Bishop Holston, speaking during the 2018 Summit on the Black Church
Bishop L. Jonathan Holston had a question for some 140 pastors and laypersons attending the 2018 Summit on the Black Church in North Charleston Oct. 25-27.
“Culturally, economically, theologically, these are challenging times,” the resident bishop of the South Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church said. “We have to ask ourselves, ‘Are we on a pleasure cruise, or are we prepared and able and structured and built to give purpose to God’s word, so God’s people will be able to hold themselves accountable?’
“So the question for you, as we think about the black church in South Carolina, is: Are you up for the challenge?”
Part of that challenge, he said, is “moving our churches from preservation to transformation,” and to do that, “you’ve got to be in the life of the people of the church.”
Bishop Holston
Bishop Holston drew on 2 Corinthians 4:5-12, in which “Paul is reminding us that we are God’s possession, that there is precious treasure in each and every one of us.”
“We may have been pressed, but we are not crushed, ” he said. “We may be perplexed, but we are not in despair. We may be persecuted, but we are not abandoned. We may be struck down, but we are not destroyed.
“We have been in the service business, but not the engagement business. If we are going to reach those people we haven’t reached in the past, we have to talk to them. We have to show up at a school. We have to show up at an event. We have to show up somewhere.”
One way for churches to prepare for the challenge and to move from preservation to transformation, Bishop Holston said, is by taking part in Forward Focus, a process designed to help local United Methodist churches and charges study their past, present and future potential for ministry.
“Every now and then, our congregations ought to take a look at themselves to see if we are prepared to go into the places God wants us to go,” he said. “Your future is better than your past, but you won’t be prepared for your future until you take a good look at yourself.
“When you go to the doctor, you don’t just go when you have something wrong with you. You need to go regularly to see what you need to do to stay healthy, to stay alive. That’s what Forward Focus can do for your church.”
Bishop Holston also asked all South Carolina United Methodists, both clergy and laity, to make a promise to look for the best in each other.
“The first thing I need you to do, if we’re going to be the church in South Carolina that we need to be, we need to lift each other up and not tear each other down,” he said. “We need to be able to pull each and every person up. The second thing is, do not think so highly of yourself. We all have some flaws. We don’t have to think lowly of ourselves, because you have greatness in you.
“Finally, what we need to say to each other, let’s say it directly to each other, not by going out into the parking lot, or into the hallway, to the telephone and to Twitter. Don’t text and email your thoughts, share them in person, share them in love.”
Bishop Holston borrowed from one of his favorite hymns, “Blessed Assurance,” to wrap up his appeal:
“My story, my song is simply this: to do God’s will and to let God’s will be known,” he said. “To allow God’s grace to be seen and God’s will to be felt. To allow his love to encompass us all. If we do these things, the Lord will bless us.
“The gift of the black church is God’s worship, but the power of the black church is God’s presence. Let the presence and the power be seen and felt in the places that you serve, in the places where you worship, in the places you live. If you do that, I believe you will be up for the challenge.”
Learn more about Forward Focus
