Articles Archives | World Methodist Evangelism

How a Reluctant Mentor Learns to be an Adequate Leader by Talbot Davis

Talbot Davis August 22, 2018

Those who know me well know that I have made confessions like: I’m better at leading the congregation than I am at leading the staff; or I’m a disciplined person but not a very disciplined leader; or I’m better at dealing with one or with 2,000 than I am with twelve. To a certain extent all those things are true. I will always more naturally incline towards pastoring and teaching than

Lead Like Jesus by Otis T. McMillan

Otis McMillan August 21, 2018

Have you ever faced a challenge so big that you were tempted to run from it? Fear invaded your thoughts when you looked at it, and you found yourself saying “there is no way I can do this”? If so, you are not alone. Moses and Gideon are just two of God’s leaders who wrestled with fear, and Abraham and

Public Confession and Repentance by Maxie Dunnam

Maxie Dunnam August 20, 2018

March 22, 2014 was a day of huge importance for my city of Memphis. Like many significant events, I’m afraid it went unnoticed by most. Two churches, Second and Independent Presbyterian, held a public service of confession and repentance. Few of us would not recognize our need for individual repentance. None of us are without the mark of Adam; what we

When Simplicity Is Difficult by Jeff Rudy

Jeff Rudy August 2, 2018

Simplicity isn’t easy. I used to think that “simple” and “easy” could always be used interchangeably, like when asked about a particular task that didn’t require a lot of physical or mental sweat, one could say, “it was simple” or “it was easy” and both would mean the same thing: “No big deal!” But when it comes to what Richard

Are You Really Free? by Michelle Bauer

Michelle Bauer August 1, 2018

But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman

Practicing Discernment: Thy Will Be Done by Justus Hunter

Justus Hunter July 27, 2018

There are two difficulties with our prayer, “Thy will be done.” We fret over the first, but the second is far more dangerous. “What is Your will? How do I know it? Where can I find it? Is this Your will?” This is the first difficulty. The second accompanies it, and often escapes our notice. There is a forgotten moment

Dear Millenials, I Was You Once by Elizabeth Glass Turner

elizabeth.turner July 23, 2018

Dear Millenials, I was you once. People wanted to know what I thought. They wanted to know what I wanted to buy. They wanted to hear what I was looking for in a spouse, in a career – in a faith group. They talked about me in the news, they studied me to see which way I was likely to

Campfire Pilgrimage: The Value of Summer Camp by Rob Haynes

Rob Haynes July 18, 2018

It is summer camp season. For thousands of children and youth that means night hikes and camp fires, arts and crafts and lake fronts. It is commonplace for churches in the United States to offer a trip to summer camp for their children or youth. It is often a highlight of the year for these ministries. Years after their experiences,

How We Really Measure Congregational Growth by Matt Sigler

World Methodist Evangelism July 16, 2018

Methodists are good at counting. The numerous records that have been kept over the years of “conversions,” “probationary members,” and the like, are a goldmine for historians. This penchant for noting numbers remains in our DNA today. “How many members?” and “How many in active attendance?” are the two primary questions asked when one evaluates the strength of a local

Methodism On Fire by Pete Bellini

Peter Bellini July 12, 2018

It is no revelation that the United Methodist Church is facing an uncertain and problematic future.The second largest Protestant denomination in the United States is deeply divided over human sexuality and as a result it is divided over its language in the Book of Discipline (the denomination’s manual on agreed-upon life together) and is divided over decisions made by the Judicial Council, several Annual Conferences, and Boards of Ordained Ministry regarding human sexuality. In response, the Council of

The Binary Eucharist by Elizabeth Glass Turner

elizabeth.turner November 5, 2015

I like my smartphone. I like Facebook (sometimes), Twitter, and email. I like accessing directions while I’m driving somewhere. You may be different, preferring a flip phone, cork bulletin boards and stopping at a gas station for directions. I understand that. Most of us live with one foot in both worlds, enjoying crisp Christmas cards in the mailbox and photos of loved

Caught Not Taught by Kim Reisman

Kim Reisman October 29, 2015

Jesus reminds us that if we keep a seed in our hands and clutch it with a closed fist, it will never grow. We must open our hands and let go of the seed. The problem is that many of us are living with closed hands. When we live like that, nothing can grow either within us or within others.

Free Will in Brazil: Interview with Jerry Walls

Jerry Walls October 26, 2015

I think the deepest appeal of Wesleyan theology is that is heartily affirms a God who is truly good and sincerely loves all persons. God does not determine, God empowers, enables, encourages. And the message that God loves us and wants to empower us to love him back, as well as each other is a message of great hope.

Marriage, Human Sexuality, and the Body: From the Beginning It Was Not So by Timothy Tennent

Timothy Tennent October 22, 2015

For example, we often describe a “sacrament” as an outward sign of an inward and spiritual grace, but then we limit ourselves by thinking of sacraments only in terms of the two which Christ established: baptism and the Eucharist. Wesley, on the other hand, prodded us to think more deeply and expansively about all the means of grace which, for

All Saints’ and Mentoring: A Personal Reflection by Michael Smith

Michael Smith October 21, 2015

You may never know the great power that a simple word of love can have on a person, but I encourage you to share love with others. It will never leave my memory. Though a lot of time has passed through the years, the memory of a mentor’s words at a critical time in my life will never fade.

If You’re Wanting More from Your Devotionals, Try This by Tom Fuerst

Tom Fuerst October 19, 2015

For many of us, when we read the Bible, we read it from the perspective of people who need encouragement, therapy, challenge, hope, or even love. These are all good things that we do, indeed, need. But usually these needs arise from a larger situation that involves someone or something hurting us. For example, we need encouragement because a boss

A More Excellent Way by Jeff Rudy

Jeff Rudy October 17, 2015

The heartbeat of the Church is Christ. We’re only here because of him; because of his love. Christ is the reason we are. Christ is all our reasons.

Soul Seasons by Carrie Carter

Carrie Carter October 15, 2015

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1 In case you didn’t know it, fall has arrived. The earth tilts on its axis and the days shorten, the air grows crisp, leaves change from green to varying hues of red, orange, and yellow, and combines roar through fields of golden-brown corn, stirring

Infant Baptism and Beyond: A Systematic Approach (Part III) by Ken Loyer

Ken Loyer October 14, 2015

“I hope you’ll always remember that God loves you so much—more than I can even say—and has a wonderful plan for your life. We at the Church are here to help you discover the special life that God made you to live.”

I’m a PK: A Preacher’s Kid by Justus Hunter

Justus Hunter October 12, 2015

We carry our great preachers around in the corners of our soul. They wait there to surprise us. They wait there to revive us.

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