Good to Great and the United Methodist Bishop

In a series of patheos articles about the future of the mainline church, Bishop Larry M. Goodpaster,* was interviewed about his vision for the future of the United Methodist Church.

When the interviewer, Debera Acra, asked him about the mainline decline and specific plans, Bishop Goodpaster referenced Good to Great:

Given the membership decline in the mainline church, what specific efforts are underway in the UMC to revive the church and make it relevant for the future?
Many United Methodists, both lay and clergy, have read and been influenced by Jim Collins' book Good to Great. In that book, Collins makes reference to the Stockdale paradox, which states, in essence, that we must always confront reality, but never give up hope. That, it seems to me, is where we find ourselves today. Reality: declining membership in the United States coupled with redirected resources. Hope: the vision of the Reign of God pulling us into a different future. By the power of the Spirit and the grace of Jesus, we move forward to create a future with hope. We know we are losing any sense of relevance in this rapidly changing culture.

For me, seeing the President of the Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Church, apply Jim Collins in a way that speaks to middle ground, makes me enormously happy, in large part this is an entirely Methodist synthesis of the text. Methodists like to balance personal and social piety, the present and future reality of the kin-dom of God, so why not add in the reality of church in decline with following Jesus in the future.

For the rest of his interview go here. His answers for what to do about young adults is well worth investigating.





*Yes, seriously. My love for puns is exceedingly happy about this. Much like when I heard my aunt’s stomach doctor was a Doctor Chow.