A look at elected delegates for the 2012 General Conference from the West Michigan Conference

• By RJ Walters, Editor •

At the 2011 Detroit Annual Conference and West Michigan Annual Conference delegates were elected for the 2012 General Conference and 2012 Jurisdictional Conference.

The 2012 General Conference will take place in Tampa, Fl. from April 24 to May 4 and the North Central Jurisdictional Conference will run from July 17-21 in Akron, Ohio.

The conference will work to set policy and direction for the church, as well as handle other business of the global and national church. General Conference is the only entity that speaks for The United Methodist Church.

West Michigan Conference General Conference Clergy Delegates
Rev. Laurie Haller
Age: 56 Church: Grand Rapids District Superintendent
# of times elected: General Conference — 4
The Grand Rapids District Superintendent said the United Methodist Church is at a crossroads where “God is calling our denomination to be a world leader in spreading scriptural holiness, creating a truly global church, and becoming a catalyst for shalom for people of every nation and religious faith as well as the created world.” She said she believes General Conference will include passionate debate about: strategies to revitalize declining congregations, a clarification of the relationship of the UMC in Africa, the Philippines and other countries, a hard look at guaranteed ministerial appointments, the possible reduction of certain boards and conversations about social principles regarding human sexuality.

Rev. Benton Heisler
Age: 54 Church: Cornerstone United Methodist Church (Caledonia)
# of times elected: General Conference - 4
The West Michigan Conference Director of Connectional Ministries said his time spent in large cities, small towns, a university town and in a Native American congregation will help him represent the diverse nature of the West Michigan Conference. Heisler said it is critical for the conferences to address the best ministry foci and leadership structures for moving forward globally in a way that makes local congregations the “most significant area for making disciples.”

Rev. Kennetha J. Bigham-Tsai
Age: 52 Church: Milwood United Methodist Church
# of times elected: General Conference - 1
Bigham-Tsai has years of experience related to justice, peace, racial reconciliation and issues of equity from her service on the conference Board of Church and Society and from her time as the director of the Grand Rapids District Peace with Justice Community.
At conference she expects critical debates on sensitive issues including human sexuality, immigration and racial justice, as they pertain to the inclusiveness of the United Methodist Church. “I would hope that we would not pit evangelism and social justice against one another, but would see both as part of the social and personal holiness to which all disciples of Jesus Christ are called,” she said. She said it is also important to grapple with how to live out the church’s mission statement in a time of diminishing resources.

West Michigan Conference General Conference lay delegates

Nichea VerVeer Guy
Age: 56 Home church: Grand Rapids Trinity United Methodist Church
# of times elected: General Conference – 1; Jurisdictional Conference - multiple
VerVeer Guy has long been involved in community ministry programs in Grand Rapids and currently she serves with United Methodist Women and the General Board of Global Ministries. She said that regardless of what issues are discussed she hopes the overpowering theme of conference will be creating an understanding that all are worthy of God’s grace. She believes integrating that love into the structures of the church is essential to being better servants.

Laurie Dahlman
Age: 72 Church: Milwood United Methodist Church
# of times elected: General Conference – 4; Jurisdictional Conference -5
The West Michigan Conference lay leader wants her passion for missionaries to shine through at conference. “In the past few years our church has decreased the number of missionaries and this defeats our purpose,” she said. “We should be about sharing God's Word and growing our churches, not closing them.” Dahlman believes a vital issue is figuring out how the North Central Jurisdictional Conference will be reduced by one bishop, as mandated by General Conference.

Valerie Mossman-Celestin
Age: Unavailable Church: Trinity United Methodist Church (Grand Rapids)
# of times elected: Unavailable
The executive assistant and office manager for the West Michigan Conference is very involved in ministry in Haiti as the co-founder of Haitian Artisans for Peace International (HAPI). She believes that “all means all” inclusiveness in the denomination is an important discussion to have because it is a key issue in attracting and retaining young people. Mossman said that her stance is that being exclusionary in any way harms people and creates obstacles for creating disciples of Jesus Christ. “Wesley’s criteria for evaluating issues boiled down to 3 simple rules,” she said. “Do no harm, do all the good you can, stay in love with God.”

Also:
A glance at the Detroit Conference delegates elected for the 2012 General Conference

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Column: We can do this, with God's help

• By Benton Heisler, West Michigan Conference Director of Connectional Ministries •

The candidates for ordination stood before the Bishop at the 2011 West Michigan Annual Conference, as he asked the “Historic Questions”. Many answers were not a simple “yes”, but noted a belief that their “yes” would only be possible “with the help of God.”


I came away from Annual Conference convinced that indeed God was at work in our midst “helping us.”

We set a record of attendance (1,800+) as people gathered for the Miracle Saturday.

We set a record for the amount of money ($41,000+) given in the special Conference offerings. We heard the testimony of lives being touched at our newest church start Valley Church.

Our worship and preaching experiences moved our hearts and stretched our minds in ways to put our energy into new forms of action.

One year ago there were no Free Stores; now persons are being connected and served in Evart, Concord, Berrien Springs, Centerville and Boyne City and congregations in other cities are contributing.

The Rev. Rudy Rasmus inspired us with principles of loving our neighbor that transcend the size of our community or economic context.

Miracle Saturday’s mini-events provided experiences, resources, inspiration, connections to ministry networks and a sense of a united community of faith in action for God with one another.

I found myself saying, “Now the real work begins”, after the new Plan of Organization was approved.

Our expectations of new levels of measurable outcomes, evaluation, accountability, alignment of resources toward strategic goals, continued collaborative ministries and constantly improving communication were not accomplished by our approval of this new structure.

The new fruitfulness will now be the focus of our assessment in terms of has our organizational change led to the ministry changes we intended.

I am grateful that eyes will be watching to see what happens next and observing the new expectations and outcomes.

I write this as I take a moment out of my vacation to meet the necessary publication deadline. My geographical context is the Rocky Mountains and my theological understanding is that the real ministry will happen in the “valley.” That valley has its own unique characteristics for each of us.

Our challenge as the Church is to be welcoming, inviting, hospitable and gracious to every person.

God’s message entrusted to us is to model and proclaim that “No matter what valley your journey has led you into, the grace of God will lead you through it and to the place of green pastures and still cool waters on the other side.”

The Psalmist captured these promises in both Psalm 23 and Psalm 121: “I will lift up my eyes to the hills…my help comes from the Lord.”

I pray that as we all engage in ministry with a renewed vision and vigor in the coming year, we will look for the daily glimpses of God’s guidance and grace to help us.

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Global Leadership Summit gives Michigan Area ideas to consider when planning for the future

• By RJ Walters, Editor •

More than 4,000 United Methodist members and leaders joined together electronically on April 6 to focus on the short- and long-term changes necessary to meet the future challenges of the church.

The consensus was accountability, creativity and the improvement and coordination of the clergy leadership system are integral to growing more vital churches.

But a lingering question remains — one that has been debated for years prior to the first-ever United Methodist Church Leadership Summit: “How does a global church of roughly 11 million members get there?”

Three gatherings of clergy and lay people around the Michigan Area joined the webcast conference hosted in Nashville to discuss how churches and conferences could better direct their resources toward meeting the physical and emotional needs of communities by looking at “measurable fruits” and statistics that tell the stories of local congregation.

“Think of how our mission will benefit if we give more attention to careful collection of key information and share it with each other more often,” said Charlotte Area Bishop Larry Goodpaster, president of the Council of Bishops. “Some annual conferences are now receiving weekly reports and telling the story of fruitful ministry using Internet dashboards.”

A comprehensive report by the Call to Action Steering Team — a 16-person committee charged with creating a plan that will lead to reordering the life of the church for greater effectiveness and vitality — strongly suggests using the following factors to get an initial look at the “vitality” of a church: regular worship attendance, faith professions during a calendar year, the number of and participation in small groups and statistics that indicate how much money is being given to mission, how many people are engaging in it and how many people are being reached.

The report also states the status quo of an aging UMC membership in the United States is “toxic and unsustainable” and the denomination’s “adaptive challenge” is to redirect the flow of attention, energy and resources to create a sustainable model.

The conference asked groups connecting to the webcast to discuss several key concepts presented in the Call to Action report.

Benton Heisler, West Michigan Conference Director of Connectional Ministries, shared impressions from the group of WMC clergy and lay leaders he was a part of on April 6.

He said the group wondered out loud whether or not local congregations are now supporting conferences instead of the other way around and whether or not the “moral and leadership will” are in place to discontinue churches that are no longer “producing fruit” and/or not viable.

There was a general consensus in Heisler’s group that strategic planning should be done based on demographics and population instead of where churches have always thrived or survived.

“Can we reclaim the circuit and put the pastor on the screen instead of the horse?” Heisler asked in an email.

Heisler also noted that his group thought guaranteed appointments should be examined and perhaps eliminated and the duties of a bishop should be more focused on his/her conference as opposed to a bevy of national and international responsibilities.

Jerry Devine, Detroit Conference Director of Connectional Ministries, said the Summit provided a jumping off point for future conversations, but he expects the next seismic shifts in the strategic planning of the church won’t take place until the 2012 General Conference in Tampa, Fla.

“The conversations were good, yet people were leery of whether this will lead to anything of substance,” he said in an email. “We all desire a transformed and vital future, yet we know the themes that were discussed are not new to us. They simply come with more urgency now then before.”

Goodpaster said the online conference was only the beginning of the critical thinking and he encouraged people to create focus groups to share the video of the Summit with their local church.

The Summit in its entirety will be available for viewing the next 18 months at www.umc.org, along with a survey of roughly 1,000 participants from the event.

Want more? 

Watch the full UMC Leadership Summit, archived at www.umc.org/leadershipsummit. Also check out results from the post-Summit survey.

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Column: Shaped by God's hands over and over again

• By Benton Heisler, West Michigan Conference Director of Connectional Ministries •

“Go down to the potter’s house and there you will receive my message.” The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord, so Jeremiah went.

He saw the potter working at the wheel. The pot being shaped was marred, so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as he saw fit.

The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, “Can I not do with Israel [you, me, a conference?] as the potter does?” The word of the Lord continued, “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand.” (Jeremiah 18:1-6)

Plenty has been written about the numerical decline of the United Methodist Church and other denominations as well. We get it! We too are “marred.”

I find it curious that often when suggestions are made about how the UMC can re-shape itself, persons will often default to metaphors of human failure.

A common reference is made to a massive ocean liner; finest in its class in its day, driven by a human quest for power and fueled by a thirst for greed.

Full steam ahead it cruised into the dangers of the North Atlantic. The gaping hole torn in its side meant sinking was inevitable that cold April night.

I encourage those who face the struggle and opposition the Church encounters to look instead in the images found in scripture:

“What you intended for evil, God intended for good.” (Genesis 50:20)

Five loaves and two fish fed the 5,000 gathered together. (Luke 9: 16 & 17)
New wine is stored in the new wine, because the old containers would not be able to adapt to the change. (Matthew 9:17)

Clay, in the properly skilled hands, can be re-shaped and given new value and opportunity. (Jeremiah 18)

Actions, human, financial and property resources, relationships and ideas — they are all resources at God’s disposal to be shaped and used.

One of the responsibilities the Book of Discipline of the UMC gives to the position of Director of Connectional Ministries is “to ensure the alignment of the total resources of the conference to its vision (¶608.)”

We have 23 program boards, agencies and committees, and another 12 administrative boards and committees that together carry out components of the ministry of the Annual Conference. These 35 units do not include all the camps, campus ministries or other related institutions connected to the West Michigan Conference.

During the past three years the 57-member Conference Council on Ministries (CCOM) has met to review the vision, mission, purpose, structure, allocation of financial resources and staffing to help move ministry forward.

As that review moved forward, it was felt that “the pot” with which we were working was “marred”, i.e. not as complete as it could be.

A task force was requested by the CCOM to bring back a new Plan of Organization proposal. They have completed their work, which was affirmed by the CCOM.

At the June session of the Annual Conference the action of us gathered together as the West Michigan Conference becomes the final shaping.

As God moves in our honest debate, inspired amendments and prayerful actions will establish the positions and people who will share the responsibility of leadership in various contexts in our Conference.

As you study the proposed Plan of Organization, you will see that the 22 program boards and agencies continue and the 57 seats on the Council on Ministries is being replaced by a 16-18 member Leadership Team. The purpose, responsibilities and accountability for the team are clearly outlined.

The revised Plan of Organization also contains a newly expanded ministry area.

The proposal would create the Committee on Hispanic/Latino Ministries as a 23rd program committee. It would no longer be a representative single position on the Board of Global of Ministries — it would now be a freestanding committee with clear responsibilities.

You are encouraged to study the opening sections, which include the Preamble, Vision Statement, Goals and Strategies, Core Values and Beliefs & Organizational Principles.

Please note that every board and agency will have the following components: accountability, purpose, membership, organization, meetings and responsibilities.

Those areas which do not have all the details spelled out are expected to complete that work and bring it to the next year’s Annual Conference for affirmation and/or refinement.

My prayer is that we will be open to God’s reshaping as necessary of every aspect of our lives both as God’s children and God’s community so we might be “as seemed best” in God’s hands.

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‘Vital’ new church development program being piloted in both conferences

By RJ Walters, Editor

In an effort to better equip motivated congregations to respond to God’s call, a collaborative Michigan Area Leadership Excellence Task Force has rolled out pilot versions of a clergy and lay member development program called the Vital Church Initiative (VCI) in the Flint and Albion Districts.

The voluntary initiative has been in development since the fall of 2010 and it will aim to intentionally use coaching to facilitate learning and increase accountability among leaders and members of churches of all sizes.

Bishop Keaton created the Task Force in late 2009 with the intention of addressing clergy excellence, believing that the health and vitality of local churches is often directly related to the leadership skills of clergy members.

Clergy and laity who agree to be part of the pilot programs are in covenant to attend each four-hour session, read the preparatory materials and take care of travel expenses.

Each church will come out of the VCI program with an action plan.

They will also have the opportunity for a full-day consultation of their church with a trained consultant.

Based on a comprehensive learning model called the “Healthy Church Initiative and Small Church Initiative” in the Missouri Conference, the “large church” component (more than 100 members worshipping on average) will be piloted in the Flint District and the “small church” component (less than 100 members worshipping on average) has already started in the Albion District. A similar pilot program is expected to begin in the Lansing District later this year.

The large church VCI includes parallel clergy and laity leadership development tracks for pastors and for chosen lay leaders

Twelve clergy will gather one Monday morning each month for eight months at the Detroit Conference Office in Flint, with approximately 24 laity meeting the following Saturday each month for their session.

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Column: Leaving a legacy of love

By Benton Heisler, West Michigan Conference Director of Connectional Ministries

Benton Heisler

It is early February as you read this column and the other articles in this edition of the Michigan Area Reporter.

The marketplace is flooded with pleas to eat, wear, give, go, tell in a card —all as expressions of love.

Valentines Day invites us to be certain to demonstrate in every way possible our love toward those most dear to us.

John Maxwell in his book, The 21 Laws of Leadership, lists ‘The law of Legacy’ as number 21.

I once heard him teach about these “laws” and their biblical examples and he emphasized that Jesus was the greatest example of this law.

The Church is the steward/trustee of this legacy of love.

Jesus commissioned us in Matthew 28 to fulfill this legacy when he said: “Go and make disciples in my name…”

It meant, “Go and teach of how God’s love is for all God’s people…all the world.”

“Go and tell them their sin is forgiven.”

“Go and demonstrate this love in your actions to feed, clothe, visit, cast out demons, work for justice and heal relationships.”

At their sessions this spring the West Michigan and Detroit Conferences will focus on ways to implement this legacy of love as we continue to discover ways to be in ministry with the poor.

Leadership in both conferences is also collaborating on a pilot initiative designed to help our congregations be more vital, healthy, and fruitful. We believe this initiative has the potential to foster important transformation in patterns of growth and effectiveness.

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Column: Making room for moving Christmas trees

By Benton Heisler, West Michigan Conference Director of Connectional Ministries

In 2008 we had no Christmas tree or festive decorations since we were in the midst of a move on Dec. 19.

In 2009 we had to determine where it would go since we were now in a different parsonage.

Now, in 2010 it was placed downstairs in the family room instead of “where it’s always been” (one year, ha!) in the living room.

My point?

Lots of change.

Not to mention graduations, weddings, surgeries, a new phone contract, the IRS Tax Code, all those cables down the center of the expressway, the Spartans as Big Ten football co-champs…get the point?

The changes just keep going on and on…

Seriously, I believe that as Christians, change is simply the healthy characteristic God inspires in us and expects of us. The Scriptures are full of images and stories of changed hearts, changed lives, new futures and ultimately our Eternal Life as a transformation of our human death.

We can choose to be nostalgic about “how it used to be,” but that eventually leaves us in denial of the current reality facing us.

In his book, Good to Great Jim Collins points to the importance of the “brutal facts” that need to be faced in order for healthy change to move forward.

Others may describe it as the importance of “selling the problem” and therefore setting up the possibility to be able to cast a vision for the solution. The three-year-old that constantly asks “Why?” actually gets it.

Too often when a new idea has failed to move forward, one key reason has been the failure of those initiating the change.

They have likely been insufficient or unconvincing in their rationale for what is leading to this transition.

In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy, after being carried to a new time and place, speaks the “brutal facts” to her faithful canine companion in the often quoted phrase: “Toto, I don’t believe we are in Kansas anymore.”

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Column: Fields and highways — where disciples are made

By Benton Heisler, West Michigan Conference Director of Connectional Ministries

Jesus is recorded as telling his disciples in Acts 1:8, “When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will receive power. You will be my witnesses, in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.”

Sometimes we attempt to accomplish the ministry tasks in front of us in our own power. As we begin every day opening our lives to the Holy Spirit, our witness is strengthened by the Spirit’s power. Our reminder is that Spirit is there all the time.

I recently traveled the length of Illinois. I had not been on that section of highway for a number of years. What caught my eye were two unmistakable features. One was the blades of the hundreds of turbine reaching out to capture the energy of the wind.

Wind, nearly always present, just awaiting the opportunity to be transferred into electricity that will power any number of machines, homes or (who would have believed it, automobiles.) Opening our hearts in prayer to receive the Holy Spirit centers the movement of God in all we do. I was struck to remind myself to keep my life open to that movement. How about you and your congregation?

A second image which spread before me was cornfields. Not just acres of corn, but square miles of corn. Some had been harvested, the combines churned through others, and mile after mile stood awaiting the transfer from stalk to silo to a store near you in one form or another. In Luke 2 Jesus is recorded as saying to his disciples, “The harvest is plenty, but the laborers are few. Pray that the Lord will send workers to the harvest.”

Any given Sunday less than 20 percent of our nation attends worship. I have no idea about all the intricacies of soil chemistry, planting, fertilizer application, seed corn, the mechanics of a 12 row combine, market strategies or corn product production and distribution.

It would be overwhelming to me to be given a square mile plot of land and told, “Go and make a cornfield and transform the hunger of the world.”

We may feel equally overwhelmed with Jesus’ Great Commission to “go and make disciples…” Yet, any one of us does know a great deal about people. We understand their joy and heartaches, their search for meaning and purpose, their struggles with relationships and finances, their moments of great joy and satisfaction.

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New dates announced for 2011 West Michigan Annual Conference

By Mark Doyal, West Michigan Conference Director of Communications

The West Michigan Annual Conference Program Committee has announced new dates for the 43rd Session of Annual Conference.

The 2011 Annual Conference session will now open on Wednesday, June 1 and conclude on Saturday, June 4, 2011 on the campus of Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich.

As part of the schedule change the Program Committee also announced that Saturday’s Annual Conference session is being redesigned to attract more than 5,000 laity from across the conference.

Each local church will be invited to welcome 12 additional members to attend an exciting “drive-in day.” Saturday’s session is expected to offer amazing worship, top speakers, fellowship, workshops and more.

“Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world will be more effective as we share this incredible time of worship, fellowship and growth with more of our members,” commented Program Committee Chair, Rev. Bill Johnson. ”The committee believes anytime there is the opportunity to grow our connection, our faith and church grows stronger too.”

The West Michigan Conference Director of Connectional Ministry, Rev. Benton Heisler agrees, stating the focus of the 2011 Annual Conference will be to engage in ministry with the poor. “

We have faith that this new schedule for Annual Conference will allow us to welcome many new faces to this important mission.”

The dates and times for Ordination, the Memorial Service and Marking Sacred Time during Annual Conference have not been established.

Details and a new schedule for Annual Conference will be released in the coming weeks.

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Inside the Pages Book Review — Hit the Bullseye: How Denominations Can Aim the Congregation at the Mission Field

Hit the Bullseye: How Denominations Can Aim the Congregation at the Mission Field, by Paul Borden (Abingdon Press, 2003)

Review by: Benton Heisler, West Michigan Director of Connectional Ministries

Paul Borden, the executive minister of the American Baptist Churches of the West denomination, has written an insightful book that challenges other denominations to assess their current direction and intentionally make changes. He emphasizes the importance of a clear alignment between tactics, strategies and foundational principles.

He would challenge us to have our efforts match our mission of “making disciples to transform the world” as we identify that “the local congregation is the most significant arena for making disciples.”

He emphasizes healthy congregations are growing and they grow by making new disciples and creating new congregations. The reader is reminded in multiple ways that, “We measure what matters!” We must take seriously the concept of success as a result to be measured. Congregations are expected to measure up and be evaluated.

A primary ingredient is leadership.

He asserts that two metaphors that hinder are the “pastor as shepherd” and the “church as family.”

The leader should equip others to provide the care for sheep. The proper term would be “congregational care,” not “pastoral care.”

The church’s primary purpose is not to be family. It is to be on a constant mission/purpose of seeking souls for Christ. True community comes together to care for one another as the community accomplishes a purpose.

Accountability is a basic requirement for change and must be based upon objective measurements. Changed expectations demand resources to reach expectations. Training and resources are essential along with mentoring programs.

Small and large is not the defining criteria – healthy is!! We must take the Great Commission seriously enough to enforce mutual accountability for our behaviors.

Key for the judicatory is, “What is best to accomplish the mission, not preserve the institution. It must be willing to address those who are unable or unwilling to make the changes or worked against them.”

Healthy congregational thinking means that one leads by attraction, not compulsion. You attract people to your significant mission and compelling vision.

Borden would encourage us to discard the shepherd role, stop conflict mediation, stop honoring unfruitful behavior; and honor those open to change, who take leadership seriously, are willing to be held accountable and are committed to helping other congregations.

Borden goes into great detail explaining the importance of the alignment of: Responsibility, Authority, Accountability, Results and Resources of Support.

He reviews the extensive process that yields the five key components of: Learning, Coaching, Consulting, Laity training and Follow-up — all working in accordance.

This is an excellent 140-page book that will help leaders chart new directions.

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Column: Can these dry bones live?

By Benton Heisler / West Michigan Director of Connectional Ministry

A friend asked, “Do you think you could make anything out of all this old barn lumber?”

You know, kind of like God asking Ezekiel in chapter 37, “Can these dry bones live?”

As a hobby, a few days of labor each year the past four years has yielded: two chairs, a hutch, a book case, six benches, three storage boxes, a table, and some projects that are still in the design stage.

And the woodpile is only partially used up.

The steps include sorting boards like puzzle pieces, scrubbing off years of accumulated dust (or other animal debris, enough said), cutting to length and width as well as thickness and sanding to a splinter less finish. (Especially important for the chairs and benches, no further instructions required!)

I have some of the necessary tools and knowledge but the best part of these projects has been sharing time and tools with others. Ideas, solutions, techniques and mistakes to avoid or correct have been just a few of the gifts, not to mention the new function of timber that might have otherwise decomposed or simply become heat in a wood stove.

Most of the lumber I am reusing is over 100 years old. The barn and granary were disassembled to make way for more contemporary functions in their space. Thankfully someone saw the potential in much of the lumber and saved it, even though they didn’t know the exact form it would take. Others and I have been blessed by the release of this stored resource.

My point? I see a parallel to many of our congregations. They are not like they were 100 years ago. God may be asking of us, ”Can these dry bones live?”

They can if we allow connecting muscles and sinew, the covering flesh and the breath of God to come upon us (Ezekiel 37:6). We will need to allow God to shape us into new forms, relocate us to new destinations and remove and discard the accumulated, unattractive, unnecessary debris. We will need to share ideas, tools, mistakes made and knowledge acquired as we work together.

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Column: Transforming our welcoming ways

By Benton Heisler, WMC Director of Connectional Ministries

One business in my neighborhood has a new name.

Same location, same function and most of the same employees, but a new sign and a new spirit is present. I am greeted at the door with:

“Hi! How are you today?” / Hospitality

“May we help you?” / Service

“Did you find what you were looking for? / Compassion

“Thanks for your business Benton!” / Gratitude

“You have a great day!” / Praise

It didn’t always go that way before. The new hospitality seems to have replaced complacency.

Optimism has overcome the sense of obligation I used to experience.

Personal attention is the new priority instead of the previous attitude that I was intruding.

They even gave me a coupon to share with a friend if I would invite them to come and do business at this location. / Evangelism

Such a transformation in one secular business has me wondering what the church might learn from the very world we believe we are called to transform!

Hospitality, compassion, gratitude, praise, evangelism/invitation; those are “our” biblical models. I return to this business because I find a value in what they provide and how they provide it.

Take a look around your congregation and the way you approach its ministry.

Does it need a new sign and “employee enhancement program’? Are people greeted warmly and personally? What intentional ways do you strive to serve the persons you encounter? How do you go about inviting them to participate in the ministries you provide so church becomes more of a verb instead of a noun?

Is there a sense of, “Have a great day!” that pervades all that transpires?

You see, this is the unique gift we have to offer to persons — hope.

No matter what the circumstances, we know God is present, sees it all and desires the “good answer” in our lives. We believe God is willing to sustain us as we journey toward such a blessing.

This summer people will move to your community or simply “check out” your worship experience, VBS, and community service project. Will your congregation lapse into a quiet dormancy for the next few months or be anticipating the “new customer” and then receive them graciously?

What “marketing” techniques will you implement to spread the word about the hope, hospitality, healing and “home” that will be experienced in your congregation?

Throughout this edition of the Reporter are ideas for re-thinking our efforts for welcoming and inviting others.

The West Michigan Annual Conference, June 3-6 at Calvin College has the theme of “Making Spaces for New Faces.” I invite you to take the ideas you encounter there, or read here, or receive elsewhere and give them an intentional attempt at new implementations.

I noticed at the business I mentioned that some of the employees are not there anymore. I realized they were the same ones that I had experienced as inattentive, unwelcoming and seemingly uninformed.

I guess some changes were made by the leadership to remove who and /or what wasn’t working in order to grow forward. I pray each of us can make the necessary changes to improve our efforts at making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Well, I’ve got to go.

I need something at that business and the last thing I remember hearing as I left was ”Come again soon. We look forward to serving you again.”

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Column: Making space for change

By Benton Heisler, West Michigan Conference Director of Connectional Ministries

A surgeon recently used his team’s knowledge, skill and unique tools to remove bone growth in three of my vertebrae. The new space he created ended the pain that for four months had limited my activities, distracted my attention and disheartened my spirit.

Choosing surgery wasn’t a simple decision; other treatment options were tried first.

I was told that in my situation, “it is highly unlikely, but complications and constant pain were possible and rarely, but nonetheless sometimes, people die as a result of the anesthesia.”

I didn’t die.

There has been complete relief of the pain and so far in the healing process there have been no complications. I chose the unknown pain of change and a 4” incision instead of the pain I was familiar with if I stayed the same.

Similar choices and challenges face all of us.

Many who are reading this are leaders in our UMC congregations and the Michigan Area conferences. You know full well the pain associated with decline and struggle.

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