Holy Conferencing

Scripture Passage

Colossians 3:12–17 (NLT)

12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. 16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Focus Statement

In the United Methodist Church, holy conferencing focuses on the ability of laity and clergy to come together

and discuss and discern vital and sometimes difficult topics guided by the Holy Spirit, which can be a witness to the world.

The local church can also engage in holy conferencing through its ministry and decision-making.

Things to Consider

Friends, we live in community.

Life in community presents many challenges.

We don’t even need to think hard or long on those challenges either.

We often need to have tough conversations,

sometimes we just butt heads with others,

or relationships just wear on us.

Still, we are called to be loving and gracious with one another,

because we are called by God, through our baptism,

to be in community.

What Scripture Says

The following that I am about to share with you is drawn from

Means of Grace: Christian Conferencing (resourceumc.org)

As United Methodists,

we are called to participate in Christian Holy Conferencing

as a means of grace.

For early Methodists, it was about spiritual formation and encouraging one another to follow and serve Jesus.

Wesley knew a larger community was essential to the formation of Christian believers,

as well as the smaller groups of class meetings and band meetings.

Today’s holy conferences are not only in small group meetings

but also in larger gatherings where important and sometimes difficult work must be discussed.

Bishop Sally Dyck states that holy conferencing is not

“limited to a specific topic or a specific venue for decision-making.

It is also not a strategy to shut down conversation or stifle impassioned speech.

It is a means for staying connected to each other in spite of our differences."

Today’s scripture speaks to Holy Conferencing in the following way:

God’s grace is offered to everyone.

Verse one reminds us that through Jesus

we are chosen to be part of the one body of Christ.

Verse 13 invites us to bear with one another

because we are in mission and ministry together

for God’s greater good and purpose.

Think about the ways in which we have shown grace to the community.

We were visible at the Harvest Festival this Fall, side by side with the Weekend Bag Program.

Speaking of which…our on going support of the Weekend Bag Program…

We’ve given people a place to belong and fellowship

during our Potluck Suppers.

We give people a chance to shop and SERVE at our Treasures of Hope.

We have blessed people with our concerts…

And, there was a time when this crazy bunch of Christians dressed as Hogwarts Choir of Singing Frogs when Diagon Alley took over Spring Street several years back.…

We have shown much grace to the community over the years.

We are called to be gracious with one another and offer forgiveness.

Paul acknowledges that there will be strife and difficulty in the community.

While this passage may seem idealistic in ways,

Paul is realistic about the complexity of staying united as a community with diverse perspectives.

As such, we are invited to lead with grace and offer forgiveness.

As Christ has forgiven us, so too we are to forgive others. The preacher may offer an illustration of this.

Clothe yourself with love.

Verse fourteen calls us to live the sanctified life.

The greatest commandment is to love God with all your being,

but also to love your neighbor with all your being.

For most of us, unless we get dressed in the dark, we choose what we will wear.

When you head into difficult conversations,

preparing your mind and heart to enter that conversation with love is essential and must be intentional,

like choosing your clothing.

Wesley led the earliest conferences by asking meaningful questions

rather than instructing, preaching, or other more commanding actions.

How might this approach be incorporated into our way of living and leading?

What This Means for You

Love is the purpose of Holy Conferencing.

Bishop Sally Dyck states,

"The church should be the workshop where we learn those practices that we can then take home,

take to work,

take to school,

take to our communities

and use those practices elsewhere for a better life

and a better world“ (ResourceUMC.org).

Let me ask you,

where is one place you can more fully live out this Holy Conference mindset in your relationships with others?

This may be at home, in your family, at school, church committee, baseball field, etc.

I want to remind you all of the significance of Holy Conferencing

(and the mindset that accompanies it)

for creating new disciples.

Many people leave the church because of toxic, rather than healthy, relational practices.

The more we can demonstrate Christ’s command to love in all facets of our life together,

the more we will become a community that attracts people to Christ

and helps new disciples grow in sanctification.

Let me tell you this,

if the first thing people see when they walk through our doors is how dysfunctional we are…

whether that be through complaining, gossiping, or just a general negative demeanor…

It will be the last time they walk through our doors.

What This Means for Us

Friends, remember the first message in this series,

on Baptism,

where I preached next to a cozy fire online during a winter storm.

During baptism, the preacher says to the congregation:

“I commend this person to your loving care; do all in your power to increase their faith, confirm their hope, and perfect them in love…”

Friends, as it says on ResourceUMC.org, “We are responsible for each other.

We are responsible to make sure that we're going to give you everything you need

to keep the promises you made when you were baptized or confirmed. That's the goal of Christian conference," (Resource UMC.org).

How can we as a congregation apply these tools and means of grace to the difficult realities we face as a community and nation?

Whom do we need to sit with and fully hear?”

Today’s scripture provides us some guidance on how to enter those conversations in a Christ-like way

as we clothe ourselves in love, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.

Friends, together, we can continue to conference together

and continue to grow in our relationships together as we move forward in Spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Amen? Amen!