No one can agree to share their toys so we will all go home with no change in structure? @pastor_clayton
Parliamentary pandemonium broke out in the final General Administration Committee meeting of the 2012 General Conference as competing plans rose and fell in quick legislative succession, leaving the committee with no recommendation to re-structure the United Methodist Church.
Can we get a bishop to resurrect Robert? We need a ruling -@ireverant
The legislation wasn’t the only thing that fell apart. Motions, amendments and committee structures delved into the world of obtuse parliamentary procedure as delegates attempted legislative gymnastics in their effort to beat the clock. Like gymnastics, the rulings for who prevailed became somewhat arbitrary.
At the end of the night, many felt annoyed, disappointed and frustrated. I left excited and hopeful.
When does a meeting become a metaphor? @fakeUMCbishop
The easy metaphor to lift from last night’s proceedings is that we’re a mess and we’re going nowhere. I think that we may have been too critical of GA committee members. Aware of the dark precipice that stands before us, we understandably clamor for the places that have or currently offer us light. ‘Surely,’ we think, ‘they will be our beacons in the future.’
Let us not forget that those who clamor, do so for the love of God and the ways that they encounter that love.
Let us not forget that the difference between a good sermon and a great sermon is what illustrations, stories and ideas the preacher is willing to give up so that the clear, distinct message of Jesus Christ can be proclaimed.
Let us not forget that the Wesleys probably knew there would be times that we, Methodists, would wonder if we were, indeed, alive. In those moments our ‘boast of God’s redeeming power” will be all the stronger.
It’s a beautiful thing when nothing is left on the table because that’s when you realize that everything has to be.
May we have the courage to “gladly reckon all things loss so we may Jesus gain.”
Rev. Mike Baughman is a United Methodist elder, social media coach and special contributor to the United Methodist Reporter
