Welcome to the first post of my personal blog!  Though I am known for passion and opinions, the posts (for this season) will not critique individuals or situations.  This is not a forum to share our likes/dislikes about our denomination or its leaders. It is a platform to present ideas and processes for consideration by the AME Church public.  The goal is to reform our administrative structure to be more efficient, effective and equitable rather than encumbered by politics and process. Our structure should enable, not frustrate, our mission of ministry.  Moreover, the institution should not be an end in itself.

Through this blog, I hope to gather critical responses to proposals. Replies to correct and improve (or outright reject) ideas are welcome.  Iron sharpens iron.  We hinder our progress by not having enough conversations. Our conversations are not helpful if we talk without listening.  We pray for discernment as we hear the Spirit through voices of faith and reason.  Together, we can arrive at viable options for how to do church better.

While consensus on most matters will be nice, I am prepared to agree to disagree with love and respect.  Ultimately, the decisions about the future organization of our Zion will be made by the voters in the General Conference.  We can add to the wisdom of deliberations by offering rational assessments for some of the ideas floating around the connection.  The statements found herein have no official authority.  They reflect the personal  opinions of the writers.

Pray for holy wisdom and guidance as we press on!

+JNL