The Free Methodist Church has a significant but under-appreciated legacy of ministry in U.S. cities. Perhaps the best-known story of Free Methodist urban ministry is that of two Free Methodist women who, in 1871 in Chicago, told D.L. Moody that his preaching lacked power and then introduced him to the fullness of the Spirit. It was a turning point in Moody’s ministry. The impact of these women was partly from the DNA of Free Methodism – from birth we have been committed to minister in the cities.

Two years after its founding, the “Free Methodist” denomination turned its attention to New York City. The Susquehanna Conference listed Hudson River Mission as an appointment in 1862. This was the beginning of ministry in New York City. By 1873, the Philadelphia District was formed. In 1874, the New York Conference became a separate conference. Of the 18 appointments listed in 1874, half could be considered urban ministry. In addition to three appointments to churches in New York City, a Swedish Mission and a German Mission existed.

This urban legacy – significant but with little development – was characterized by godly individuals. Every city church lists names of people who faithfully gave their lives for urban ministry – stalwarts in the church over generations. Here is the list for the Brooklyn 16th Street Church: Cash Crouch, A. L. DeMund, Mary Johnston, S.C. Jones, Marion Mavis, Hedley Pedlar, and Ruth Perkins. These names represent more than 100 years of Free Methodists, faithfulness in one church to urban ministry. This scenario has occurred over and over in the Free Methodist Church.

As urban areas continue to expand around us, now is a good time for Free Methodists to evaluate their urban ministry and expand their vision in those areas.

Here are a few ideas for building on our legacy of urban ministry:

1. Cultivate Local Leadership

Penetrating the city with the gospel requires greater emphasis on finding indigenous leadership. Urban areas have many overlapping cultures. We should find and develop local leaders in these different cultures. About five years ago, the Maryland Virginia Conference (now The Acts 12:24 Churches Conference) committed to planting churches in Washington, D.C. We have been working hard to find local leaders to lead the Free Methodist Church to broad expansion in that city because of its global influence.

2. Create Coalitions

Although almost every Free Methodist urban church can cite ministries they have that affect their neighborhoods, we need to be much more intentional about creating coalitions. We need to work with other churches, Christian organizations and community organizations. The challenge of ministry in the city is too great for most congregations to “go it alone.”

3. Measure Multiplication

To have an impact on the cities, we need to focus on multiplication of groups and churches. We need to shift our attention away from helping congregations survive to helping them multiply. If the Free Methodist Church needs anything in the city, it needs more Free Methodist churches.

4. Pursue Purity

The success of our urban ministry will depend on the effectiveness of our theology. We need to lead people to a purer love for God and others – a love that compels acting on behalf of the “least of these.” We need to strip away everything that insulates us from needy people. Urban centers are waiting for us to reclaim our heritage of supernatural transformation.

5. Experiment with Evangelism

We have not yet discovered all of the ways of ministering in urban areas. There are ways of reaching people for Jesus that are not dependent on traditional church structures with their needs for pastor’s salaries and real estate. If we are willing to experiment with new methods, God is waiting to reveal new ways of penetrating the city with the gospel.

Free Methodists have been ministering in the cities since the denomination’s inception. We have a strong legacy of urban ministry and the sacrificial living that ministry requires. As urban areas expand, we are called, like our denomination’s founders, to turn our attention to the cities in ways that will be effective in our generation.

Top Ten Global Cities

- FM Ministry occurs in 7 out of the 10

1. Tokyo/Yokohama  37.5 million
2. Mexico City  23.5 million
3. New York  23 million
4. Seoul  22.5 million
5. Mumbai  22 million
6. Sao Paulo  21 million
7. Manila  20.5 million
8. Delhi  19 million
9. Djakarta  19 million
10. Shanghai  18.5 million

- Dan Sheffield, Director, global and intercultural ministries, the FMC in Canada

Of the 140 Urban Agglomerations (contiguous urban zones) of over 3 million people
the Free Methodist Church is present in 65.

Click here to read more from the April-June 2012 of World Mission People magazine.

Migrant worker in Asian Creative Access Country

I am a migrant worker. When I heard about how much money I could make in one of my country’s cities, I moved my family there like so many other people were doing.

I didn’t make a lot of money, but life was definitely much better. I got to know many people, including members of the law enforcement and gangsters. I felt so proud because when other people had problems, I could ask my new friends for help. If it was a legal problem, I would ask my law enforcement friends. If it was an illegal problem, I’d go to my gangster friends. To maintain all these relationships, I partied with my friends often; we would gamble and drink. My physical body began to suffer – I developed stomach problems. My wife tried to tell me my lifestyle was not good; not only was I losing money, but also my health. I would not listen to her because now I felt I was somebody. There was no harmony in my family. We argued all the time.

Finally, the Sunday came when I couldn’t find an excuse not to go to church with my family. From that Sunday on, I never missed a church meeting. I heard a lot of good teaching and the truth of God. I decided I wanted to be a good person. I made up my mind not to drink or gamble. I told my wife I would not make friends with the gangsters anymore. But again and again I failed. And again and again my neighbors and my wife’s prayers saved me from sinking into despair and kept bringing me back to God. I came to realize that even if I made up my mind to be a good person, I have no power to change myself. Only God can change me. So I gave myself totally to Him. I not only asked Christ Jesus to be my Savior, but He is also the Lord of my life. Now, I’m really somebody because I’m the son of the Almighty!

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by Matthew Hansen

In this election year, how can we “seek first [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33) without neglecting to “seek the peace and prosperity of the city” (Jeremiah 29:7)?

How do we engage government without lusting after power that may cause us to promote our own will or territory at the expense of others? How do we pursue positions of leadership without putting our desire for self-advancement, self-promotion and self-protection before the leading of the Holy Spirit?

Church-State History
In pondering these questions, let’s consider the church’s complicated relationship with government:

• 33–312 A.D. The church experiences marginalization and persecution as an alternative society within the greater Roman Empire.
• 312 A.D. The church gains partnership and power with the government when Roman Emperor Constantine becomes a Christian.
• 1095–1272 The church becomes more of a military empire than the church of the Gospels. Instead of being persecuted, the church persecutes during the Crusades.
• 1534 The Church of England is ruled by the king of England.
• 1776 The United States of America declares itself an independent nation of 13 states recognizing the Creator but having no government-sponsored church.
• 1828 Andrew Jackson becomes the first “common man” elected to the presidency. The era of Jacksonian democracy leads to the United States becoming the most powerful nation as its leaders weave Christian morals and freedom together with power and greed. Some church and government leaders begin returning favors for the sake of self-promotion and self-protection.

History tells us our European predecessors’ mix of government and Christianity didn’t go well for the host countries or the church. Although the United States does not have a marriage of church and state that produces an official church, the U.S. church-state relationship could be compared to a civil union.

Biblical Issues
In today’s political environment, Christians face issues that may seem like hot topics. As Christians, it is our responsibility to be like the Bereans,  who did not take Paul at face value but did their research to see if what he said was true (Acts 17:11). How much more diligent should we be in using Scripture to question what we know from the media? It’s important to compare your thoughts on an issue to the views of Scripture, church history and even the perspective of people who think differently than you.

As we examine these issues, we may discover our value systems are in alignment with the kingdom of God, but consideration of some issues may reveal we have competing allegiances (Matthew 6:24).

Does our voting record show we believe every unborn child is a human being made in the image of God (Psalm 139:14–16; Jeremiah 1:5)? Does it indicate we are empathetic to those who are poor or seek refuge (Matthew 7:12)? Although many of us are avid pro-lifers for those between conception and birth, do we stay pro-life for those trying to escape cycles of poverty, exploitation, violence and unethical governments? Do we see immigrants as “illegal” before we see them as people (Genesis 12:1, Exodus 22:21 and 23:9)?

Do we vote for candidates promoting stewardship of resources or individualistic interests (Leviticus 19:9–10; Deuteronomy 15:4–5 and 24:19–22; Proverbs 14:31, 22:7 and 28:15; Isaiah 58:7–9; Amos 5:11; Acts 2:44–45 and 4:34–35)? Do we vote for candidates who favor responsible finances or debt (Psalm 37:21, Romans 13:7–8)?

How does Scripture line up with our views of war and violence (Isaiah 2:4, Matthew 5:39–44 and 26:52, Romans 12:19–21)?

Kingdom values may leave us at odds with all political parties. If a Christian’s goal is allegiance to a particular political party, he or she may have the impossible task of attempting to serve two different masters.

Although I cannot tell you for whom to vote, I can tell you not to reduce your involvement in these issues to a political vote alone.

Rest, Pray, Live
As we move closer to Nov. 6, we can rest in God.

I wish I could say, “If you simply vote for such-and-such candidate, all will be well with the world.” There are two problems with that: history and sinful nature.

No matter for whom you vote, make sure you have done your homework. Even if your preferred candidate is elected, he or she may break promises or make decisions that do not line up with kingdom values. The good news is man cannot thwart the plans of God. At the end of the day, God’s will moves forward. You can rest in the reality that all of history is in God’s hands (Daniel 2:21, Psalm 75:7, Job 42:2).

Pray for our leaders. One of the elements separating Christians from the rest of the world is the way we react to those in authority over us.

Matthew Hansen is co-founder of Restore Communities (restorecommunities.org), teaching pastor at Austin New Church (austinnewchurch.com) and director of justice for the River Conference (theriverconference.org).

Although we absolutely should disobey our authorities if they require us to disobey the Scriptures, we should still do our best to respect them (Hebrews 13:17, I Timothy 2:1–2, 1 Peter 2:13–14).

It’s easy to cast a vote and walk away. It’s much more difficult to deeply live out our votes in our daily lives. If we vote against abortion, for example, we may need to adopt a child or walk with a young mother through her pregnancy and use our resources to take care of her.

Loving Our Nation
I love this great nation. Because I love it, I will be honest about its history, prejudice and violence as well as its successes, advancements and opportunities. While trying to expose our nation’s problems, we should not be silent about the good that runs through its history.

I love the kingdom of God even more than I love this country, and my allegiance is to it above all. My heart’s desire is that the church would be a set-apart society that lives out love, mercy, grace, justice and truth in the midst of the “empire” and for the sake of it.

Because we love this country so much, we owe it to the United States to live out the values of the kingdom of God distinctly. As you go to the polls this November, I pray grace and peace on you and on this nation.

Jeff Puckett is a helicopter pilot from Denver, Colo., who likes to share his love of flying with others.

Puckett regularly gives rides to Denver area pastors such as Age Sandoval of Tha Myx, a Free Methodist Church in Denver’s Sun Valley neighborhood.

“The first time I flew, my perspective was just shattered,” said Sandoval, referring to how unified Denver looks from the sky, even though it’s separated by gang divisions on the ground.

In recent months, Tha Myx has been able to partner with Tuckett by giving helicopter rides to 30 members of its Lifeline program, a ministry to gang members and residents at risk of joining a gang. Sandoval uses the experience to encourage participants to pursue their dreams and goals.

The participants, many of whom have never flown before, are often anxious.

“If you get them in the street, around guns and violence and stuff, they’re OK,” Sandoval said, “but if you get them around the helicopter, and they know they’re going to go up, they really start to panic and get nervous.”

However, once they’re in the air, they quickly forget their fears.

“It’s like becoming a kid again,” Sandoval said. “They’re just exuberant with joy.”

New Hope FMC Pastor Michael Traylor speaks at the Continental Urban Exchange hosted by his congregation. | Photo courtesy of the Free Methodist Urban Fellowship

BY KATHY CALLAHAN-HOWELL

This year’s Continental Urban Exchange (CUE) attracted Free Methodists with the common goal of “Longing Forward” as they reach cities for Jesus Christ.

CUE convened at New Hope FMC in Rochester, N.Y., with dinner on Wednesday, April 25. Attendees came from Free Methodist churches in Cincinnati; Indianapolis; Minneapolis; Washington, D.C.; Flint, Lansing and Ann Arbor, Mich.; Peoria and Urbana, Ill.; and host city Rochester to discuss this year’s theme, “Longing Forward.”

Elizabeth Gerhardt, a professor at Northeastern Seminary, brought the opening address, which looked at issues related to the abuse of women and girls.

“Peacemaking does not begin with programs or politics, but begins on our knees confessing our collusion with evil,” she said.

Gerhardt encouraged the audience to take responsibility for the victims in the world. She also pressed churches to be safe places where the abused can come for assistance — instead of being encouraged to stay in abusive relationships out of submission.

On Thursday morning, April 26, Kaela Sittig of New Hope shared devotions. The 15-year-old presented a clear idea of what “Longing Forward” looked like in the Bible and looks like today.

Northeast Region Superintendent Mitch Pierce provided devotions Friday, April 27. Various pastors shared ministry reports, and the attendees appreciated the two workshops, “Color, Caste and Culture” by Pastor Bruce N.G. Cromwell of Central FMC in Lansing, Mich., and “When Helping Hurts” by Pastor Greg Coates of Indy First FMC.

Kathy Callahan-Howell (left), the pastor of Winton Community FMC in Cincinnati, honors U. Milo and Helen Kaufmann, members of Mattis Avenue FMC in Champaign, Ill., for their longtime dedication to the Continental Urban Exchange. | Photo courtesy of the Free Methodist Urban Fellowship

A special presentation honored U. Milo and Helen Kaufmann who have served on the coordinating council and in various volunteer positions with CUE for more than 30 years.

Thursday afternoon, participants viewed two videos of University of Houston professor Brené Brown discussing her research on vulnerability and shame. Small groups took time to share their own experiences of failure, rejection or shame.

Coates said of this time, “The most touching moment for me was sharing about my struggles with my family, and having Kenny Martin [the pastor of New Vision Fellowship in Forestville, Md.] say, ‘I know, I’ve been there,’ choking up with his empathy. That was a moment I won’t forget.”

One of Brown’s main points was that empathy provides the antidote to shame. Participants then discussed how to create a safe place in annual conferences to share vulnerability, and also how success could be redefined to better fit the reality of urban ministry.

Marvin McMickle, the president of Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, speaks to Free Methodists at the Continental Urban Exchange. | Photo courtesy of the Free Methodist Urban Fellowship

On Thursday evening, host church Pastor Michael Traylor preached on “From Babylon to Jerusalem,” encouraging listeners to be a church for the city, not just in the city. His last point was to persist patiently, which tied in with the final address on Friday by Marvin McMickle, the president of Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School. McMickle quoted W.E.B. DuBois suggesting we must learn to finish things, and Harriet Tubman telling escaping slaves to keep going.

Many converging elements of the conference encouraged urban workers to persevere. Highlights included speaker Heritage Munyakuri, a 27-year-old who survived persecution in the Democratic Republic of Congo and genocide in Burundi. He said God told him he would come to the United States and become an evangelist. With no money and no way to come, he considered the calling crazy, but he now lives in Rochester and serves on the New Hope staff.

Munyakuri’s inspiring story — along with the fellowship of like-minded workers — encouraged those attending to return with enthusiasm to their urban fields of harvest.

“CUE 2012 was like the Rochester gold rush. With the opportunity to sift through all that was said, there were far more nuggets than sand,” said B. Elliott Renfroe, the president of the Free Methodist Urban Fellowship. “The nuggets were visible and very valuable. I realized by the end of the week that my complaints had been changed to convictions, and God’s voice was increasingly clearer.”

Jacob DeShazer

Two new files have been added to our audio page. One is a sermon given by Bishop J.P. Taylor and the other is a testimonial given by Jacob DeShazer before he embarked on a missionary trip. They can be found by clicking these links

Bishop Taylor speaking about the Perennial Revival, the Ideal of the Church, and the Song of Solomon, 1950

Jacob Deshazer address given before leaving on missionary work.

and at our Audio Collection

You can save the files to your computer by right-clicking the links and clicking saving as.

Though most of the LLCOMM team works remotely, we gather regularly to work and plan together.

But like any team or community, it takes work. Light & Life Communications is a team of nine that works in three states in seven cities. Over the past two years, we’ve built something fairly solid as a team. From time to time, we’ll write about how we collaborate, connect and work together. To set the table for this conversation, I want to share some initial thoughts on the basics of virtual community, offer some key principles and ask you to share your thoughts. From research and trial and error, I’ve identified three keys to success: culture, leadership and tools.

Culture

Virtual community is defined as a “collection of individuals who interact and function as a group without being in the same place at the same time. Virtual groups are frequently created to complete a task. The task may be to solve a problem, make an important decision or set of decisions, or formulate a plan to accomplish a desired objective” [1]. They generally have geographic dispersion, asynchronism, porous boundaries and network compositions. It’s an important idea that there is freedom in the group because of an intentional and specific structure. This type of structure, married with empowerment and freedom of the team members, are keys to building an effective virtual team.

To accomplish this, it’s important to have the right kind of people on the team who are wired for this kind of culture. Some people aren’t wired to work independently, outside the office or with little supervision. To get culture right, you have to have people who are self-starters, passionate about the mission, and directed and resourced accordingly. This allows the leader to truly empower the group. To get culture right, you’ve got to hire the right kind of people.

One key principle found in the literature review is the importance of face-to-face interaction to build a virtual community. It can’t be done solely online. There has to be a balance. “Trust building is vital for sharing, and trust primarily develops through face-to-face interactions.”

This was a surprise to me as I was looking at research and developing these concepts while working in higher education at Spring Arbor University. We were building online courses and the importance of having students connect face-to-face. The research indicated that this was key to building community in the learning experience. As I transitioned this concept to building a department for the denomination, I recognized the need for our team to spend time together face-to-face. To accommodate this, our team meets in Indianapolis regularly throughout the year and in smaller groups regionally from time to time as needed. These shared experiences have definitely drawn us closer together and enhanced culture.

Leadership

The literature speaks strongly regarding the role of the leader in developing a strong virtual team. Dubé and Bourhis [2] assert: Those whose success exceeded initial expectations had very involved leaders who possessed the ability to build political alliances, to foster trust and to find innovative ways to encourage participation. These people ended up in this important position because a member of the organization’s management team or the sponsor had decided that they had the right set of abilities and should be selected and given the resources that were needed to do their work well.

John Maxwell famously coined the phrase, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” Building virtual community is no exception. To build community, the leader has to invest time in the people and process. This not only is an investment in time in the team but also in the concept of virtual community. Community is manifested by being intentional online on Skype for nonscheduled interactions to build community.

The big payoff is in when we gather together face-to-face. We try to eat together, drink lots of coffee and play together. We’ve read books together on how to connect and serve. Probably the greatest wins for building community through leadership is when our team gets wins. We celebrate our wins together. I also attempt to send encouragement cards and occasional gifts or books.

Overall, I continue to learn. Some of our attempts succeed and some fail. The importance is to recognize that the strength of the organization is related to the strength of the team. My priority is my team. When we win, the denomination wins.
Tools

Virtual teams thrive with culture, leadership and the right tools to connect and collaborate. The research points to this as an important piece of connecting people who are not in the same place physically.

“Virtual team leaders should take time to assess the needs of the team and its individual members, employing guidelines and rules of netiquette that the team can follow for the duration of the project” [3]. Not only do virtual teams need rules to agree upon, the research says they also need best practices to stay on the same page with goals and objectives. Gaudes points out “organizations can also facilitate training programs specific for virtual teams that may include conventional team development exercises (such as clarifying team goals and individual roles), but also include best practices in electronic communication and self-management”.

Tools

We will be taking a more significant time to unpack what tools we use and why we use them in subsequent posts. The key here is to underscore that tools don’t make the largest difference. They serve leadership and culture. They serve the team. They are important. We use Skype, Google Hangouts, WebEx, Dropbox and Basecamp for basic communication, project management and collaboration.

Feedback

Have you built a virtual community? Are you in the process? What have you learned? Share your best ideas by posting comments below. Virtual community is not a cookie-cutter deal. It’s still evolving. We understand that our road map isn’t the only one. Share yours.

1. Hirokawa, R., Cathcart, R.S., Samovar, L.A., & Henman, L.D. (2003). Small Group Communication: Theory & Practice: An Anthology. Cary, NC: Oxford University Press.
2. Dubé, L., Bourhis, A., & Jacob, R. (2004). Structuring spontaneity: the impact of management practices on the success of intentionally formed virtual communities of practice, [online], Cahiers du GReSI no 04-20, http://gresi.hec.ca/cahier.asp
3. Gaudes, A., Hamilton-Bogart, B., Marsh, S., & Robinson, H. (2007). A Framework for Constructing Effective Virtual Teams The Journal of E-working 1(2), 83-97

Hello, I’m Jason, and I’m addicted to politics.

Peek into the window of the Archer home on debate or election nights, and you’ll see me watching hours of coverage and analysis. I digest CNN, MSNBC, Fox and, for fun, “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.”

Why do I pay such close attention? As a citizen, I want to make careful and prayerful decisions on leadership at the local, state and federal levels. I avoid shortsighted decisions based on just one issue.

Involvement in politics is part of our DNA as Free Methodists. One of the key issues of our founding was freedom for all people. We took a stand on slavery. Our founders were involved and informed in the political arena.

On Page 8, Howard A. Snyder discusses how B.T. Roberts grafted political activity into early Free Methodism. Now more than ever, the church needs to be engaged in the political process. It’s important to listen, pray and participate.

All Free Methodists are not on the same side of the political spectrum, but Jesus was neither a Democrat nor a Republican. Regardless of our political affiliations, we’re called as “God’s people [to] live together in unity” (Psalm 133:1).

Jason Archer, Executive Director of Communications

How are you participating in politics? Join the conversation at facebook.com/fmcusa and fmcusa.org.

Downloadable PDF: LLM May 2012

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Features

• Table of Contents
• [Feature]: Government and God’s Will
• [Bishops]: Why I Lost My Mind
• [Foundation]: Politics Alone Not the Answer
• [History]: B.T. Roberts: Political, Not Partisan
• [Action]: Roberts Inspires Candidate
• [News]: Teen Interns Contribute to Urban Ministries
• [World]: Meet Japan’s New Bishop
• [Discipleship]: Pray for Our Government