United Methodists Report on State of the Church
For the first time, United Methodists have compiled a comprehensive overview on the state of the church. Members around the world were polled on what it means to be United Methodist.
The first phase of the denomination's first "State of the Church" report, released last Thursday, measured Methodists in six different areas. Pastors, lay leaders and laity were polled to define current realities within the church, to honor the heritage of the church, and to examine areas for growth, according to the United Methodist News Service (UMNS).
In regards to personal identity, many respondents said they consider the church as family, and the main reason they belong is they believe in its values. Many are also proud of the church's focus and accomplishment.
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Those polled said the church plays an important role in their lives and provides a sense of belonging. They agreed that it is important to make the church relevant to young people, and many said young people relate better to young pastors.
United Methodists varied in worship styles around the world. While churches have a difficult time finding a balance between traditional and more contemporary worship styles and music, churches in the Philippines and Africa were found to have greater success changing traditional music and worship to livelier forms.
The report indicated that budgetary concerns are paramount for leaders and that there is a dependency on volunteers and a need to involve more young people in volunteer work.
When asked about the church system, most respondents said the church was open and welcoming of people with diverse ideas. Opinions varied in the U.S. church's attitude about homosexuality while the issue was irrelevant to those in other countries.
In terms of the future, respondents varied on their views on how the church should change. Most, however, agreed that it needs to be more accommodating to young people. Longtime members had more resistance to change.
"The next step is to analyze the quantitative results and put those together with the other kinds of research from other sources," said Connectional Table member Twila Glenn, according to UMNS. "We will begin to fashion those into a report ... in draft form that attempts to say, 'this is not only who we are, but what we are.' And what that means for where we're going ... and for the United Methodist Church and its role in the body of Christ in the world."
The research for the report was compiled by the Martec Group and commissioned by Connectional Table, which is a 60-member group that coordinates the mission, ministries and resources of the denomination. Data was gathered from face-to-face conversations, in-depth phone interviews and an online survey which was completed by 2,600 people.
Complete results of the State of the Church report are expected in May 2007.
