BEWARE of independent churches with no accountability. Every church must be accountable for what it is doing.
Rev. Dr Jo Anne Lyon, general superintendent of the Wesleyan Holiness Church in North America, made this point last Monday night as she addressed Wesleyans at the Whitepark Wesleyan Holiness Church.
The church leader also knocked those who preach “a prosperity gospel”, referring to this type of preaching as “a trick”.
She told local Wesleyans she was happy to report that Wesleyan Churches which were captivated by the prosperity gospel a few years ago were now looking for something deeper and more spiritually meaningful.
“We need to make known, for instance, that God still heals.
“Most of the preaching in the prosperity ministry is a trick – especially where you are told that if you plant a seed, you will get money,” she said.
She added that the issue of accountability in the church was a major concern, “with pastors wanting to own churches in some regions”.
But Lyon pointed out that what was important was, seeing lives transformed through the power of Jesus Christ.
“Serving God is about being committed to God and about God having our best interest at heart,” Lyon indicated, as she urged Wesleyans to work harder on staying connected with their counterparts around the world, and work side by side in global evangelism.
“We are still the global Wesleyan Church working together all over the world. We should share human, material and other resources. Each one of us has something to bring to the table,” Lyon stressed.
She was speaking on the theme How Does The Administrative Structure Of The Wesleyan Church Enhance Or Hinder Its Global Expansion? and said that while the Wesleyan Church started its mission in a colonial manner, things were different today, with many churches and regions hosting individual conferences and being empowered to branch out on their own.
“The way the church as an organization is structured is good. What we need to do is work and share together.
“It is not the church that has a mission in the world, but it is God’s mission that has a church in the world. It is God’s church that will fix the world through God’s transforming power and each local church must set out to change the world,” Lyon pointed out.
She described the Wesleyan Church as being part of “a huge shift”, with many denominations being restructured.
Lyon pointed out the recent announcement of the pope’s resignation was one of these shifts.
Stressing that a church with little or no growth “is not well and nothing can be done in the church without the Holy Spirit,” Lyon commended Wesleyans on their missionary work.
“Having church is not about whether someone sings from a hymnal or sings contemporary music, but the fact that God is doing something despite the songs they sing,” she told them.
“The church must live out the sermons and take the messages which are preached to the wider world.
“There must be a vision for growth and for praying people into the church.”
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