Pondering UMC Leadership Summit

Erin Hawkins, a presenter of the web cast of the leadership summit, submitted a post-summit reflection, a portion of which I find challenging. Here is the portion:

In Matthew 19:21, Jesus admonishes a rich young man seeking his own form of sustainability to “sell everything you own and give to the poor… then come follow me.” I believe that God is shouting to us from the highest heavens, “Get rid of it! All of it!” We must get rid of our attachment to oversized and costly buildings that sit in mockery of the almost nonexistent ministry happening. We must get rid of our dependence on old methods, policies, structures and viewpoints that no longer prove useful or just.

And when we have gotten rid of everything that stands in the way of our being God’s hands, feet and heart in the world, we will be free to give lavishly of our love, passion, commitment and service to the poor, brokenhearted, sick, excluded, abused and marginalized. Then and only then will we be a church that truly makes disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Conversations about the future of The United Methodist Church are far from over. There will be many more opportunities for all of us to make our voices heard. My hope is that no matter what our beliefs are, we will choose to do so.

Now, I am confident that the UMC will not "get rid of it." Far too many people have far too much invested. I doubt if it would be a good thing anyway. Such an approach, as appealing as it is to me right now, is an illusion of a too intellectual approach. Socrates in the Republic speculates about the well-ordered city by starting with a clean sheet of paper. At critical times, in personal life and in corporate life, it feels so much easier to "get rid of it." The other side of the story is that we will have to face our history honestly. We will have to face what we have built. If we need to repent of what we have built, then let us do so. Undoubtedly, we will find that some things will stand the test of time, some things have outlived their usefulness, and some things will just have to be done differently. Another historical setting comes to mind. Thomas Jefferson thought that America should have a constitutional convention for every generation. Such an approach might be a constant reminder that things simply need to change, and that we should come to expect it.