{"id":15465,"date":"2017-05-17T12:00:30","date_gmt":"2017-05-17T19:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/?p=15465"},"modified":"2017-05-17T12:00:30","modified_gmt":"2017-05-17T19:00:30","slug":"what-if-we-stopped-fixing-churches-and-started-to-seeallthepeople","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/what-if-we-stopped-fixing-churches-and-started-to-seeallthepeople\/","title":{"rendered":"What if we stopped fixing churches and started to #SeeAllThePeople?"},"content":{"rendered":"

NASHVILLE, Tenn. May 16, 2017\u00a0\/Discipleship Ministries\/\u00a0\u2013\u00a0What if United Methodist congregations stopped looking for quick fixes to revitalize their churches and started seeing the people right outside our doors that Christ called us to reach?<\/p>\n

What if churches recommitted themselves to focus on being in relationship with those around them and created an intentional system to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world?<\/p>\n

Discipleship Ministries of The United Methodist Church is asking those questions of the denomination. The agency believes the denomination has looked too long for a quick fix to help guide discipleship efforts, and the church is now called to fully embrace the spirit of the Wesleyan tradition by being in relationship with the communities that surround our churches.<\/p>\n

Discipleship Ministries is launching a grass roots initiative called #SeeAllThePeople, designed to inspire a disciple-making movement across our denomination. The agency is in the midst of shifting priorities to create resources, events and a discipleship system that emphasizes congregations being in relationship with those outside its walls.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe cannot disciple people that we are not in relationship with. Discipleship begins with relationship,\u201d said the Rev. Junius B. Dotson, General Secretary (CEO) of Discipleship Ministries. \u201cWhen churches create an intentional discipleship system, they move from tinkering and fixing to relationship and discipleship. We do this not to just fill our pews, but to boldly show Christ\u2019s love to those around us.\u201d<\/p>\n

To launch the initiative, Discipleship Ministries has produced a discussion starter video and a free study booklet for congregations written by Dotson: Developing an Intentional Discipleship System: A Guide for Congregations.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

Dotson urged church leaders and lay members to become part of the movement by downloading the free resource at www.SeeAllThePeople.org<\/a>. He also urged church leaders to start a conversation using the hashtag #SeeAllThePeople and to share the resources available on the website.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s start a new conversation that looks outward and begins with creative and innovative ways to see and reach the people around us, so we can make disciples for the transformation of the world,\u201d Dotson said.<\/p>\n

Bishop Mark J. Webb, president of the Discipleship Ministries Board of Directors and Episcopal leader of the Upper New York Area, said he believes the #SeeAllThePeople initiative \u201cwill help our church work to reach the goal of making one million new disciples of Jesus Christ by the year 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are called to be fishers of people \u2013 to do whatever it takes to meet people where they are and offer them the amazing good news of Jesus Christ! I believe this call to focus on and engage in intentional discipleship pathways will help bring clarity to our mission as a church and will ignite a passion for making disciples across our denomination,\u201d Bishop Webb said.<\/p>\n

Information about the #SeeAllThePeople movement and creating intentional discipleship systems will be presented by Discipleship Ministries staff at some 45 Annual Conferences this year, and Dotson will be speaking at about five of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re asking churches to think a little deeper about how they are connecting with their community,\u201d said Jeff Campbell, executive director of Conference Relationships at Discipleship Ministries.<\/p>\n

Many churches already have a disciple-making system, which produces exactly what it is designed to produce, Campbell said. #SeeAllThePeople seeks to help church leaders refocus and be intentional in their efforts, rather than discipleship that just happens.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you really push leaders and ask, \u2018How do you make disciples?\u2019 many don’t know. They do a lot of activities and programs and hope that in the end they help people grow in their faith and they make new disciples. But there’s no intentionality,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Taylor Burton-Edwards, director of Worship Resources at Discipleship Ministries, looked at how #SeeAllThePeople reflects the wisdom and work of the Wesleys and the early Methodists themselves.<\/p>\n

While for centuries churches have served as reliable institutions in the local community where people publicly worship God, learn basic doctrine and care for each other, Burton-Edwards said something is often missing in congregations. \u201cAnd that is our stated mission, making disciples of Jesus Christ who are able, enabled and supported in joining God’s mission to transform the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we begin to engage this vision of seeing all the people, perhaps the Holy Spirit will open our eyes to the gifts of all the people around us that we may no longer artificially divide worship and mission, but see them as leading into and building on each other so that we worship our way into discipling and disciple our way into worship,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In addition to the video #SeeAllThePeople, a variety of resources are available online at www.seeallthepeople.org<\/a>, including:<\/p>\n