Quoted from the August 10, 2004 issue of United Methodist Newscope:

"Based on reports submitted by conference communicators and other reporters, the UMC in the United States is continuing its slow decline in membership and worship attendance. With 62 of 63 conferences reporting, membership at the end of 2003 has declined by approximately 60,000 persons, or 0.7%, from the year before. Average attendance at the principal worship service declined by about 60,000 persons, or 2% (61 conferences reporting)"

"Only one annual conference reported both an increase in membership and an increase in worship attendance. The Mississippi Conference reported a 0.25%, or 483-person, increase in membership and a 0.57%, or 439-person, increase in attendance."

Are you enjoying the slide? It continues year after year, while our General Conference debates and votes on "non-essentials" - - our beloved church is on a long slippery slope.

Whenever one of our legislative bodies gathers, is the hallway discussion about "making disciples of Jesus Christ"? I think not! It is always about the way the wind is blowing us that particular day "(blown about by every wind of doctrine".

Here are the essentials - -

• Love and Serve God!
• Believe and Teach the Word of God as contained in the Old and New Testaments!
• Profess and share your faith in Jesus Christ!
• Lead others to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ!

Where do you think we would be, statistically, if we expended all of our efforts and resources at doing just that.

Friends, it has to begin and end in the local church. Lord knows we have tried to fix it from to top down forever and nothing we have thrown out there has worked in the long run. Oh, we have had short spurts of successes, but, after their season, they have been put on the bookshelf to gather dust until we clean out our office.

Remember "Crusade for Christ and His Church"?. Remember "Vision 2000"?

In the Laity Address to the 1998 General Conference, I said the following:

"We must thrust open the doors of our Churches, as we go out in ministry and service. We need to quit sitting around in meetings talking about what we ought to do - - and get out and about and be in ministry. If every church would declare a moratorium on meetings next year and send the people out - - equipped and prepared to offer Christ to their world, what do you think would happen? United Methodists who are dispersed for mission and ministry onto the highways and by ways of our global community - - just think about it? Folks, it should be obvious by now to everyone that we can't, as Wesley said, "Offer them Christ" - - by sitting in the Churches waiting for something to happen."

Yes indeed, Thank God for Mississippi. By just barely keeping their nose above the water line they have led the church this year.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell us what is wrong with our picture. What is keeping people away from our places of worship and what is making them leave our denomination - -

As I see it - - we cannot decide which way we want to steer this big ship we call The United Methodist Church. We have no overarching, burning, pervasive, persuasive, message and ministry for today. Oh we were good back in the 40's and 50's. The reason were good then is because we were focused and centered.

Let me close with another quote from the 1998 Laity Address - -

"Imagine for just a moment that this great United Methodist Church of ours is one of the fine "tall sailing ships" with all of its sails billowing in the wind. We have turned and trimmed those sails so that the Wind - - the Wind of God's Holy Spirit - is blowing at our backs and we are speeding across the water. Wait! - - there's troublesome times ahead, the water is getting choppy, the wind is beginning to shift, the sails need re-trimming, and there is a rocky shoal ahead. All of us, who are called United Methodists, have our hands on the wheel. Will it be shipwreck - - or sailing on to ports of ministry? If you push and I pull, we are going to run our ship onto the rocks and just look longingly for the missed ports of ministry where God's people are. We must, all in one spirit, very quickly decide which way to turn this ship we call the United Methodist Church, to keep in on course."