Looking forward
So what is next as we enter this healing season?
General Conference gives us the possibility to begin anew. We come together with a focus on our identity; our mission; and how the strands that bind us together in connectionalism make us stronger.
By centering shared theology and mission, and de-centering the US in order to honor each region’s culture and context, we have the opportunity to increase missional effectiveness. Regions throughout our denomination are excited to increase relevance by speaking the Gospel message in their contexts in accents that will be heard.
As we struggled through the past few years, we have learned new ways of doing church: we have discovered new ways of speaking, listening and connecting. Our new technological skills and equipment have led to new online communities and lessened our isolation.
By our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness, we can continue the vital ministries we have already begun and attune ourselves to the new things God is doing.