The Rev. Kennetha Bigham-Tsai, Chief Connectional Ministries Officer for the Connectional Table, interviews Molly McEntire, Mission Training and Volunteer Coordinator of the Florida Annual Conference. They discuss Kairos moments, the mutuality of mission, General Conference, the importance of listening, and the qualities of leaders.
What does the church need to do differently to be more effective?
Molly McEntire suggests that we should focus on how we can continue to serve communities and reach out to the growing number of people who are not part of a church community.
What does it mean for mission to be mutual?
Molly McEntire of the Florida Annual Conference discusses how focusing on relationships in mission alters the power dynamic and honors the voices and contributions of those often viewed as recipients. By doing so, those with whom we are in mission become mutual partners—not simply recipients—who both give and receive as part of the relationship.
With the delay of General Conference until 2022, what should the church be doing?
Molly McEntire thinks we should spend this interim time caring for those who are hurting and hungry in our communities; cultivating and extending compassion toward one another; listening to the voices of those who have been excluded; and having difficult and honest conversations about what needs to be changed to make the church more relevant.
As we think about the future of The United Methodist Church, what kind of leaders do we need and to whom should we be listening?
Molly McEntire believes that listening to, and learning from, those who have been excluded is crucial for the future of the church. She also longs for radical, engaged leaders who will equip and empower people for ministry in their local communities.
Emerging Methodism Video Series Introduction
Wesley's historic questions were about what to teach, how to teach and what to do. For the next interval of features for the Connectional Table's Emerging Forum we will seek to update these questions for our current moment. We will invite energetic conversation that will illumine our identity which is tied to what and how we teach, our preferred actions, what we do and our abiding hopes as we envision the future United Methodist Church.
About Emerging: God Is Doing a New Thing in United Methodism
This video interview is part of a series created for "Emerging: God Is Doing a New Thing in United Methodism," which is an online forum created by the Connectional Table to engage United Methodists with a diversity of perspectives from across our worldwide connection in thinking deeply about what is emerging at this time in the life of our connection.