Grace United Methodist Church has seen a rapid increase in attendance — and participation — by men. Women and children have followed.
Yesterday I stumbled across a fascinating video profiling a traditional United Methodist congregation in LaSalle, Illinois (hat tip to Drew Collins of St. Thomas Reformed Episcopal Church).
Grace United Methodist Church has experienced rapid growth. The church is on a mission to bring men to Christ, in a denomination that is notably two-thirds female.
You might be picturing a neo-Calvinist pastor staging mixed martial arts matches alongside video game parties. “Church in the Octagon,” anyone?
Wrong. Turns out Grace UMC is preserving its traditions while tactfully removing the homemade felt banners and other overtly-feminine items from the sanctuary. The moves were subtle, modest and gradual. The effect has been more pronounced.
“We’re seeing lives really changed: marriages being saved, families being stronger, men being leaders, fathers being leaders,” reports the Rev. Dr. Jennifer Wilson, pastor of Grace UMC.
The changes have been more than just a fresh coat of neutral-colored paint. Pastor Wilson reassessed the imagery she employed in her sermon messages, and songs with overtly feminine language (such as the syrupy “Womb of Life” from the UMC’s Faith We Sing hymnal supplement) were jettisoned.
Theology is not explicitly mentioned in the video, but there are a few other unspoken items on display: an American flag respectfully positioned near the front of the church, NIV Bibles in the pews, and a congregation that clearly has an interest in producing a future generation of United Methodists. Grace UMC’s web site describes an active youth ministry and Alpha course.
“Things have just turned around,” observes the wife of a man who attends Grace UMC. “We pray together at night as husband and wife and that just brings us closer.”
What an encouraging story of Mainline Protestant renewal! You can view the short video here:
to them that we care and want to serve you in love and grace.However, I don’t fully agree with your generalized obiervatson that Starting new churches is easier than revitalizing old churches. This may be true in metropolitan churches. In the UMC the life blood continues to be the rural, small membership churches. Unlike metro-churches, smaller churches, which often cannot afford to pay full-time pastors, more faithfully pay their apportionments. I believe this is reflective of a deep commitment among rural people to their churches, communities and their way of life.The biggest problems confronting rural churches are aging populations, the declining ratio of children to adults (i.e. we are not having enough children to replace our population in US and western societies), and the lack of jobs. However, many urbanites and retirees are moving to rural areas in search of a quieter and less hectic way of life. Therefore, the UMC should focus its financial resources to helping the rural churches learn how to reach out to those who move into their communities and to cope with other demographic issues I mentioned. That is, $20,000,000 could be used to field mission minded full-time pastors into these areas—and not just the urban-minded ordained but those who have a heart for rural communities and the rural way of life—those who want to be a part of the land and the culture they serve. The leadership of the UMC needs to recognize that their own backyard is their mission field. If they don’t work to revitalize the rural churches, they’re essentially cutting off the hands that feed them, and the UMC will soon die on the vine.Jesus did not call us to go into world to build nice, comfy, expensive, debt laden church buildings. He didn’t call us to go into the world and become political activists for left or right wing causes. He did not call us to get involved in causes that promotes policies that get the government to do what we’ve been called to do. He called US—the CHURCH—to make disciples and to feed his lambs—spiritually and physically. The fact that those who made the decision to waste $20,000,000 on advertising is proof of just how out of touch with reality many of our Bishops and other church leaders are. We talk a lot about social justice in the UMC, as well we should. But not one of those 20,000,000 dollars wasted to advertise the Church has fed one lamb.