Dr. Kenneth E. Jones, Editor

The Christian Index
The Official Publication of the
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
Offices housed at the CME Headquarters
4466 Elvis Presley Blvd.
Memphis, Tennessee
and
Miles College 205-929-1410 or
Fax: 205-744-0010
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Bishop Charles L. Helton, Chairman
 

Laity Have Excellent Opportunity To Make a Difference in the Church      

I received in the mail the other day a DVD produced by the Communications Information and Technology committee of the CME Church. As you know the CIT is operated under the leadership of the General Department of Lay Ministry. General Secretary Dr. Victor Taylor is the featured moderator in the video and he guides us through a splendid promotion of the upcoming 19^th Convocation and 13^th Lay Institute in Louisville., KY in October 2005.

First, let me congratulate Dr. Taylor and the CIT who in the DVD showcase our Church through interviews and images of many CME leaders extolling our many virtues. As a rather seasoned media professional, I was stunned by the creative and technical quality of the DVD. It swells my heart with pride to see how far the CIT under Dr. Taylor (and formerly then- Dr. Ronald Cunningham) has brought the Church into the ever-emerging information age. But let’s not miss the message of the medium. Come to Louisville and make a difference! (Come one and come all). In the DVD, you will hear Dr. Taylor and several of our bishops talk about the new format we will use this year, combining the two meetings at the one Louisville site. We are praying and standing on God’s Promise that everything will work out fine.

As clergy and lay assemble for both the Convocation and the Lay Institute, this will be a time of reflection upon those issues that will shape the Church over the four years following the 2006 General Conference. The Lay Institute, therefore, ought to be a rallying point for lay to be empowered, revitalized, and reminded of the power God has given them to help shape the future of this Church. After all, there is no church without our lay.

There are many issues about which lay should be concerned over the next four years. There are questions such as, what will be the impact of possible changes in how our local churches are assessed? What will be the nature of the Church’s commitment to our educational institutions, given the change in our budget structure stemming from the

previous General Conference? The lay of the Church should be in the position to have a strong impact on the general church’s focus on children and youth. Discipleship 2000 has expired, and Countdown 2022 seems no longer to be addressed on the Connectional level.

Will the lay stake its claim in One Church one School?

In this issue of The Christian Index, Dr. Taylor has provided us a “manifesto” for the Church will respect to Lay Ministry (page 32). In it he focuses very heavily on the CIT. As the incubator for the CIT and its effects, the Department of Lay is in the forefront of the agenda of the Church. The lay are in the position to express their needs in terms of how emerging information technologies can assist in the development of a technology infrastructure that reaches all levels of the Church. For certain, research in information and communications technologies shows that technology adoption never occurs universally at the same rate and ranges from adoption by those Everett Rogers classifies as “innovators” to “laggards”-the last to adopt. That’s why transitioning into a 21^st century mindset for technology is sort of like “pulling teeth”. It’s much needed, but it hurts.

Finally, Through continued dialogue, the lay can provide answers to the proverbial (or even perennial) question, “What is lay ministry?” Or, “What should be the ‘ministry’ of the lay?’ Does the current division of labor between clergy and lay in our Church (straight down the middle and often rather exclusionary) serve the needs of diverse communities in the 21^st century? And should our lay be concerned about the dwindling number of trainable/capable clergy (and lay) who are hearing their divine Calling to ministry of any kind? As the Church tunes up for ’06 and prepares for the Louisville Institute, let the lay be reminded that they are not without the wherewithal to make important statements about our future. We will be listening.

Rev. Kenneth Elvis Jones, D. Min., Ph. D., Editor