I’m kind of a sci-fi nerd. Love me some Star Trek: The Next Generation (or TNG as it is affectionately known as) and Jean Luc Picard and even the all-too-Shatner-like Number One. If you are not familiar with the series, the silky voice-over by Patrick Stewart at the beginning of every episode tells the story:
“Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.”
And as surely can be imagined, the crew of the Starship Enterprise encounters all kinds of creatures and races. But through all the encounters, there is one overriding rule, one directive that supersedes all other directives, the Prime Directive.
The Prime Directive prevents Starfleet officers from interrupting the normal technological development of a race, especially a pre-warp technology race. And so, while always seeking to live out their mission, “to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before,” the crew is always bound by the limits of the Prime Directive, don’t give a society a technology they aren’t ready for developmentally. The Prime Directive is intended to protect PEOPLE.
I’m a clergyperson in the United Methodist Church, and we too have a mission: “To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world” (paragraph 120 of the Book of Discipline). But what is our Prime Directive? What is it that places bounds and limits upon our mission?
The Starship Enterprise endeavors to EXPLORE, to SEEK OUT, and TO GO, UNLESS it violates the Prime Directive. The UMC endeavors to DISCIPLE, and to TRANSFORM UNLESS… _______________.
Fill in the blank.
If I were to fill in the blank, it appears to me that the Prime Directive of the UMC today is: “as long as it supports the institution.” We as a church seek to make disciples of Jesus Christ, so that the world might be transformed through the love of Christ, UNLESS it undermines the behemoth institution that is the UMC.
These are the thoughts I have as I begin to read: Generation Rising: A Future with hope for the United Methodist Church. In the first chapter, editor and co-author Andrew Thompson makes the case that this is one of the reasons that people of my generation, Generation X, feel so disconnected with the church today. He writes, “What people in the early twenty-first century are against is institutionalism. They want to see evidence that an instituion exists for a larger purpose. And they certainly don’t want to spend their time, energy, and resources supporting an institution whose mission is its own maintenance.”
That’s what a Prime Directive can do. It can supersede a mission, and if we are not watchful, it can REPLACE the mission. Notice that the Prime Directive in the fictional tale of TNG is in force to protect people, and not the institution that is Star Fleet. Ours is reversed. We protect the institution and our mission lies largely dormant, and this is one of the primary reasons we have failed to reach the Next Generation.
So it’s your turn to fill in the blank. What should the Prime Directive of the UMC be? We can’t just “make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world” without some caveat, otherwise we end up with the racist colonialism of 19th century mission work. Share your thoughts in the comment section below on what SHOULD be the Prime Directive that goes along with our mission statement.
(BTW, Andrew Thompson and the other eleven authors share some great thoughts that I think can be used as an answer to this question. Get your copy HERE.)
Andy, excellent post. Here’s my 2¢ on what it SHOULD be.
“The UMC endeavors to DISCIPLE, and to TRANSFORM AS led by the Holy Spirit and not the wisdom of man.”
This is not very concrete, but it seems to agree with Acts and what I’ve seen personally. It seems at the denominational level we are putting more faith in best practices and consensus building than anything/one else. There are numerous surveys and focus groups. There is more demand for coaches and consultants. This is research into the current trends and what successful churches are doing. If we are going down this route, why do we need bishops? Why not just hire a CEO and regional managers.
How about; “To BE disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” Takes all the hubris out of it, doesn’t it.
Thanks Jeff and Bill. Maybe I’m reading you both wrong, but it appears to me that you both have suggested alternatives to our current mission statement.
I actually think our mission statement is good, and mirrors the Great Commission. What I was hoping for were suggested alternatives to what I perceive to be our current Prime Directive of “protect the institution.”
In Star Trek, the mission was to be followed EXCEPT for when it violates the Prime Directive.
In the UMC, the mission should be followed EXCEPT when it violates _________________ (fill in the blank.)
Maybe I’m just reading you both wrong and you can help set me straight.
As for the rest of your comments Jeff, I’m right there with you brother (except I’d probably use more gender-inclusive language). ;o)
I’m liking this – gets right down to business.
At the risk of igniting a fire somewhere… and yes, Andy, I know you were somewhat tongue in cheek…
… I often wonder if militancy over certain issues (e.g. the insistence on p.c. language) is inhibiting our ability to go forth and fulfill the Great Commission because we’ve gotten swamped into inaction by what are essentially “local” issues and have lost sight of our primary purpose.
Just thinkin’…
This relates to my previous post. We were discussing 1 Thessalonians Chapter 1 this morning in bible study. It kind of got heated when we got to verse 4: “For we know, brothers loved by God, that He has chosen you” And the following verses support it in that the Holy Spirit chose to accompany Paul’s preaching of the gospel.
Anyway, we started specifically talking about evangelical churches like ours that know that God loves everyone and wants everyone to be saved. Therefore we go everywhere to talk to everyone about Jesus (or at least that’s our ideal). We have stopped listening for where the Holy Spirit wants us to go and who he wants us to talk with. Whenever you get into the habit of ignoring the Holy Spirit, that can’t be good.