Thoughts From Your Staff Parish Team
on Promoting Unity
According to the Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church, one of the responsibilities of the Staff Parish Relations Committee is to “promote unity in the church.” As members of the United Methodist Church, we are all called upon, first and foremost, to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Being united in how we present ourselves as Christians to the world is one way that we, as a congregation, can present a unified example of Christian behavior to those we communicate with here, near, or far away.
Nowadays, the use of social media is a common way we connect with one another. It is so easy and quick that we often reply to a post or forward information with little or no reflection as to the ramifications of our words.
Instead of being so quick to hit “send,” maybe we would all be better off if we just paused for a few seconds to imagine the possible consequences of our actions. What do our messages, posts, sharing of links, etc., demonstrate to others about our understanding of Christ and our responsibilities as Christians and United Methodists?
The Northern Illinois Conference recently published “3 Simple Rules for Social Media,” and the rules deserve our attention and consideration. They are simply the three guiding principles put forth by John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Movement: Do no harm, do all the good you can, and stay in love with God. If each of us keeps these three guidelines in mind whenever we communicate via social media (or in person), we could tamp down a great deal of the negativity that permeates the social media universe, at least in our own little corner of the world. Please take time to click here to read the entire NIC article, and let's all work together to illustrate God’s love and Christian Witness in everything we do each day.
