This week the Annual Meeting of the National Association of United Methodist Foundations took place at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Representatives from nearly all 47 UM Foundations were present for three days of worship, prayer, plenary addresses, jurisdictional conversations, focus group sessions, creative networking, and collegial communion.

NAUMF is a network of United Methodist Foundations across the United States organized to help each other accomplish a variety of goals. Our mission is to inspire faithful stewardship, support planned giving initiatives, and secure future funding and stability for local churches, missional agencies, and ministries on the Wesleyan family tree. Along with market-based investment opportunities, many of the constituent bodies offer affordable loans, grant opportunities, stewardship education, guidance in fundraising campaigns, and management of donor advised funds. Collectively, these UM Foundations manage over $5.7 billion.

On Tuesday, we experienced a plenary presentation from Rev. Mike Slaughter. Mike is a retired Elder who served in a variety of appointments over his ministry career, most notably at Ginghamsburg UMC in Tipp City, Ohio. During his tenure, the church grew to be one of the largest and most influential faith communities in the United Methodist Church.

Rev. Slaughter reflected on how churches can be unintentionally (or intentionally?) focused on fellowship more than followship. When a church is fixated more on fellowship, the members tend to focus on each other and their facilities. When a church is engaged in followship, the focus is on Christ, their neighbors, and how their resources can best be used for living out the gospel. Fellowship often inspires us to please and serve one another. Followship calls the church to emulate Christ. As a church member, we should always be inspired and connected through our Baptism, committed through our Confirmation, and seek to fulfill our vows of membership of supporting the church through our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness.

These vows are centric to both our faith journey and our covenant with Christ and the Church. The fellowship that they create is to be valued and cherished. But alone, it is an insufficient substitute for followship. Rev. Slaughter pointed out that faith in Christ isn’t just what we believe, it is what Christians must seek to replete. Fellowship and followship are two circles that should overlap significantly in the life of a church. The point is not to compare them so that a church picks one over the other…rather each should work together to act upon and fulfill the needs and expectations of the other, with the example of Christ being both bench-mark and bright idea.Your United Methodist Foundation and Development Fund for the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference is ready to assist in organizing and growing resources for both effective fellowship and followship. Let us know how we can help your vision, purpose, and mission become a hope-filled reality.

In fellowship with you, as we follow and serve Christ together,

The Reverend Dr. David Weatherly
President/CEO