What if we stopped “fixing” our churches and started seeing the people Christ calls us to reach? We believe that for too long United Methodists have looked for a quick fix to help guide our discipleship efforts. We have neglected a basic tenet of evangelism: We cannot disciple people that we are not in relationship with. With best intentions, we have tried to make disciples by tinkering with our worship services, tracking our community demographics, diving deeper into worship attendance metrics, and when those metrics don’t provide the answers we seek, we change the metrics.

With best intentions, we have tried to make disciples by tinkering with our worship services, tracking our community demographics, diving deeper into worship attendance metrics, and when those metrics don’t provide the answers we seek, we change the metrics.

While these areas are important and necessary elements to a vital congregation, they can often distract us and can even lead us to believe that we can program our way — fix our way — back to vitality.

But we believe it won’t work. Because discipleship is not a program. It’s a way of being in relationship with Christ.

When churches create an intentional discipleship system, they move from “tinkering and fixing” to “relationship and discipleship”. And we do this not to fill our pews, but rather to simply show Christ’s love to those around us.

Will you join us? It’s simple. Spread the word, share this video, and start a conversation using the hashtag #SeeAllThePeople. It can go in whatever direction you want. You can even disagree with us.

Share your stories of how you are in relationship with those around your community. Or, share how you struggle with doing that. Remember to use the both the #SeeAllThePeople hashtag as well as #wvumc!

You may also visit SeeAllThePeople.org and join the movement. There’s also a free discipleship system booklet there for you to use in your congregation, and some social media resources.

AND – for more information, you may contact our WVUMC Director of Congregational Development, Amy Shanholtzer: ashanholtzer@wvumc.org.

Let’s start a new conversation that looks outward, so we can make disciples for the transformation of the world. Go to SeeAllThePeople.org to learn more!