Focus
News
By Bishop FarrAs most of you know, I wear glasses. I have worn glasses since second grade. They have changed in size, shape and color over the years. They have gone from single focus, to bifocal and to trifocal over the years. Yet, they still do what glasses are supposed to do: Focus my eyes, so I can see clearly!
At this year’s Annual Conference, we presented and adopted an action plan for the Missouri Conference. It has three priorities:
1. New places for new people;
2. Missional leaders; and,
3. Pathway out of poverty.
Our action plan, like putting on glasses, will help bring focus and clarity to our work and ministry. We hope the priorities will bring more direction to how we engage our communities around Missouri as we go about our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world and our vision of relentlessly leading our churches to become outwardly focused and spiritually centered Christ followers.
This fall, I encourage each church to ask how they can individually and collectively begin to practice these three priorities in their own settings.
Regardless of the resources you have (or don’t have); regardless of the resources your church has (or doesn’t have), you can focus and make an impact on raising up new missional leaders, creating new places for new people and creating partnerships with schools to open up pathways out of poverty.
The key is to focus and get started! Start something today, no matter how small it might be. Start something today. Who knows what impact you could have on a life?
Inside our magazine this month are stories of people and churches starting and doing new things in their ministries. I hope they inspire you to start something new in your own ministry or in the ministry of your church.
In 1 Colossians 2:6-7 (The Message), it says, “My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You’re deeply rooted in him. You’re well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you’ve been taught. School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.”
Start living it! Start something! Let’s see what God can do through a people called Methodist in Missouri. Who knows? We might just start a great awakening!