado personal que Dios nos está haciendo y el reto tan grande de responder al Creador. Siempre teniendo en claro que la bendición viene solo del Padre Celestial. Nosotros comunicamos el evangelio y la obra redentora la hace Dios. Con materias como Replanteando la Iglesia, Crecimiento de Iglesia, Evangelismo y Discipulado, Multiplicación de Ministerios, Homilética, Educación Cristiana, Mayordomía, etc. Se dio inicio a esta Escuela en las instalaciones del Templo El Mesías en Nogales, Sonora. Tuvimos una asistencia de nueve personas. Cada uno participaba con gran entusiasmo. Es seguro que reconocieron la gran responsabilidad que tienen en completar esta clase de formación. Y así como los discípulos de Jesucristo, puedan ellos también ir al frente y reclutar a otros líderes para los ministerios Hispanos para la gloria y honra de Dios. Esta es nuestra oración que a través de estas capacitaciones, los líderes laicos de cada congregación sean capacitados con herramientas y aprendizajes puestos al servicio de Dios, y que la unción fresca y el poder del Espíritu Santo obre en cada uno de nosotros, el querer como el hacer por su buena voluntad. La invitación está abierta a todos que quieran integrarse a esta aventura de fe. Toda la Gloria y toda la honra sea para Dios. “Dios nuestro, muéstranos tu bondad, y bendice nuestro trabajo” -Salmo 90:17 †
A New Leadership Training School Has Begun W By, Bishop Jaime Vázquez Hispanic Ministries Coordinator
hen I was first appointed as coordinator of Hispanic ministries in the Desert Southwest Conference, I gave myself the task of visiting each of the seven Hispanic congregations existing in our Conference; Phoenix, Somerton, Nogales, Tucson and Las Vegas. They are all beautiful congregations with pleasant people hungry for the word of the Lord. Some of these churches had begun only recently, others had many years of sound ministry. I found that pastors who serve these congregations are in the process of theological preparation and consisted of local pastors and lay leaders, who have courageously accepted the holy call from the Lord to serve as a leader in the Christian community of our beloved United Methodist Church. Each of them has a passion for bringing the message of salvation to the Hispanic people. Despite their strong efforts, these congregations are small and range from approximately five to seventy persons. I questioned, “What can we do to make our Hispanic congregations grow?” “How can we reach out to the Hispanic community that surrounds these churches?” “What programs can we implement to motivate and train lay members of these churches to carry out the great Commission of going out and preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ?” God’s response came to me through prayer. I was guided to initiate a Hispanic Ministries Leadership Development School with a principal aim and focus of training and equipping lay leaders with the tools necessary to comply with the calling of sharing the Good News of salvation in the local church.
On September 24, 2011 we began the first classes of leadership. It was an emotional day as we scrutinized the Scriptures. Each of the attendees pondered the tremendous responsibility they carried on their shoulders fulfilling the great challenge that God had given them and always remembering that blessings come solely from our Heavenly Father. We communicate the Gospel and the redemptive work is done by God. We studied materials such as Rethink Church, Church Growth, Evangelism and Discipleship, Multiplication of Ministries, Homiletics, Christian Education, Stewardship, etc. This Leadership Development School was able to make way at the Temple of The Messiah in Nogales, Mexico. We had nine people in attendance. Everyone participated with great enthusiasm and as they completed their training they understood the great responsibility placed to them. Similar to the disciples of Jesus Christ, our newly trained leaders will go out into their community and recruit other leaders of Hispanic ministries for the glory and honor of God. We pray that through these trainings, each congregation’s lay leaders will become trained with sufficient tools to be effective servants of God, and that the fresh anointing and the power of the Holy Spirit work in each one of us, the drive and the power to do His goodwill. The invitation is open to all those who want to join this adventure in faith. All the glory and the honor is for God. “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands” -Psalm 90:17 †
The National Plan for Hispanic/ Latino Ministry (NPHLM) of The United Methodist Church outlines steps to addressing spiritual, social and economic concerns. It is a 4-part plan that focuses on developing new leaders, new congregations, immigration initiatives, and healthcare for the Hispanic/Latino community. The National Plan is working to address the important task of training future leaders. One of the goal’s outlined in this plan is to charter 75 new Hispanic/Latino churches by the year 2012. In addition to providing spiritual guidance The United Methodist Church has programs in place which include legal services, public advocacy, and education to make sure issues of faith, personal, and social growth are not ignored. The National Plan implements strategies that are Christ centered to close the gap between citizens and healthcare. Implementation of the NPHLM not only creates new worship centers but it revitalizes neighborhoods. To learn more about the NPHLM, visit http://new.gbgm-umc. org/plan/hispanic/.
Editor’s Note: To learn more about how to participate in Hispanic Ministry Leadership contact Bishop Jaime Vázquez Olmeda at: 1550 E. Meadowbrook Ave Phoenix, Arizona 85014 Phone: 602-266-6956 Ext. 213 E-mail: jvazquez@desertsw.org
Fall 2011 | Transformation | 21
Who will LEAD us into the future? By Stephen J. Hustedt, Director of Communications
Photos provided by Glen Simpson, Chair of Young Adult Ministries
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esearch has shown that the millenials are a spirituallyhungry generation that is passionate about changing the world for the better. Unfortunately, the same research has shown that there is a general mistrust of institutions and specifically organized religion in this generation, and, frankly, the Church struggles greatly with figuring out how to tell its story in a way that will help convince the millennial generation that it is actually still vital and crucial to making the world a better place. While in many United Methodist churches you might be hard pressed to find anyone under the age of 35, there are, in fact, those in the millennial generation that desperately want to help the church learn how to reach their generation. A new annual event in The Desert Southwest Conference called LEAD will
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bring together these millennial leaders in an attempt to harness their collective desire to reach a generation that is nearly missing from our churches with the story of what the church truly is and what it can be. “With LEAD we are seeking ways to break the current mold of the church and look at faithful ways the church can change a hurting and broken world with God’s love,” said Robert Rynders, one of the organizers of LEAD. “If we can do that, then I believe young adults will see the church as not only a place where they can be transformed themselves, but also a place that can transform the world through Christ.” LEAD will take place in Las Vegas, NV, and will consist of 100 young clergy and leaders of young people ministries. The
first annual event will be February 16-18, 2012, at University UMC, and it will tie in nicely with the well-known young adult event Relevance X. Glen Simpson, chair of Young Adult Ministries for The Desert Southwest Conference explained, “Relevance X is providing a platform for young adults to gather together. We don’t expect that every young adult who attends will walk away renewed and ready to start as a ‘leader’ in the following weeks that they return to their local setting. While I won’t underestimate the change that can be brought about when bringing a group of people together, Relevance X is starting a conversation and gathering a diverse group of individuals. It is providing a spot where young people can have a voice, ask questions, and innovate. LEAD was a concept that further dove into the journey of making disciples. LEAD is about creating innovative and transforming ministry. A unique challenge we are finding is the ability to put into practice new ideas and the willingness to take the associated risk. LEAD is a deeper conversation that will focus on developing the leader.” Participants in LEAD will hear from six speakers, offering new and innovative ideas for ministry with young adults. They will have multiple opportunities for conversation and reflection with speakers and other participants as every portion of the LEAD schedule will be structured to encourage the exchange and sharing of ideas during meals, in small groups, during large group gatherings, and even after hours. “For LEAD we wanted to do away with the big-name speakers and typical conference format,” Rynders shared.
“We created a gathering where all the participants bring their experience and expertise from their ministry setting and give them the time and space to share with one another, not just what has worked in the past, and what may be working now, but also a chance to share new ideas. Our speakers will be selected from an application process and will even pay the registration fee. We don’t want this to just be a speaking gig for someone, we want everyone invested in this. We believe that giving a couple days for participants to hear six new ideas will inspire conversation, discernment, and transformation that will go far beyond just this event. There is a lot of excitement around the great strides in young adult ministry that have taken place in the Desert Southwest Conference over the last few years, but it is only the beginning.” “Many unique challenges are before us in raising up young Christian leaders. One of the many challenges being we don’t even know all the challenges. We must be in constant conversation with one another. The millennial generation is a unique generation in itself,” Simpson said. It will be up to the current leaders in The Desert Southwest Conference and The United Methodist Church to support the work being done to bridge the gaps with this passionate but spiritually hungry generation, and that important work starts by listening and learning. “Simply put, be open and willing!” Simpson said. “The power of a connected church is immense and can be seen by participating in LEAD and Relevance X!” †
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Fall 2011 | Transformation | 23
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God’s Abundant Grace
Summer 2011 | DeSert SouthweSt ConferenCe CommuniCationS | www.DeSertSouthweStConferenCe.org
Department at Communications@ desertsw.org or 602-266-6956. The Desert Southwest Conference Communications Commission and Communications Department are always ready to help. Let us work together to make disciples of Jesus for the transformation of the world.
1 year (4 Printed Issues) = $20.00 Total subscriptions:
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