Pastoral Ponderings- The Connexion
No, this is not a typo nor a misspelling. “Connexion” is an old Wesleyan word from before there was such a thing as a “Methodist” church to describe how the different small groups and congregations connected, interacted and supported one another. While we Methodists are always living our “Connexion,” this week, I’ve been living one of the more unique facets of it. Every year in the fall, every clergy member has a consultation with the District Superintendent, who is the first face of the Connextion.
The Consultation is a part of the annual Charge Conference process, by which the larger Annual Conference keeps in touch with the unique characteristics and personality of each congregation and pastor, in order to better live out the connection. A key piece of the foundational character of our United Methodist Connexion, is that the “church” is expressed through the Conference (for us, East Ohio), lived out through each local congregation (what we usually call a church—such as Charlestown, Ravenna, and Twin Falls “churches”).
The church (the United Methodist Church, expressed through the East Ohio Conference) has the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Each congregation lives out that mission through its own unique vision, tailored to its own unique context, community and calling. So what is that vision?
Each of our three congregations is in a distinctly different community and context, with significantly different resource and skill sets. Yet as we’ve all been exploring how our visions are evolving in our changing larger society, all three congregations are discerning the commonality of visions to deeply serving our own communities in our own ways.
As with St. Paul, not everything is now certain—how our congregations updated visions will shape up is still unclear—“For now we see through a glass darkly… now I know in part, but then I shall know, even as I am known.” Lest we pretend it is clear enough, if we can’t all spout it off without much thought and in pretty much the same words, it’s not clear enough to us, so is certainly not clear enough to others, those we are here to reach. In timeless words, Proverbs reminds us “The people without a vision perish,” (KJV), or less harshly, but equally dangerous in other translations, “The people without a vision go astray.”
How can we point the Way, if we ourselves are “going astray”? Sounds like it’s time to pray! Pray that each of our congregations’ visions will become crystal clear as we seek to best serve God in each of our communities. Keep being a blessing! Pastor Jim