Thoughts on Recovery

A friend of mine shared some of the thoughts that recovery in African Methodism evoked for him. Please read them and let me hear your response.

The expression “recovery” calls forth a wellspring of thoughts when I consider the legacy of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

I think of “recovery of our history.” I recall the role we played during slavery and afterwards, reconstruction, and the struggle for civil rights.

I think of “recovery of the Spirituality of Methodism.” Others have taken on attributes that were characteristically “Methodist” – original Methodist were spirited (Pentecostal); held camp meetings that afforded fellowship with common people; the Church of the warm heart. We seem to have diminished the importance of these attributes.

I see the need to “recover the itinerancy!” We need to break this new mold where we think that we are ordained for a locale, thereby refusing to “travel.”

We need to “recover the philosophy of the priesthood of all believers.” Lay folk have priestly functions, too.

We need to “recover the MISSION of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.” We need to revisit our mission statement so that we concentrate on the “central issues” and not the “side issues.”

Finally, we need to “recover our ancestral history” which invariably will take us back to the cradle of civilization. When the founding fathers of our church thought it not prudent to extend themselves beyond these shores of America, the mothers of the church saw the pressing need to reach beyond to the shores of Africa. We must recover our ministry and mission to the next big wave of Christian Evangelism which will take place on the shores and in the very heart of Africa.

REB

What are your thoughts on “recovery“?  Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment.

A Good Bishop!

Bishop in Methodism does not represent a different order of ministry (deacon/elder), only a difference in governance and responsibility. Bishops are elected from the ranks of their peers, hence, “first among equals” – (Primus Inter Pares). What attributes does a “good bishop” possess?