When Jesus appeared on the scene, it is safe to say that he made a stir in the Jewish community.  “Who is this person?  What kind of teaching is that?  Why doesn’t he follow our long held traditions?” were some of the complaints that rang out.  Jesus explained his presence by illustrating that you do not “pour new wine into old wineskins.” (Mt. 9:17)  In other words, Jesus brought a newness to the world that could not be confined to the old forms.  The irony of new wineskins is that some people chose to oppose Jesus in the name of God.  Imagine, people viewed Jesus as a threat to the Father.  Of course, we know better.

In the same way, as each generation ministers in the spirit of Jesus, we find that new forms of ministry need to be adopted in order to capture the freshness of what God is doing at this particular time.  The danger with new wineskins is that the changeover can be messy.  Embracing a new wineskin can be threatening.  However, I think we could all agree that the worst danger is placing oneself in a position of working against what God is desiring to do.

As a conference, we along with other churches around the globe have reached a place in which key  thinkers are beginning to ask, “What needs to take place to regain the missional edge to our churches?”  We were once dynamic and effective but somewhere down the line, we lost our edge.  This type of review process can be complicated and certainly can be frustrating, but it is absolutely necessary, is it not?  We need to bear in mind that the process is not seeking to undo and denigrate the good that has taken place over the years.  On the contrary, it builds off our heritage while seeking to ensure a fruitful future in ministry will continue in the decades to come.

As ministers in the conference of WA, you will have a particularly vital role to play in both bringing communication and understanding to the changes that will occur in the years ahead.  This will require patience and honest interaction on every level.  We are looking to examine new forms and structures to increase our mission effectiveness among this generation in WA.  So prayerfully, let us keep the lines of communication open as we consider as a conference what it will take to fulfill the great commission of Our Lord in the twenty-first century and together we can help lead the way for what God will do in our midst.