A few years back, I was visiting with some parishioners in Lexington. The wife was a Methodist pastor's daughter. She said something that has really stuck with me. She remembers her dad coming home one day (I think this was the 50s). He had been at some kind of denominational meeting. She said he sat down at the kitchen table and was weeping.
The powers-that-be had decided to strike a statistic from the reports pastors make: "evangelistic contacts." He said it would mean terrible things for the church because we no longer valued the important work of reaching out to people who did not know Jesus, and getting out of the church office.
I have heard about this statistic. But I have never been asked about it in my ministry. We are asked about money and property and insurance. And, indeed, we report on worship attendance, professions of faith. But at some point I can't help but think my parishioner's weeping father was right.
The simple fact is that what you celebrate gets repeated, what you measure is worked towards. As Methodists, the two things we should value most: people coming to saving faith in Jesus Christ (Justification), and their continued growth in grace (Sanctification). Put another away, Evangelism and Discipleship. From my perspective we seem to think you can make unconverted disciples-- never talk about Jesus, just do good things and be a nice guy. That's works righteousness, and no one has ever seen God that way.
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