General Conference ?s

(South Georgia Area Bishop Michael Watson presides)


Last night I watched the live feed from the General Conference proceeding. It was better than any reality TV show. The debate was powerful, as the issues of leadership and use of episcopal funds to provide leadership to fast growing central conferences in Africa, Philippines and other places around the world.

It was exciting to see the passion persons from different parts of the world and from different theological points of view, had for spreading the gospel and for the need for justice as well. In the end, we US Methodists


were called upon to give up 1 Bishop per Jurisdiction across the church, by 2012. That means that in the next 4 years the shape of our conference and almost all annual conferences in the United States will be changing. This will not be easy, change never is! I do believe that we will emerge stronger and that the Central Conferences will continue to see the Spirit move and bring souls in for the Kingdom.

One other thing, was very clear, for all of Mr. Wesley's organization we Methodical Methodist sometimes are bound by our abundance of structure. As one young adult delegate put it on the floor last night, "I call on our generation to change our way of doing things so that we can follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, NOW, Not 4 Years from NOW!"

Most of the time our bureaucracy works well, we do things well and in order, but sometimes we need to be able to be less like and corporation and more like a rapid reactionary force for God.

Whatever my opinions of different decisions, so far at General Conference, I have been proud to be called a United Methodist. We are becoming, Thank God, more of a Global Church for Jesus Christ our Lord!

Blessings!
RevRichard