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Commentary
COMMENTARY: Creativity at the crossroads James L. Killen, Jr., Oct 22, 2009
James Killen
By James L. Killen Jr. Special Contributor
As Methodism seeks to revitalize itself, we must be careful to invest our resources and our creativity in the places where we have strength. But there is one place that is in danger of being overlooked.
As we busy ourselves building megachurches to serve metropolitan areas, we must not forget that a large portion of the population of the country lives in small rural communities that cannot be effectively served by those churches.
Among the major denominations that offer a vital and balanced witness to the Christian faith, Methodism is uniquely well equipped to serve those people.
We have inherited from previous generations a network of churches that has placed a building and a congregation of some size in almost every crossroads community in the country. The members of those congregations are often deeply committed to their churches.
Unfortunately, these churches are often thought of as struggling or even dying because we keep comparing them to the churches they once were or to the suburban churches that are having spectacular growth because they are located in thriving communities.
We can change the way we think about those churches, however. What would happen if we affirmed the strategic possibilities of those churches, not for numerical growth but for ministry?
Methodism has another resource that many Methodists don’t even know about. We have a well-developed system for training and enabling leaders to give creative leadership to those small-membership churches. The Schools for Local Pastors and the Course of Study Schools provide training for people who are called to ministry but for whom attending seminary is not practical.
I am privileged to teach in that system. I stopped to write this article, which I have been meaning to write for a long time, in the middle of grading the papers for 15 people who are enrolled in the class on “The Pastor as Interpreter of the Scriptures.”
The students are mostly middle-aged or older men and women who will serve as part-time or full-time pastors of small rural churches. Most of them are second-career people who have advanced training in other professions. Two or three have doctoral degrees. They are very capable and highly motivated people. They are a typical class. And because I got excited about the papers that some had written, I decided to stop and write this article.
Local pastors have a lot to offer.
Methodism also has a connectional structure that can enable groups of small churches to work together to provide programs for children, youth, and young single and married adults that many small churches cannot provide alone. (We will have to repent of our jealousy and competitiveness to make that work, but repentance is a good thing.)
To realize our potential, we will need to stop measuring small congregations by unrealistic and inappropriate standards, and help them to set goals for themselves, not in terms of numerical growth but in terms of the transformation of the world to the glory of God.
We need to help small membership churches feel good about themselves and their possibilities. Then we can begin to develop creative new patterns for ministry.
Why should all worship services be staged like the services of churches where people sit in rows and are served by robed clergy and choirs and sing to organ music? Why must we keep on letting our empty choir lofts condemn us? Why can’t we develop some patterns for vital and faithful worship appropriate for 12 or 15 people sitting in a circle?
That can be exciting. And if the small membership churches set their minds to it, they can develop patterns of ministry to their community that could make the megachurches jealous.
Here is another radical suggestion. What would happen if we looked to the local pastors and lay leadership of the churches themselves for the creative new ideas rather than looking to the seminaries and the general boards? Yes, I know how little rural churches like to change. But that might be different if they were invited to initiate the changes for themselves.
My guess is that if we stop being preoccupied with numerical growth and give attention to ministry, surprising numerical growth just might happen in unexpected places.
Our mission is to “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15). There are places where the megachurches can’t go, but Methodism can. Let’s put our creativity where our strength is and respond to the call.
The Rev. Killen, a retired elder in the Texas Conference, teaches in the Lon Morris extension of the Perkins School of Theology Course of Study School. He is also the author of Pastoral Care in Small Membership Churches (Abingdon, 2005).
James Killen
Unfortunately, these churches are often thought of as struggling or even dying because we keep comparing them to the churches they once were or to the suburban churches that are having spectacular growth because they are located in thriving communities. 
