Measure member loss against faith, love

Reflections on the Church:
Why fewer Methodists?

News that there are fewer United Methodists in the Southwest Texas Conference than there were a year ago has evoked differing responses. Some say that we are just auditing our rolls, removing the names of those no longer around. Others say that, in spite of our best efforts, secularism is winning the battle for peoples’ time and attention. For some, it seems apparent that our worship is boring, and we need to make our services more entertaining to attract outsiders.
Each of these reasons bears thoughtful consideration. But I wonder if the deeper reason for membership loss is the erosion of our faith and our love.
Do we believe in a God who is powerfully alive and at work in our world and in peoples’ lives? More to the point, do we really believe that God’s influence in peoples’ lives is a sovereign influence, quite apart from our witness? Do we believe that God in fact draws people into the divine relationship? Do we believe that we can be instruments of God’s wooing love? Our timid witness may reveal a lack of faith in a God who is with us and for us.
What about the love that God has “poured into our hearts” (Romans 5:5)? Is the scarcity of new members a result of not caring about others and caring only for ourselves? The greatest gift we have to offer is the message of God’s dependable and gracious disposition toward all people, revealed most clearly for all time in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Why do we keep this message to ourselves? Why are so many churches unwelcoming to people who seek a loving fellowship? It may be that we really do not see outsiders with the eyes of Jesus. It may be that our love has turned inward.
I am dismayed when I hear some Methodists say about new people in their area, “They won’t be interested in our church because they are not like us.” Where would we gentiles now be if Jesus and Paul had believed that? God’s love is extensive beyond calculation. If we allow God’s love to dwell in us, maybe our tongues will be loosened to bear witness again.
If all this sounds too evangelical for you, I would remind you that whatever version of faith you hold dear—if it’s not just a hobby—is and should be evangelical. If your faith is not good news, then why do you believe it? If it is good news for the least, last and lost, why not decide to tell people about it?
The issue is God at work in us, in the church and in the world. The issue is people coming to faith in God through Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit. The issue is membership in a redemptive Christian community. At issue is more laborers to cooperate with God in building a more peaceful and just world. If we can focus on these responsibilities, then God will show us practical ways to be effective. But without faith in a lively God and a regard for people with the eyes of Christ, no methods on earth will deliver more genuine disciples.