United Methodists Cast New Vision Amid Leadership Crisis
There's a leadership crisis in the United Methodist Church, one pastor says, with less than 5 percent of the church's leadership being from the younger generation.
The Rev. Jerome King Del Pino of the Board of Higher Education and Ministry addressed hundreds of United Methodists in a teleconference this week, noting significant shifts in the world that call for change.
He called this "a crucial moment in history, when seismic demographic, social, cultural and religious shifts are redefining our global reality," according to the United Methodist News Service.
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A 2005 research showed there were only 850 commissioned and ordained clergy ages 35 or under in the 8-million member United Methodist Church, which is only 4.69 percent of current elders – a drop from 15.05 percent in 1985, Del Pino cited.
"The church must build a streamlined structure for the development of young leaders that will result in doubling the number of young people in positions of leadership as pastors and specialized clergy and lay ministries," he said.
The call was made as a report was released by the United Methodist Council on Finance and Administration, presenting and analyzing data about membership, attendance and giving trends.
Called "This is Our Story," the report showed a continual U.S. membership and worship attendance decline from 1974 to 2005. Membership has decreased in the United States by over 19 percent or 1.9 million members since 1974. "There is no denying or avoiding the reality that many churches are not growing," the report stated.
The "sobering realities" facing the United Methodist Church right now are that 35 percent of its churches in the United States grew from 2004 to 2005 and that 41 percent of U.S. churches did not report a single member received by profession of faith or restored.
Despite the numbers, the report stressed that the survival of the denomination as an institution should not be their focus. In a larger context, they face an increasingly secular culture, the report noted, with 50 percent of the U.S. population having no ongoing relationship with a faith community.
Still, the United Methodists have hope. Worldwide professing and baptized membership is growing with 13.75 million in more than 50 countries compared with 11.35 million in 1995. Overall membership outside the U.S. has increased 177 percent in United Methodist conferences existing over the last ten years.
And giving in the U.S. church has increased for the 15th straight year. The church gave almost $5.9 billion during 2005, according to the report.
"There is a sense that God is leading The United Methodist Church to do something different," said Sandra Lackore, the council's chief executive, according to UMNS.
"But the real work of our denomination, and the places where lives are changed, remains in the hands of our churches and the faithful people who call them home," she added. "The future of our church depends upon our leadership at all levels capturing this vision and being willing to work hard – each of us – lay and clergy."
The vision for the United Methodist Church in the 21st century includes developing new leaders, especially young leadership; starting 650 new U.S. congregations by 2012 (the denomination starts an average of 90 a year in the states); and expanding ministries with the poor.
