Today, if you were on the West Ohio emailing list, you received a 'time sensitive' email about nominations for General Conference 2020. And as I read the email, I was discouraged by the language used to describe the ideal candidate, especially this paragraph:
We seek candidates who understand the worth of all persons and are willing to listen to their brothers and sisters who cry out for justice. Furthermore, delegates must think globally and be committed to the mission of The United Methodist Church; We are a global Church, and our decisions have a global impact.
Really? Think globally? When a major issue in United Methodism is that our leadership is disconnected from the local church, we think we can fix it by 'thinking globally'?
If you'll indulge a quick summary of my call: God called me to pastoral ministry nearly 20 years ago and I wanted no part of it, because I came from a church that crushed the souls of its pastors and nobody in their right mind would choose that life. But 9 years ago I was a semester away from graduating and the place where I found the greatest joy was investing in the small, urban church located north of campus--breaking bread with the people that the other church's in town didn't want. So I applied to seminary because I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do and it seemed like a good way to defer my loans for another 3 years.
The summer before I started seminary, I was mowing at the golf course, and my heart was warmed to the idea of calling up a former pastor who was leading a thriving church and asking if I could learn under him. I spent six months learning systems and management from him, when I saw an email from the DS of the Maumee Watershed District looking for student pastor to serve a two-point charge in the Lakota School District. And again, my heart was warmed so I responded and met with her, and before I knew it I was appointed... clueless, but appointed.
I loved those churches and their love for me took a hopeless, clueless 22 year old seminary student and made me a pastor. Two years later I was on facebook and an aquaintance of mine was announcing that they were taking a new appointment, and as I read, my heart was warmed to the idea of following him. Six hours later, I got a call from my DS about considering that appointment (which I thought was pretty coincidental). So I drove down to Dayton with my wife for an explore-go with the the senior pastor and SPRC chairperson. And before I knew it, there I was appointed... green, but appointed.
I loved that church. It had several campuses, and the love of that church taught me how to lead. After three years as the associate I met with my DS and she was much quieter than normal. The next day I got a call from the DS in Capital Area South about taking a new appointment. I had been told this wouldn't be a move year for my family (with our 4 month old baby), so the call was shocking, but as Cindy and I prayed about it, it became clear that God was calling us to Trinity. And three months later, here we were appointed... anxious, but appointed.
I love this church, and the love of this church is teaching me the supreme value of prioritizing that which is most important, both personally and in leading the church.
Over these years there have been a couple other opportunities that I have turned down, because I didn't feel called to them. And the realization I have as I consider the course of my vocational career is that I have been called to five local churches, but never called to The United Methodist Church™
I couldn't in good conscience advocate for 'the global church,' I don't know enough about the global church to advocate for it effectively. Invariably, if I tried to advocate for the global church, my experience would paint the global church to look a lot like what I know.
But, I can advocate for my local church and the other local churches I have served. And if everyone else came advocating for their local church and the churches they have served previously, we might have a dialectical process that acknowledged the uniqueness (and the sameness) of our contexts.
So, as I read the profile of the ideal candidate, it becomes increasingly clear that I am not that guy. I am not committed to the mission of the United Methodist Church. I am committed to the mission of Trinity (especially if the mission of the UMC is little more than self-preservation). I can't think globally, I can only think locally and hope that those from other parts of the globe will sincerely advocate for faithful, contextual positions. And if what is meant here is a paternalism that says, "you in Ohio clearly know what is best for those living in the global south, so give them what they really need" then I don't even know where to start...
So in summation, when I vote for the next delegation, I will be voting for people committed to advocating for their local churches, even if they aren't the 'ideal' candidate and I encourage you to do so as well.
