Young Clergy?

Well, I don’t consider myself a “young” clergy person. At almost 46 (next month), I qualify as middle-aged, but I continue to be included in mailings and groups with the title “young” attached. This is a good thing, right? It means I’m perceived as one still clinging to the energy and attitudes of youth. Either that, or I’m perceived as immature. Actually, that’s probably the more accurate assumption. Regardless of the perception (accurate or not!) I’ve been participating in a group on Facebook called “UMC Young Clergy”, and praying daily for 40 days during this season of Annual Conferences. We are praying for the United Methodist Church to be renewed, revived, and refreshed. We are praying for a return to the scriptural understanding of the church and her mission. We are praying for an evangelistic flame to burn in our ministries. We are praying that we become again a church that cares more about others, than ourselves… a church that reaches out to the lost with hearts and hands that love like Christ loves. We are praying that we become a church that boldly addresses justice and stewardship of the Earth and its inhabitants, and actually stands up and leads the way in acts of mercy and loving-kindness. We are praying that our whole denomination will begin to re-think “church”. We are asking… do we really have ‘Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors’? Really? I wonder. We have been working at opening our hearts, and opening our doors… now it is time to open our minds to a new understanding of Christ’s definition of “CHURCH”.
Here is a portion of one of our daily prayers. You might wish to join us:

Gracious God, we confess to you that, in so many ways, we have fallen short of who you would have us be. As individuals we allow ourselves to become wrapped up in our own wants and desires, we become increasingly concerned about our own security and future, and in pursuit of our own comfort we turn a blind eye to the pain and injustice suffered by others.
Corporately we have failed to live your calling as well. In many cases our churches tend to perpetuate the status quo because it is safer, because it is comfortable, because we want not to rock the boat.As United Methodists in the United States we are aware of the ways that our brothers and sisters around the globe continue to make disciples in radical and risky ways... Forgive us, God. For our self-centeredness and shortsightedness, forgive us. For our complacency and maintenance of the status quo, forgive us. For the ways in which we have failed to live your call, forgive us.God, we know that you love us, as individuals and as your church, exactly the way we are. Yet, at the same time, we have a sense that you don’t want us to stay that way, that you have a greater hope for us, that you are calling us into a future beyond what we can imagine. Open our eyes, our ears, our hearts, and our spirits to who you are calling us to be. Amen.
submitted by Rev. Jeff Clinger, Kansas-East Conference

Is your mind open enough to re-think how we “do” church? See ya in worship!