Why the UB Church is Poised for the Future

C. Ray Miller
Bishop, 1973-1993

July 1992

I believe the United Brethren church is poised for the future because of her willingness to change.

Three years ago, General Conference approved a new commission structure for local churches. That by itself was significant. But the true test of change was, "Will our people implement this new structure in their own churches?" You see, the structure was purely optional; churches didn't have to implement it. Amazingly, I imagine 90-95% of the churches across the denomination have adopted the new structure.

In today's world, if you're unwilling to change, you won't survive. The business world is filled with examples of this. New realities arise, and business leaders realize they need to adjust to meet these new realities--but they don't, and the business folds or is severely hurt.

Tragically, some of our churches, because of their unwillingness to change, are at the point of death. I think of one particular church where the pastor has repeatedly encouraged adoption of the commission structure and has sought greater lay involvement. But the resistance has been too great. It's discouraging--not only to the pastor, but to key lay people who want to see changes and are wondering, "Where do we go from here?"

The United Brethren church of the 1990s must be flexible, ready to change its methods in order to continue effectively proclaiming its unchanging message. That is the type of church that will attract new people to our churches. And I'm excited that so many of our churches exemplify this spirit. Instead of griping about the changes occurring around them, they acknowledge them and say, "What are we going to do about it to remain effective in reaching people for Christ?" Because of congregations like that, I believe our denomination is poised for the future.

I also believe the United Brethren church is poised for the future because of her new unity.

I'm very serious about this. Before I became a pastor or bishop, I attended Huntington College, where I got to know a lot of bishops. Tragically, we had bishops who didn't get along, and who even refused to talk to each other. How can God honor a denomination whose leaders behave like that?

This applies to the local church level. In some cases, respected "spiritual" leaders--deacons, lay leaders, board members--fight among themselves. Whether this shows itself in public disputes, or a quiet tension just beneath the surface, it can't be allowed to continue. If you care about your church, you need to deal with these divisions.

I remember when there was a lot of tension between conferences. Pastors didn't move from one conference to another. But those walls have been crumbling. Now, pastors frequently move from one state to another, one conference to another. There is a sense of unity, that regardless of conference boundaries, we're all in the same business and we're better off if we can cooperate.

I'm thrilled that at many of our annual conference and midyear sessions, the keynote speaker is a pastor from another conference. Whereas conferences once kept their distance, I now see a great desire among them to get in touch with each other and learn from each other. I don't want Michigan Conference competing with Central Conference, or Michindoh Conference competing with Pennsylvania Conference. They need to work together, share resources, and build each other up.

In Michindoh Conference, three churches joined in what is called Tri-Community Ministries. Rather than merging, they are cooperating in being served by two fulltime pastors. While keeping their individual identity, they express unity. We need more of this.

I believe this unity helps us be poised for the future, because it indicates the presence of love and acceptance. That is what people want in a church. At Challenge Ô92, some people told me they had just recently joined a United Brethren church. They said, "When we walked into that church and saw and felt the love there, we wanted to be part of it."

God has given us many churches like that. And that is another reason I believe we are poised for the future.