Jennifer Kay Smith
in love with creativity & its sourceArchive for united methodist church
umc young clergy project
Time for an update on this UMC Young Clergy project. My school is working to give me elective credit which is great. I do work study for our IT department and from the minute I mentioned this idea, they told me to drop the other things I do for them and work almost 100% on this.
They’ve lent me equipment, given me office space and my own dry erase board! What a blessing…
Meg Lassiat at GBHEM (ordination, young adults, etc.) is interested in supporting this project. I can’t wait to meet with her and others in Nashville to see how to get this in the hands of lots of people.
The overall project has developed into two sections. I’ve put out the call to the over 200 young clergy that signed up on Facebook to submit photos and videos.
I want to publish a photo essay book that has photos answering the statement “I want to be a pastor because ______.” I also want to include “a day in the life of a young pastor.” I hope high school and college students will get this book and really SEE themselves as a pastor.
One reason we have a young clergy shortage is because many churches stopped voicing a possible call in youth. Adam Hamilton at Church of the Resurrection mentioned they get their 150 7th grade confirmands together and ask them to point to others who might be a good pastor. Then anyone who might be interested fills out a card and they’re trained as they grow up. By high school, they’re speaking and doing visitation. They have a goal to send out 200 people for ministry in the next 5 years.
The second part of the project will be the documentary. I’m overwhelmed with all the great footage as I try to wade through it. I’m starting to see a story emerge that will be fun to convey.
I need a 2-3 minute preview done by next Wednesday to show our Board of Trustees. So hopefully you’ll see something soon. 
Well, if I can ignore my computer long enough to finish an exegesis essay for Dr. Watson!
speak it into existence
Attending General Conference has renewed my hope in the Methodist Church.
I spent ten days worshipping with my brothers and sisters from every corner of the world. Our different cultures wove into worship, voting procedures, volunteer situations, the food court lines, asking directions, taking the airport shuttle and in the elevator.
We are part of a global church. We so often get bogged down in the local church world that we forget how effective our church is on a global scale. No other church is as well connected as the UMC.
It has been difficult to return and hear the cynicism and dripping sarcasm when United Methodists ask me if they got anything done at General Conference. Until someone personally sees 1,000 faithful Christians try to agree on matters of faith, they won’t understand how difficult the process can be.
It is dangerously easy to critique our denomination’s leadership from our comfortable vantage point in our local church. Change seems so slow. I was guilty of that very perspective until last week. Yes, I saw that it is a political and at times, underhanded process.
But I choose to spend my energy on the incredible movement of hope rising in the Methodist Church.
I got a chance to interview Adam Hamilton, the senior pastor at Church of the Resurrection in Kansas. He is dedicated to renewing the Methodist Church and he’ll talk and talk until he speaks it into existence. I believe if more and more young people see the same hope I do in the Methodist Church, our generation will lead the church to come out of decline.
Does anyone else dream things that seem so impossible it’s almost silly to type it?
We can speak it into existence. We will. God will.
First round of videos from Young People’s Address at GC are posted here…
