Friday, March 11, 2005
Dennis M . Mahoney
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Getting better takes time when you’re talking more than 1,200 patients.

It also takes money.

But United Methodist Bishop Bruce Ough thinks the prognosis for the churches under his care is good.

‘‘The vision we’re after is to have all of our congregations . . . healthy and growing, spiritually vital, centers for disciple-making for transforming the world," Ough said.

Four years ago, the newly appointed bishop outlined a long-term plan for the denomination’s Columbus-based West Ohio Conference that was aimed at recharging its 244,000 members and their churches in 58 counties.

The plan included more clergy and lay leadership training, expanding ministries, realigning and consolidating churches and promoting diversity in clergy and congregations.

Now, halfway through his tenure, Ough said some of those goals are being realized.

For instance, in 2001, fewer than 40 percent of the churches were showing growth in average worship attendance; today, it’s about 50 percent. Some churches are adding worship services, and new ministries and congregations are emerging.

But more needs to be done, Ough said, and fund-raising to help pay for it is under way.

‘‘What this is really about is bringing all the elements that were first articulated in the vision four years ago into one initiative," he said.

While funding the conference’s goals would take about $30 million, Ough said, ‘‘We’re going to do as much as local churches are willing to support."

The fund drive — ‘‘Strength for Today . . . Bright Hope for Tomorrow" — is unlike those of the past, when congregations were assessed an amount. This time, churches are being asked to participate but are not required to.

Churches wanting to hold a fund drive among members can use a Texas company, RSI, to conduct it, with the conference paying the cost. Of the money raised, 10 percent would go into a regional fund for wider church needs, such as starting congregations or ministries or merging churches; the rest would stay with the local church to use as it wants.

But churches are free to participate in other ways, and at any level they can, Ough said.

‘‘We believe that if the focus is strengthening congregations, then it must be structured in a way that doesn’t ask churches to meet financial goals for the conference, but rather to take advantage of the structure we’re putting in place to strengthen their congregation," he said.

Additionally, for the first time the conference will solicit money from individuals and groups outside churches.

Helping to steer the conference’s efforts are results from surveys of members last fall to gauge their top concerns. For instance, those who responded said they want more lay leadership training; they also cited a preference for experienced pastors instead of clergy fresh out of seminary.

In response to the latter, money from the fund-raising effort would be used to create a residency program for seminary graduates, said the Rev. Tom Slack, conference spokesman.

Clergy would serve two years assisting in a church to learn the ropes before being appointed as pastors, he said. Additionally, seminary students would serve internships with congregations while in school, Slack said.

Bruce Boyd of Sidney, conference lay leader since June, said he thinks churches are beginning to focus again on the mission of making disciples for Jesus by reaching outside their churches.

‘‘A lot of the mainline denominations have lost their focus on what their mission is," he said. ‘‘They’ve become more introspective in thinking their mission is to take care of their own, when their mission clearly is not to take care of your own. That has to be done, but the real mission is reaching out."

Boyd said the denomination has underused the talents of members, and training lay leaders is critical to the future of the church. He also applauds the clergy residency and internship ideas.

‘‘You can’t train people out of the context of where they’re going to be working," he said. ‘‘You can’t just train them and expect them to be leaders by putting them in a classroom."

Boyd said his church, First United Methodist, has been rejuvenated in the last four years by having a clearer focus on its mission.

Average worship attendance has climbed to about 600 from fewer than 300; the number of children and youth programs has increased; and there is more mission activity, he said.

Those kinds of yardsticks, as well as whether churches are making vital contributions to their communities, will help to measure the success of the conferencewide effort, Boyd said.

dmahoney@dispatch.com