Hear what the Spirit says to the churches....

In Revelation 2, multiple times it says:  "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches."  That verse came alive for me this past week, as I attended our Free Methodist General Conference (a meeting that happens every 4 years).

In the past, GC has been what you'd expect... lots of business, Robert's Rules of Order, resolutions, and haggling over one or two words.  This year, our Bishop's set the stage for a significantly different meeting.

We were broken down into 4 large groups (and12 sub groups).  We were to ask the question: "How can we once again become a movement of God?"  Our teams were tasked to consider:  Every Person, Every Church, Every Means, and Every Place.   I think almost all of the delegates came in wondering how we were going to accomplish this, within the short time (each team had one afternoon and one full day, and then time to present what they'd concluded over the next two days).

I confess that even though I'd been fasting and praying for GC11 regularly throughout the year, my expectations weren't high.  God proved me wrong.

As I listened to group after group present, I became keenly aware that God's Spirit was speaking to us.  Group after group talked about the same things.  There was a profound sense of unity.

Freedom in methods.  Holding people (leadership, pastors, and congregations) accountable to the RIGHT things... not a list of rules, but fully following Jesus in healthy ways.   Finding new ways to measure this.   Getting out of our comfort zone.  Trying new things.  Allowing leaders to lead.  Empowering all followers of Jesus to do the work of Jesus.  Seeing the hurting of the world and doing something about it.   Getting over our fears.

I'm still processing all that happened at General Conference, including:  How do I take this experience of collective listening for the Spirit of God, and bring it back to my church and my district?

The Spirit is at work.  I want to be riding this wave...