UCC Evangelicals Welcome Ed Stetzer’s Input For Church Planting
Reprinted from ReformationUCC.org
“And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.” Acts 16:9-10
Evangelicals in the United Church of Christ often consider themselves a disenfranchised minority in the UCC. While most of the people occupying the pews of UCC Churches consider themselves “moderate to conservative” theologically, the leadership in Cleveland, OH at at the conference level often voices doctrinal opinions that orthodox Christians inside and outside the UCC consider controversial at best and heretical at worst. As a result, an exodus of evangelicals from the denomination to other churches has been underway for the better part of a generation. The remnant of evangelicals who have remained in the denomination in response to God’s calling have prayed for years for the denomination to return to its Biblical and historically orthodox roots.
Some within the evangelical wing of the UCC have sensed the possibility of an answer to some of their prayers. Recently they were greeted with the announcement that well known evangelical church growth researcher Ed Stetzer has been asked to speak to UCC leadership involved in efforts to plant new UCC churches. Stetzer speaks the language of orthodoxy that evangelicals in the UCC share. His life’s work is to promote the kind of “missionally” effective churches UCC evangelicals want to see at work in our Evangelical, Reformed, and Congregational body.
Evangelical leaders in the UCC responded very positively to the announcement of Stetzer’s visit. The only common complaint seemed to be “why have we waited for this day so long?”
Dr. Bob Thompson, President of the Faithful and Welcoming Churches, UCC made this statement for ReformationUCC.org:
It is very encouraging to hear that Ed Stetzer is going to be speaking to UCC church planters. As one who has had his feet planted firmly in both the evangelical and mainline church worlds for most of my adult life, I have always believed that evangelicals have something to learn from the mainlines, and vice versa. We too often throw stones at one another as we recognize each other’s blind spots and fail to recognize our own. Evangelicals are only beginning to understand their responsibility for social action and care of God’s earth – historically more mainline concerns. But for many years, evangelicals have been light years ahead of the mainlines in evangelism and church growth because they actually believe Jesus Christ alone provides what human beings instinctively crave. I celebrate Ed Stetzer sharing those insights with the UCC.
Referring to this article on the demise of many UCC churches whose buildings are now being use for “replants”, Dr. Edwin Elliott, the English Language Editor for the Calvin Synod Conference of the United Church of Christ “Herald” welcomed this development as well:
Ed Stetzer brings invaluable help at a critical stage in the UCC campaign to stop the hemorrhage of members from local congregations. People who follow Ed’s direction buy empty UCC buildings and fill them with vibrant new congregations. It does not take a degree in church development to connect the dots and suggest that before selling the last building someone should take Stetzer’s advice.
Evangelicals in the UCC are thankful for Stetzer’s input. His presence offers often weary conservatives within the UCC strength for their ongoing battle for a voice in the direction of the UCC.
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