Nov. 6, 2003
‘World parish’ takes on new meaning for church, bishop says
By Tim Tanton*

WASHINGTON (UMNS)—For United Methodists, the idea of doing ministry in a "world parish" is changing and creating new possibilities for church growth, according to the denomination’s top clergy leader.

John Wesley, who helped found Methodism in the 18th century, redefined the concept of "parish" as an open world, said Bishop Ruediger Minor, president of the United Methodist Council of Bishops.

"‘The whole world – our parish.’ Yes, Mr. Wesley, you have been right, (for) four continents at least: Africa, America, Asia and Europe," said the bishop, who leads the United Methodist Church’s Eurasia Area.

"A new dimension of United Methodist presence in the world has opened a wide range of possibilities," he said. "The world has become our parish (on) a scale that Wesley could never dream of."

Joyful Noise, ayouth choir from Oakdale-Emory United Methodist Church in Olney, Md., sings at the United Methodist Council of Bishops meeting in Washington.

Minor focused on "God’s World – Our Parish" in his Nov. 5 president’s address to the Council of Bishops. He delivered it at a banquet following an afternoon of visits with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Nearly 330 people, including diplomats and ecumenical leaders as well as homeless and needy people, attended the dinner, sponsored by the church’s Washington Area and emceed by Bishop Felton Edwin May.

Nearly 112 bishops from around the world are attending the semiannual meeting.

In the United States, the awareness of the worldwide nature of the church has grown in the last 25 years, Minor said.

"Has United Methodism become another big American corporation, trying to take over the world in the general rush of globalization?" he asked. The answer, he said, is just the opposite. The influence of the denomination’s central conferences – regional units outside the United States – is growing, benefiting the entire church, he said. "The world is our common parish indeed.

"It is time for a new relationship between the church in the USA and in the central conferences," he said. "We are leaving behind a model of large-scale dependence in leadership, policy and finances."

Numerous people from the United States have told him how their churches have benefited from working with those in central conferences, he said. During a trip to Arkansas last summer, he met a team from one of his Russian churches that was doing a program for American street kids – a program the Russians had developed.

One of the advantages of the United Methodist connectional system is that church members don’t have to shop around for mission projects, he said. The world parish helps them find those projects.

"Sharing this view of a world as our parish opens a potential for growth of the church worldwide," he said. "…Meaningful involvement in the mission of the church will release energies that are untapped so far and will attract new persons."

*Tanton is United Methodist News Service’s managing editor. News media can contact him at (615)742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org .