I was in conversation with some of my colleagues about the state of The United Methodist Church. We each took a Post-It® Note and wrote what we thought was the most pressing need/critical issue facing the church. Most of the notes were about declining numbers — not enough new members, not enough young people, not enough dollars, too many old people (and them dying off). My note said “Low expectations.” This brought a response from the group that if we expected more from people, it would hasten our demise. I disagree. We have instituted low expectations as a norm for over three generations and it hasn’t served us well. And in recent times we have lowered the bar to the point where it has dented a groove in the foundation — I am afraid we cannot go any lower. Four illustrations.
I was talking with a pastor who proudly stated that his church was getting serious about discipleship. This a church of approximately 300 members. He told me that five people (all retired women) are covenanting together to “follow Steve Manskar’s Accountable Discipleship book,” and meet once a quarter for 90 minutes to model discipleship for the rest of the congregation. I responded, “you mean weekly, don’t you?” He explained that, no, when they all looked at their calendars, they couldn’t commit to more than once every three months, and even then not everyone would be able to attend every meeting.
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