Questions 17 & 18

17. What is the United Methodist understanding of the process of salvation?
The process of salvation is about the grace that God gives to us. Each “step” is first an action by God given to us. Wesley wrote,
All the blessings which God hath bestowed upon man are of his mere grace, bounty, or favour: his free, undeserved favour, favour altogether undeserved, man having no claim to the least of his mercies.[1]

These blessings lead us from the depths of our sinful selves leading us onto perfection where all of our actions are motivated by love of God and love for our neighbor.
The process of salvation starts with God’s prevenient grace. This is the grace that God extends to humanity before humanity knew God. We see this written in the book of Jeremiah where God tells the prophet, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”[2]
Prevenient grace says that God is continually active in reaching out and loving all of God’s creation. We see this written in the Gospel of John where Jesus tells Nicodemus, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”[3]
The prevenient grace that God has given us constantly pursues us and calls us into repentance and into relationship with God. God is constantly showing us his grace in order for us to repent, turn from our sins, and accept Christ as Lord and Savior.
Justification is the moment when we understand that we can no longer go on by ourselves, but we accept the pardon that is given to us through Christ’s death and resurrection. In justification, a decisive change occurs in our heart and we turn from the sin of the past in order to live a new life. It is God’s actions through the person of Jesus Christ that accepts us and removes our sin. Wesley writes, “His sins, all his past sins, in thought, word, and deed, ’are covered’, are blotted out; shall not be remembered or mentioned against him, anymore than if they had not been.”[4] This is all done through the actions of Jesus Christ on the cross, dying so that we may have life fully.
When a person makes the decision to accept what Christ has done for them it marks the beginning of a lifetime journey called sanctification. While justification takes our sins away, sanctification is the “process of gradually changing the person from the sinful state to becoming increasingly perfect.”[5] The work of sanctification changes our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit. This work of the Holy Spirit draws us to what Wesley called having a heart “habitually filled with the love of God and neighbor” and “having the mind of Christ and walking as he walked.”[6]

18. What is your understanding of itinerant ministry?
The itinerant system is an important trait of The United Methodist Church. In the itinerant system, an elder of The United Methodist Church is sent to a congregation by the bishop and the cabinet of the annual conference. Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, they look at the elder’s gifts and graces and match them with the needs and growth areas of local congregations. It is through this system that the elder places him or herself in covenant with the annual conference and echoes the words of Isaiah, “Here I am, send me!”[7] I agree with the itinerant system and I am looking forward to placing myself within this covenant.
The itinerancy system has been instituted to help effectively minister to the local church, the elder and the local community. The bishop and cabinet examine the different needs and characteristics of the local congregation, which include the general situation of the church, its theological stance, and the ministry of the congregation within the local community. After the church’s needs are evaluated, the bishop and cabinet review the elder’s gifts and graces, the elder’s spiritual commitment, any personal/family relationship issues, the elder’s theology and experience, gifts in different areas of ministry, and how the elder would relate with the new congregation and community setting. Finally, the bishop looks at the community to see how the congregation and appointed elder could best reach out to that community to make disciples for Jesus Christ. While on the outside, the itinerancy may look like just a system to appoint pastors. I believe it is an important way to uphold the covenant among all the elders of the church. The itinerancy is an effective tool to bring continuity to the ministries of the local church and build support between all of the elders of the connection.
[1] Wesley, John. Sermons: An Anthology, ed. Outler, Heitzenrater Nashville: Abington Press, 1991 pg. 40
[2] Jeremiah 1:5
[3] John 3:16 NRSV
[4] Sermons pg 115
[5] Jones, Scott J. United Methodist Doctrine: The Extreme Center, Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2002 p. 179
[6] 2004 Book of Discipline pg. 47
[7] Isaiah 6:8 NRSV