Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Move along, now

1933. Conference decides OK to ordain women.
1948. Conference decides not OK to ordain women.
? Conference decides OK to ordain women.
1974. First women ordained by Methodist Church.

40 wasted years. Typical.

Talk about resistant to change. At least you can't say that we rushed into it.

At my teacher training College you got, as well as all the traditional well-known stuff, all the funky new ideas and were encouraged to try them about. Because you need encouragement - it's difficult enough to think of and try out new ideas in a new job even so, and next to impossible if you haven't been inspired. You just get ground down learning a new situation.

Where at Wesley are we given the funky new ideas to chew on? Who will pursue them in the church today if not the fresh new faces? Either that or you have to wait 25 years until the main job is so pat that you can finally begin to imagine new ways, even if it is only desperation. And some of us don't have 25 years.

We need a lead - and don't just tell us to "be creative" when those we are working with know what they like and want it the same. That's not encouraging and it certainly isn't easy.

If we only get shown the same old things then the same old things will be regurgitated. And more ministers and deacons will be produced who look and act just like the already existing ones. And the Church will die, and it will deserve to die.

Move along, please.
Move along, now.
NOW.

2 comments:

charity said...
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charity said...

Oh I learnt that you can wait forever for people to give you te funky new ideas - just dream them up and crack on with it is my motto in life!