Annual shareholders' meetings have to be done, but they can be numbingly boring, with their statistics and performance evaluations, election of officers, and legal necessities. Church annual meetings are no different; we just add prayers and sometimes worship to the mix. Hardly pulse-pounding stuff. Tonight's annual meeting was different. We began with worship, Park's praise band leading. It is an honor to play bass with such a great team. Even missing our usual lead singers, guitarist, and keyboardist, they filled in what would have been missing parts, and didn't miss a beat.
It was then our District Superintendent's turn. Sherri spoke, taking as her text Jesus' word in John 15 about abiding in him as branches abide in the vine. When I say she spoke, what I really mean is, she PREACHED! She reminded us that of all the things churches can do, the one thing we must do is to introduce people to Jesus and nurture them in the process of discipleship so they can be sent back into the world to repeat the process all over again. In 44 years of pastoral ministry, I've attended and even led plenty of these meetings (called Charge Conferences in our branch of the faith), and I've listened to a good many District Superintendents preach at them. More often than I like to recall, when the ecclesiastical brass preaches, they produce sleepers. The story is apocryphal, but has a ring of truth: The bishop was sitting with the pastor waiting to preach. Looking out over the congregation, he noticed that the sanctuary was nearly empty. He leaned over and whispered to the pastor, "Didn't you tell them I was coming?"
"No," the pastor replied. "But they found out, anyway."
Tonight, we heard loud and clear a challenge to keep first things first, which isn't a matter of bringing people to church so they can help us keep the doors open. We invite people to Christ because they need the forgiveness and hope only he can give. Tonight, I am grateful to have heard so clearly what the Church is all about, and to be reminded of the role we are given in God's means for saving the world.
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