Monday, August 10, 2009

Trans Geo disapointment

Yes, I went to General Council last week, hoping to see progress in the area of resolution #19, about Trans-Geographical Districts.


No, it did not pass. If I recall correctly, some 700 voted against it while about 500 voted for it.

I am disappointed about it, but possibly not for the reasons you might think.

My disappointment is simple; this was the only tiny idea I ever really heard or was part of that has potential to create a new wine skin. I had hoped that something could make us more effective at making disciples of Christ. I wasn't sure that this idea would work. All I was sure of, is that our current system is a sad failure.

I and my fellow Pastors have a dismal record of failure in the past 20 years that I have been in ministry. During that period, church attendance in America has dropped to about half of what it was in the early 80's when I started out in ministry. Today, 80% of my culture does not attend church.

I have no real plan for how to fix that. This little trans-geo thing, was the only glimmer of hope I had, small and pathetic as it was.

My heart is not bursting with ideas about how to reach my nation in my day. And the famine of my heart is my real disappointment.

1 comment:

Paul said...

I hear you, Gerry.

I'm afraid I lost my optimism for this over the past year or two--not whether it would pass or not, but whether it would make the difference one might have hoped for.

It seems the only thing left is massive (deep and wide) repentance...of God's people (2 Chr. 7:14). We would have to lose all of our corporate pride and be truly broken. I wonder if that is possible...