The need for 'vital congregations'

I haven't written a whole lot up to this point about the Call to Action report that appeared last fall and offers a plan for reordering certain aspects of the organization and ministry of the United Methodist Church. That neglect has been corrected in part through my new column in the United Methodist Reporter.

A steering team for the Call to Action project was created by the Council of Bishops and the Connectional Table of the UMC. That group produced the Call to Action report late last year, which advocates for the reordering of the life of the church so that we can better pursue our collective mission and ministry.

(You can find out more about Call to Action at this weblink.)

One of the chief areas of focus for the Call To Action steering team was the need to locate the heart of the church's ministry in what the report calls "vital congregations." It's that idea that I am trying to explore in my current column, and I think the CTA steering team was right to identify it as an area of great importance.

Have you read the Call to Action report? I'd enjoy hearing the thoughts and opinions of others about its strengths and weaknesses.