In this month’s blog, Bishop David Bard highlights several recent news updates and resources, including his thoughts on The United Methodist Church’s new vision statement.
BISHOP DAVID ALAN BARD
Michigan Conference
“Summertime, and the living is easy.” Well, at least according to Porgy and Bess. Summer often has a different pace to it, and we typically find some time away from work during these months. In keeping with that different pace, I would like to offer a few scattered thoughts with you. Though not an essay on a single topic, I want to offer helpful resources on important matters.
At this year’s annual conference, you heard about a newly developed vision statement for The United Methodist Church. Read more about this statement developed by the Council of Bishops and the Connectional Table. It is intended to guide our way into the future, embodying God’s dream for the world, a world where every person might encounter the transformative grace of Jesus Christ, where communities flourish, and where all creation is made whole.
The vision statement reads: “The United Methodist Church forms disciples of Jesus Christ who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and worldwide connections.” Watch this video to learn more.
This vision statement complements the mission statement found in the Book of Discipline: “The mission of the Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” Disciples are persons who love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously.
This renewed vision is more than words — it is an invitation to embrace joy and hope as we live God’s mission. It provides a clear, Christ-centered framework for missional unity and collaboration across our worldwide connection.
I hope you will spend some time pondering this vision statement. I think it helps us as a church, and it fits well with the direction of the Michigan Conference as we seek to be a conference that is Christ-centered, that is comprised of vibrant congregations, that develops bold and effective leaders, and that works together in mission and ministry.
In late spring, the Council of Bishops offered another resource for the church called “Pentecost People,” an eight-week resource for congregations to explore how we might continue to be people whose lives continue to be transformed by God’s Holy Spirit. For each week, there is a short video presentation by one of our bishops, introducing the theme. A variety of resources, including Scripture readings, reflections, and small group discussion questions, accompany each video. I encourage you to explore this series and see how you might use it in your congregation.
And third, the Internal Revenue Service recently issued a statement reversing a long-standing prohibition against churches and pastors endorsing political candidates from the pulpit or in their communications. The Johnson Amendment, which prohibited such endorsements, will no longer be enforced against religious organizations so long as they offer such endorsements in their typical religious communications, which would include worship. As one United Methodist chancellor wrote, “This is all intended to be cloaked in theology, doctrine, worship and/or practice.”
Simply because one might legally endorse a political candidate without risking the loss of nonprofit status does not mean it is a good idea. While I intend to write more about this in the fall, I discourage pastors from endorsing political candidates from the pulpit.
A primary reason for such restraint is that it risks muting our moral voice. I think pastors and clergy should address moral issues from the perspective of our theology. No one who reads the Bible openly and honestly can miss the frequent references to important moral matters. How do we live out Jesus’ injunction to “do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12, NIV)? What might it mean to take seriously these verses from Leviticus: “When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the native-born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt” (Leviticus 19:33-34, NRSVUE)?
As clergy, we should wrestle with such texts in preaching and teaching. Moral matters will often have political dimensions to them, not in the sense of electoral politics but in the sense of making decisions about how we will live together in society. We should not ignore such political dimensions. However, when one endorses a candidate, one risks having everything they say filtered through the lens of partisan electoral politics. It dulls our moral voice.
Finally, this summer, we are witnessing incredibly harmful weather-related disasters. Early in July, the flooding of the Guadalupe River in central Texas resulted in the deaths of over 100 people. The grief is enormous. Record flooding has also struck New Mexico, North Carolina, and northeastern sections of the United States. I know you have been joining me in prayer, and many have contributed to relief efforts. Learn how to give directly to flood relief. Thank you.
Beyond the natural disasters are the human-caused disasters of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Please continue to pray for peace and the well-being of those in these horrific war zones.
Last Updated on August 12, 2025