'Living God's Vision'

who we have been, who we are, and what we are offering the families and individuals of Metairie and beyond. The GMC is a movement of God calling us forward. It will not be church as usual. God is truly doing something new. Munholland held fast to the faith entrusted to us and, I believe with all my heart that God is pouring out new blessings and leading us into new fruitfulness. We are inviting people to follow Christ in a fractured world. 

God is calling us into His heart with passionate worship. Our worship is going to move in new directions to meet families and individuals who are seeking purpose, power, and grounding in their lives. For too many young families, church is either a distant memory or not in their memories at all. They are searching for the God who made them, the Son who will save them, and the Spirit who will lead them. Passionate worship is the place where people can connect deeply with God and find their lives transformed in beautiful ways. We want our worship to speak their language as part of the great invitation to know and be known by God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is our heart and the heart of the GMC. 

God is calling us to grow with each other, loving extravagantly. One of the powerful emphases of the GMC is transformative small groups where people grow in faith and community. Small groups were the foundation of the Methodist movement in the 1700s. Once called to faith in Christ, they would be placed in small “Grow Groups” where they would learn to walk with Christ; what John Wesley called ‘practical divinity’. “Grow Groups” help our ordinary days become Spirit-led days. That is where disciples are challenged, encouraged, prayed for, and cared for. As part of this new movement, God is inviting us into that one-on-one life where we sharpen each other. They help us experience the life that is truly life. Extravagant love is our heart and the heart of the GMC.

God is calling us to love extravagantly through service. Munhollanders have always been a mission-minded group. God is love and missions is love in action. We will continue to reach the least, the last, and the lost with extravagant love. The Spirit is already beginning to reinvigorate old missions and birthing new missions. We serve because He served. This is our heart and the heart of the GMC.

God is calling us to witness boldly. We are stepping into a new era of fruitfulness. God is drawing people to Himself here at Munholland. What a privilege! The Great Commission is to lead people to Christ. Jesus invited people to Himself in servant leadership. Godly strength emerges when we become like Christ. We discover that humble servant leadership is the way Jesus brought people to Himself as well as stood against the destructive powers that help people back from a relationship with God. Our heart, and the heart of the GMC is to witness boldly.

I have already joined The Global Methodist Church as one of their clergy. I went to the East Texas Annual Conference of the GMC at College Station this past July. It was unlike any other annual conference that I have attended over the past 30 years of ministry. There is a sense that we are part of a new movement of God’s Spirit, revitalizing our walk with the Lord and bringing new people into the life and power of Jesus Christ. The messages were inspiring, the worship whole-hearted, the witnesses exciting. Clergy and churches have been flooding in. In the span of just one year; close to 400 churches have joined the East Texas Annual Conference which is the one we are now a part of. A dozen new churches have already been planted. Ministry is expanding in all ethnic, racial, and linguistic groups. The Bishops are not in regalia except in the ordination service. They are one of the of us, shoulder to shoulder, doing the work of the Lord.

God has had His hand on Munholland for 87 years and He has much more ahead. I truly believe that ‘the best years are still to come.’ We are leaning forward into the vision that God is placing on our hearts. Joining the Global Methodist Church will energize, strengthen, and expand Munholland’s ministry and mission. 

Forward in faith,

 Jonathan