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Discernment Team Process Update
In this email:
A. The Nature and Work of the Discernment Team at Asbury UMC
B. The Uniqueness of our Discernment Process during this Season
C. The Listening Sessions Scheduled for October 2022
D. Concluding Pastoral Message
As I reflect upon my first two months as the Senior Pastor at Asbury United Methodist Church, I know that God has (through our Bishop and the United Methodist Church) brought me to a vital congregation that inspires, disciples, and serves. I cannot keep track of all the things on our calendar much less the countless lives touched by our church family. I know it will take time to meet you all, but I have already been blessed to spend time with several groups and committees in our church as well as make hospital visits and host meetings in my office with members of the congregation. Everyone has been so very kind and generous to us. Thank you for welcoming my family into the Asbury family.
As you will see below, a team was already in place before I was appointed to Asbury to help us navigate through the complex waters of denominational disagreement. As of last Sunday, I have met with this team twice and I have been so very impressed by their love of our church family, their faith in Jesus Christ, and their Christian character. You will receive more information over the next few months about the process outlined below. Please read carefully and if you have any questions, please direct them to our church office. Please pay close attention to the nature of our process as well as the timing of our listening sessions!
A. In November 2021, the Church Council of Asbury United Methodist Church approved the creation of a 12-person Discernment Team to help guide the congregation through a time of exploration and information gathering to determine who we are as a church body and who we hope to be in relation to the United Methodist Church. The Discernment Team at Asbury United Methodist Church is made up of representatives from the four committees required by the Book of Discipline (Church Council, Trustees, Finance, and Staff-Parish Relations) as well as some of our pastors and four at-large members. In the coming months, the Discernment Team will hear from and analyze as many voices in the congregation as possible. After listening to and interpreting their survey results, they will make a recommendation to the Church Council.
More information about the Discernment Team at Asbury UMC (including the members of our team) can be found here: Discernment Team
B. The discernment process that Asbury UMC's Discernment Team is using was developed by Brentwood United Methodist Church in Nashville, TN, and is currently being used by several other large United Methodist Churches in the Birmingham area. Our discernment process began before the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church provided the details for the discernment process for local churches to begin the process of discerning disaffiliation. Just to be perfectly clear, Asbury UMC is not currently in the process of disaffiliating from the United Methodist Church. Any decision will be clearly communicated to the entire church. If the process of disaffiliation begins, the church family will have clear instructions as to what steps are required.
C. The Discernment Team at Asbury United Methodist Church will hold listening sessions during the month of October (next month). Listening sessions will be provided for specific groups such as Adult Sunday School Classes, leadership teams, and our teenage professing members. Specific group leaders will be contacted directly to schedule their sessions and information on the open registration sessions will be available prior to October 1. Additional listening sessions will be open to the congregation who may not be part of these groups, but registration will be required for these open listening sessions. The Discernment Team will then process this information and create a church-wide survey which will be administered at the beginning of 2023.
D. We are embarking upon a journey of faithful deliberation together as a church family. We will study the Scriptures, we will pray for one another, and we will share what is upon each of our hearts. During this season we will need to act with Christian integrity - becoming as Christlike as possible - and allowing the Holy Spirit to work through the process. We will need to see one another as Jesus sees us. We will need to listen to one another as Christ listened to the hurting in his presence. And, we will need to speak the truth in love. All of this will take some time. A wise pastor recently told us, "you cannot fast-track the Holy Spirit." He is right. We are in the hands of the Living God who is always making all things new and who is working in all things for the good of those who love Him.
Author Max Lucado reminds us, "God works in all things. Not a few things, in all things." May God work through these next few months to pave our way forward in faith and nurture our hearts and minds to be wise enough and gentle enough to walk together on that path.
In Christ,
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