Phillip Whipple
The National Conference Nominating Committee has nominated Rev. Phillip Whipple, pastor of Colwood UB Church (Caro, Mich.) for bishop, to serve 2009-2013. His is the only name on the ballot (the Nominating Committee explains the process). Here is Phil's vision statement.
Vision Statement
When I was first approached about my name being on this ballot, I was humbled and overwhelmed at the responsibility and wondered, “Why me?” But as time has passed, I am convinced that allowing my name to stand is the right thing to do. I am interested in seeing the vision that Bishop Ron Ramsey has pointed us toward become a reality in our denomination and in as many of our individual churches as possible. I am not interested in seeing us retreat from the direction that we are headed in, nor do I believe that we have arrived where God wants to take us. I believe that God is taking us on a journey.
I want to understand the past well enough that we can move forward into the future with boldness. The time has come to quit blaming our ills on past generations. It is time to take responsibility for our own actions. We need to confess our sin of being distracted by our world and losing sight of our mission. We must be courageous and willing to make difficult decisions that will help us turn the denomination around.
I believe Healthy Ministry Resources exists to help the local church fulfill her mission. I want to see us build healthy, growing churches that transform their communities through the power and the presence of Christ, by multiplying converts, disciples, leaders, and churches. I want to continue using consultations to assist churches in their attempt to become missional. I am excited about some of the results that have occurred in turning our churches’ ministries from focusing inward to focusing outward.
At our office in Huntington, we must examine how we can best utilize our resources to accomplish the maximum results. We need excellent communication. We must continue the shift from a maintenance model to a missional model. We need to raise up a prayer team that will help us pray “the Lord of harvest will send forth laborers into the harvest.” Time is fleeting. We need to increase our efforts to reach those who are lost without God. We must recognize that Jesus himself commissioned us to go and make disciples.
I have a heart that yearns to see the larger expression of the church move forward together to impact our world. We have the message that will never change; however, we must continue to redefine our methodology. We as a denomination, as well as our local churches, must stay rock solid on the message, while we remain fluid on the methods used to reach the changing world around us with the message of hope brought to us by Christ Jesus.
Six Roles for the Bishop
I see the bishop working in six distinct areas:
1. Leader
I believe the bishop serves as a leader to keep the local church on task to accomplish its mission. It is not the job of the bishop to tell the local church how the mission should be accomplished, but rather to challenge the local church to stay focused on what the mission is. Jesus said to us, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” It is critical that we stay on mission.
2. Encourager
When you’re on a mission, it is important for a leader to encourage those serving with them. On the wall in my office hangs a quote from Teddy Roosevelt that speaks about how I believe a leader should lead:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
Churches need to be encouraged to stay the course and keep focused on the mission that God has given to His church.
3. Equipping
Another needed quality is equipping each pastor and church that is on the mission. There are abundant resources available, and the bishop’s role would be to connect pastors with opportunities that will help them take the next step forward. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel, but rather partner with those who can equip us to be mission ready.
4. Developer of Leaders
It is essential to challenge, empower, and train our next generation of leaders. We must continually look for those individuals who should have a seat at the table to help us move forward. This applies in a huge way in the area of church multiplication. I believe that we must put forth tremendous effort in creatively rethinking how we can plant churches that will be entry points for people who have not heard the message of Christ.
5. Recruiting
I also see the bishop working as a recruiter of new leaders. We must exercise every opportunity to see movement happen. For this to take place, we will need to bring on board new leaders who have the ability to move into the next decade and beyond, to accomplish the mission God has given us. The next great ideas for reaching our world will come from the Y generation.
6. Networking
Finally, I believe the bishop needs to work at networking with other groups that are on the same mission. I believe that networking with other denominations that are similar to ours will help in areas such as church multiplication, church consultations, and church coaching.
Four Immediate Needs
If elected to serve, I believe that there are four areas of immediate need to begin working on.
- I want to see coaching for more of our pastors. I believe that an effective coaching strategy can help take pastors and their churches to the next level of health and growth.
- I want to continue the consultation process. I believe that it is a critical part of a successful strategy to help churches move forward to refocus on the Great Commission. I believe that the direction of our mission is not debatable. We must follow Jesus into the harvest.
- I want to develop a strategy to take church multiplication off the back burner. I believe that if we are going to move forward as a movement, we must learn new ways to approach church planting. Outside the box thinking is a necessity.
- We must look again at how we can help each local church become the beacon of light that God intends for it to be. I want to call all of us to get before God and confess attitudes and actions that have hindered us from fulfilling the Great Commission. I want to have a prayer team assembled that will help lead us forward as a movement to accomplish the plan that God has for us.
The task before us is huge and certainly more than any one person can do. However, we serve an amazing, all-powerful God who is able to do what we cannot. It is not time to throw up our hands in despair, but rather to lift them up to God and pray for His guidance and direction. Let’s move forward into the future boldly. We must pray hard, trust fully, and become the movement that helps us to engage in the mission He has sent His Church to do.