This is the class blog of Wesleyan Divinity School - Misyonaryong Epektibo Class. On this blog, we will share our close reading and reflections on topics about Missions, Evangelism, Discipleship and Church Growth. Join us in your journey as we live up to our name to become effective missionaries.
HAVE A PASSION AND A DREAM. That is a powerful combination
when you decide to serve God as the King’s representative and see his kingdom
everywhere.
Community needs are being met. People/Christian are being
developed and empowered to express passion, action and possession. And it all
started with the idea from spiritual leader who had a burden in his/her heart
to lighten suffering and has a free will to help and discover the benefits of
serving. Let the impact of our service may experience across the street or
around the world.
You are God’s planned to create new worlds of human
possibility and potentiality in kingdom reality. A missional leader can lead a
missional church that produces a missional community. God will be pleased.
People will be better off. Those are the two rewards you seek.
Welcome to the missional church! You have been sent by God.
The world is blessed you came.
Rev. Adam Hamilton is an American minister. He is the senior pastor of the 20,000 member United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas. It is the largest United Methodist congregation in the United States, measured by both weekend attendance and membership. [source: Wikipedia]
Adam Hamilton delivers one of the most inspiring lectures I have ever heard during the clergy session in the Wallace Chappell lectures. In his talk, Rev. Hamilton went back to where we the Methodist people are rooted from. We are rooted in spirituality.
Rev. Hamilton pointed out some of his experiences with other denominations like the catholic and Pentecostal churches. It is quite amazing how he communicated with them and how he showed respect to those people. On the other hand, his members on the Methodist church were more concerned about losing their members because their pastor is sharing his thoughts about these denominations. This is quite a problem in our churches nowadays. Some of our churches have closed their doors for other people. We seem to lost our desire to be one and have fellowship with other people or with other denominations. Religion have become a barrier that sets us apart from one another. Where is the spirit of ecumenism and compassion for the people outside our churches’ doors?
Rev. Hamilton then addressed the spirituality of the pastors. He asked them, “How is your spiritual life?”, “What is the level of your spirituality?” It seems like Rev. Hamilton wanted to point out how the spiritual level of the pastor and of the church would show the manifestation of how hungry are they for the people outside the church. He then asked, “What is the spiritual temperature of your life and of your church?” The pastors set the spiritual temperature of the church and Rev. Hamilton is afraid that the pastors are dying spiritually and needs a jump start, a revival. We are indeed in need of regular spiritual revival. Prayer life and scripture reading should be a regular basis and not just been done when needed.
It’s very hard to direct the church into a spiritual atmosphere when a pastor haven’t been there him/herself. Yes one can pretend to be spiritual but the manifestation of the truth cannot be hidden. If a pastor doesn’t have a high level of spirituality, he/she cannot ask the congregation to have a high level of spirituality as well. You can’t give what you do not have, and you cannot ask someone to do something you do not do yourself. Pastors sometimes tend to be very busy about the kingdom of God and have forgotten about the King. They became too busy spending most of their time with the church people, programs, activities, etc. and spending a quality time with God has been compromised. Even Jesus knows how important it is to have a quality time with God, he said, "Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" (Lk. 2:49)
Maddox outlines
in Modern American Methodism that have led to the fracturing of how the
denomination understand discipleship.
Maddox cites is
the way in which Methodist have increasingly viewed ministry to and with the
poor as a specialized tasks for a seeker group of properly gifted and trained
persons, rather than a mission for all Christians. This article seeks to
explore this development in greater detail and to argue alongside Maddox that
the appointment of specialized groups to ministries to and with the poor fails
to embody the scriptural imperative for all Christians to care for those on the
margins.
It will begin
with an overview of groups that Methodists commissioned to serve as ambassadors
to the poor in the early and Mid-Twentieth century. Wesley’s thoughts
concerning the call for all Methodist to engage in the ministry and practices
that these groups embraced, including a commitment to live communally, visit
the poor, advocate on their behalf, and engage in evangelical economic
practices.
An
examination of Wesley’s life and work reveals a deep rooted commitment not only
to ministry to and with the poor, but to the wide range of commitments that
accompany it, including communal living, regular visitation, advocacy, and a
willingness to engage in evangelical economic practices.
Christians
are therefore called to steward those gifts by earning all they can just means,
serving all they can by living simply, and giving all they can to those who are
in need.
This is the official blog of the Misyonaryong Epektibo, the class taking the Missions, Evangelism and Discipleship class in Wesley Divinity School 2015. The course is an introduction to the theology and practice of missions, evangelism and discipleship. The course aims to expose the student to different approaches and
practices of missions and evangelism with emphasis on the Wesleyan
understanding of missions in the context of its church polity and structure. The purpose of this blog is to share the critical minds of the students and engage the wider public about the work of the church. The blog writers are the following:
1. Missio dei: Mallari and Bayacana 2. Mc Gavran - Hoekendjik Debate: Dela Pena and Tenorio 3. Lines Morataruim: Bagalay and Sumbad... 4. Maddox on Mission: Bulosan and Otinez 5. Discipleship: Valerio and Facunla 6. Video: Vivas and Colis 7. Importance of Implementing the Project: Morales and Tolentino
Watch out for their articles and share your comments and insights in the comments box below.
