Methodism began as a renewal movement within the Anglican church. John and Charles Wesley promoted ideas that were radically different from most of their peers, creating a new culture that combined aspects of different parts of English society along with key insights from the Gospels. Their movement swept through England and created a new denomination in the United States.
Today, the United Methodist Church appears to be an institution nearing the end of its life-cycle, not a lively movement of God.
I'm not proposing that we return to the 1700's, but I do believe we will need to do more than simply rearrange the way we do business. We do not merely need technical change, hiring an expert to come in and teach us "how to do church better" - we need adaptive change, to change the way we view the world and what church might be.
Jesus taught that deep change can happen with God, even when it seems as impossible as a camel going through the eye of a needle. The Church echoed his promise, and both individuals and groups have demonstrated the possibility through the ages. There is plenty of research available on how to actually change. We can do this - it remains to be seen whether or not we will.
Adaptive change requires hearing from many different voices. Some of these voices will have parts of the solution, and some will likely contribute nothing more than noise; it's not always clear which is which at the start. I offer one voice: one that claims that Jesus' values of living simply are intended for all people, not just a select few; that living simply is particularly important for leaders of the church; and that living simply is a joy, not a burden, providing us with less stress and a greatly expanded understanding of what is possible given the resources available.
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