#revlead

We all know that our mainline denominations are struggling, including my beloved United Methodist Church. We have been trying to figure out how to save churches, change churches, grow churches, build new churches, try new ministries, the list goes on and on. 

After serving for the last year in a cooperative ministry setting that included 3 dying, struggling congregations, with about 30 people in worship, mostly over the age of 70, I have begun to think about how and why we do ministry. These three congregations have a rich history, who have built buildings, relationships and memories, and are starting to see those memories, those relationships slowly fade away and yes, die. 

It occurred to me about 2-3 months into this appointment that there was an avenue of ministry that we had probably never thought we would need or use, something we had never realized would come into play in our churches, and yet is really a part of our story and life cycle as humans and as Christians.

I think we are entering a time where we need not just new church start training, or revitalization, but, if we are being truly honest with ourselves, we need to train and find those who are gifted in hospice ministry to serve our local churches, as we will have to say goodbye and let go in order to grow and change in the future.

Hospice is a wonderful gift for those who are facing end of life or serious illnesses. Hospice care is a philosophy  of care that focuses on relieving the suffering of patients and on their emotional and spiritual needs. Hospice care focuses on bringing comfort, self-respect, and tranquility to people in their final days, months and years of life. Hospice believes that the end of life is not a medical experience, but a human experience. Re-read that paragraph, think about it in terms of the church, in terms of mainline denominations, in terms of death, resurrection and new life.