Now, before you read on, let me just say this: I don't have all the facts or information, just what I've managed to follow in the news. So, as you read, please keep this in mind.
This article from the UM Reporter really saddened me on many levels, one of which is the incessant fear of what appears to be competition between local pastors and churches. Sometimes I fear that if we're not careful, we can be all too busy building our own kingdoms instead of the kingdom of God.
While I honestly sympathize with Bryson Butts, the former pastor of Gracepoint UMC - I hear in his responses a primal call to reach the unchurched that isn't always appreciated within institutional churches like the UMC - I am saddened that a church plant opportunity in Kansas has succumbed under the strain of it's tearing apart.
My prayer is for the Bryson and his new congregation and the 17 original members of Gracepoint UMC that suddenly are left without a church.
Peace,
E
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