Introduction
The United Methodist Church (UMC) operates under a connectional structure, wherein bishops serve as the highest level of authority, providing both spiritual and administrative oversight. This system of episcopal leadership is crucial for the church’s mission, including local congregational growth. However, a common critique is that many bishops are focused primarily on institutional governance rather than directly supporting local churches in their efforts to grow. In this essay I would like to share you my thoughts on how episcopal leadership can more effectively aid local churches in increasing their membership, addressing structural challenges, and reorienting episcopal leadership from a more bureaucratic focus to one that fosters local vitality.
Understanding the Role of Episcopal Leadership
Episcopal leadership in the UMC is designed to provide spiritual and administrative oversight. Bishops are charged with overseeing annual conferences, appointing clergy, and ensuring the faithful implementation of the church’s mission and polity. While these responsibilities are vital, they often place bishops in a position where their primary focus is on denominational governance, crisis management, and institutional stability rather than local church development. However, for local churches to grow in membership, episcopal leadership must strategically reallocate their attention and resources towards nurturing the grassroots level of church life.
The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church clearly states that a bishop is to be “the chief shepherd of the flock.”¹ This responsibility includes offering leadership for the mission of making disciples for the transformation of the world, which is central to church growth. However, the challenge arises when the administrative load of the episcopacy overshadows this call to shepherd the local church.
Strategies for Episcopal Leadership to Foster Local Church Growth
- Emphasizing Church Revitalization Programs
One of the most critical areas where episcopal leadership can aid in local church growth is by prioritizing church revitalization initiatives. Many local congregations, especially in rural and urban areas, face declining membership due to shifting demographics and societal secularization. Bishops can direct resources and personnel to help struggling churches develop outreach strategies, community engagement projects, and leadership training. For example, the UMC’s Path 1 initiative, focused on planting new churches and revitalizing existing ones, is a denomination-wide effort that bishops can promote more vigorously in their conferences.² By giving more attention to such initiatives, bishops can help local churches innovate and reach new populations.
- Leadership Development for Clergy and Laypersons
Another crucial area for episcopal involvement is in leadership development, both for clergy and laypersons. Local church growth depends significantly on the quality of its leadership. Bishops can establish programs for ongoing pastoral education, focusing not only on theological training but also on leadership skills, cultural intelligence, and community engagement techniques. Additionally, empowering Lay Servant Ministries (LSM) as a tool for discipleship and leadership development can be a game-changer for congregational vitality.³ By restructuring the LSM program under the guidance of episcopal leaders, local churches can create a pipeline of trained and committed lay leaders who can support church growth initiatives.
- Building Stronger Relationships Between Bishops and Local Congregations
Bishops in the UMC are often seen as distant, institutional figures, a perception that can alienate them from the needs of local congregations. One way to bridge this gap is by encouraging bishops to spend more time in local churches, not just during times of crisis but regularly, to provide spiritual leadership, encouragement, and direct support. When bishops actively engage with congregations, they can offer tailored guidance to local churches on how to grow their membership and create a stronger connectional spirit. Furthermore, by involving themselves more deeply in local church contexts, bishops can help congregations feel more connected to the broader mission of the UMC.
- Promoting Contextual Evangelism
Episcopal leadership can also drive membership growth by promoting contextual evangelism efforts. Each local church has unique cultural, social, and economic contexts that require different approaches to outreach and evangelism. Bishops, working with district superintendents, can help local churches identify and adopt evangelism strategies that are responsive to their particular community’s needs. For example, Fresh Expressions, a movement within the UMC focused on creating new forms of church for people not connected to traditional congregations, has proven successful in many conferences.⁴ By encouraging local churches to explore these kinds of contextual ministries, bishops can facilitate growth in membership among populations that might otherwise feel excluded from traditional church settings.
- Encouraging Innovation and Flexibility
Bishops can also support local church growth by fostering a culture of innovation and flexibility within their annual conferences. Many local churches are hampered by rigid structures and traditions that may no longer be effective in their current cultural environment. Episcopal leaders have the power to create space for experimentation by loosening some of the bureaucratic constraints that often hinder creative ministry efforts. By championing innovative practices such as multisite church models, digital ministry, or bi-vocational ministry, bishops can help local congregations reach new and diverse members.⁵
Addressing the Institutional Focus
One of the primary reasons episcopal leadership is often perceived as institutional rather than locally focused is the sheer size and complexity of the UMC. Bishops are tasked with overseeing large geographical areas, managing crises, and representing the church in ecumenical and public arenas. While these responsibilities are important, they can detract from the core mission of nurturing local churches. To mitigate this, the UMC might consider revisiting the role of district superintendents, perhaps empowering them with more direct authority to address local church growth while bishops maintain an overarching strategic role.
Conclusion
For the United Methodist Church to thrive in the 21st century, its episcopal leadership must shift its focus from primarily institutional concerns to empowering local congregations to grow. By emphasizing church revitalization, leadership development, building stronger relationships with local churches, promoting contextual evangelism, and encouraging innovation, bishops can play a pivotal role in reversing membership decline and fostering a vibrant, growing church. Ultimately, episcopal leaders can help local churches flourish by being more present, more proactive, and more visionary in their leadership, balancing their administrative duties with their pastoral responsibilities.
Footnotes
- The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church (Nashville, TN: The United Methodist Publishing House, 2016), ¶ 401.
- “Path 1 – New Church Starts,” United Methodist Discipleship Ministries, https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/leadership-resources/path-1-new-church-starts.
- “Lay Servant Ministries,” United Methodist Discipleship Ministries, https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/leadership-resources/lay-servant-ministries.
- Martyn Atkins, Fresh Expressions of Church and the Kingdom of God (Norwich: Canterbury Press, 2010), 45-47.
- Lovett H. Weems Jr., Leadership in the Wesleyan Spirit (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1999), 56-59.
