A Debt to Wesley

Back in 1971 I signed on as a Methodist preacher.  Methodist preachers were then appointed by the Bishop to go where they were assigned by him.  It was nothing like the call system which enables each church to decide who is going to be their preacher.  In this system, called the itinerant system, the preacher goes where sent.  The upside for the preacher is that he or she is guaranteed a place to preach and serve.  I remember my Dad, also a Methodist preacher, going to Annual Conference where such decisions were finalized, and calling home to tell us where we were going to be moving the next week.   

Over the years of my ministry, the system softened to allow for preachers to have input through a consultation process though the Bishop still had the final word.  There were times when the system seemed to break down as larger churches started sending their preference to the Bishop who seemed to be guided by their request.  During these last fifty years it often appeared that larger more monied churches were treated differently than some of the smaller struggling congregations.  Of course, all of this is simply a personal perception which may not have anything to do with reality.   

A recent note from a life long friend and colleague in ministry sent me down the rabbit hole of reflection.  I will be the first one to admit that the Methodist Church was a flawed church when I was ordained.  It remains so.  I also know that I am a Wesleyan.  John Wesley's theology is the foundation for what I believe.  I will always be a debtor to the church that baptized me, introduced me to Jesus, blessed my marriage, educated me, and gave me a place to preach and serve Christ.  I do not overlook or ignore what I believe to be a dangerous move toward becoming a church influenced too much by the consensus of culture instead of the Holy Spirit, but it is still the church of my spiritual roots as well as where I experience family.  For this church I pray that the heart and spirit of Wesley will always shine as a beacon beckoning us forward.