Open More Churches, Serve More People

The Ukrop brothers have the largest market share of the grocery business in Richmond, Va. Food store giants have unsuccessfully tried to topple them.

Yet, Ukrop Super Markets defy conventional wisdom. They close their stores on Sundays and holidays. They refuse to sell alcoholic beverages. Their employees are noted for having high morale. They hire qualified personnel for onsite nurseries, where parents may safely leave their children while they shop. (It was enough incentive for some parents to shop nearly every day!)

Each new Ukrop store was more impressive than the last. But I was truly amazed when they opened a larger, more attractive supermarket close to another new Ukrop store. I figured they made a costly mistake. So while I was shopping one day, I asked one of those Ukrop brothers, “Won’t this new store take customers away from your other store?”

Mr. Ukrop, always the innovative risk-taker, answered patiently. “Yes, we will probably lose some customers from one store to the other,” he said. “But the number of new customers we’ll serve with two stores will be much greater than the number we could serve with one store.”

As Methodists, there’s a lesson for us here. Every Annual Conference in Methodism that is growing is committed to establishing new congregations. There is not one single exception to this rule. In Holston, we have experienced a membership increase in only one year (1998) out of the last 40. Nearly every county within our conference has increased in population, while the percentage of United Methodists is shrinking. The primary reason for this loss is that we have begun precious few new congregations.

Remember the story of Jesus and the worn-out fishermen? They toiled all night without catching fish. Jesus told them to change the way they were fishing. They did. And in the same waters, those men filled their nets to the breaking point with fish.

If we continue to do things the way we have for 40 years, we’ll have the same results. Most of our laity and clergy are not at fault for the conference’s collective failure to bring more people to Jesus Christ. It is the conference that must take responsibility for lifting the vision and providing leadership and resources for starting new congregations.

Still, every congregation is encouraged to -- and yes, in the name of Jesus Christ mandated to -- discover its unique calling and “means” by which to witness, serve and reach others. And then, collectively, through the conference, we will witness, serve and reach others by establishing new congregations. We have no alternative except death – slow, painful, and certain.

Through your Fair Share giving, Builders Club contributions, prayers and moral support, you help create a thriving, growing conference rather than a merely surviving conference.
We do this for the sake of a hungering humanity and for the sake of Jesus Christ.

Grace and peace,

Ray W. Chamberlain Jr.
Resident Bishop

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