04 July 2011
General Secretary challenges Church to take tough decisions for growth
Setting out a positive vision for the future, Revd Dr Martyn
Atkins spoke of tough decisions ahead and his belief that the
Church must change to fulfil its calling in contemporary
society.
General Secretary Dr Atkins spoke of his hopes for the life, work,
worship and mission of the Church in a report to the annual
Methodist Conference, taking place this week in Southport.
"As disciples of Jesus we are called to become the Church God wants
us to be," said Dr Atkins. "This will involve making some tough
decisions. We don't have all the resources we would like to have
but God has not given up on us. We must work hard to become a
Church that demonstrates our faith through a commitment to justice
and serving our local, national and international
communities."
The wide-ranging report, entitled 'Contemporary Methodism: A
discipleship movement shaped for mission' addresses issues from
church buildings to evangelism and the nature of local
ministry.
On property, Dr Atkins said: "We unquestionably have too many
church buildings: too many in the wrong places, too many unfit to
sustain our life as a discipleship movement shaped for mission
today. We too readily associate the sustaining of the life of our
chapels with the work of God's kingdom - these often overlap but
they're not the same thing. A more sacrificial, strategic approach
is needed. Our churches must not exist simply to perpetuate the
status quo, but to provide a place where people can come to faith
and be nurtured in their journey with Christ."
The report was warmly received by the Conference, which commended
it to the whole Church for study, response and action. Working
groups will now address some of the issues raised in the report, to
bring concrete recommendations to a future meeting of the Methodist
Conference.