One of the biggest challenges (in my opinion) for the UMC church involves the itinerant system.

Here is a brief statement about the itinerant system from the UMC:

“The itinerant system is the accepted method of The United Methodist Church by which ordained elders are appointed by the bishop to fields of labor. All ordained elders shall accept and abide by these appointments.”

Basically, once a minister is fully ordained as an elder, the Bishop appoints the minister to whichever church the Bishop (or cabinet/board) believes is God’s best.

This model presents several challenges:

1. The local church doesn’t have much say (if any) in selecting their pastor.
2. The pastor and pastor’s family may hesitate to fully engage in a community knowing their future is uncertain.
3. The people in the church know their pastor could be moved at any time.
4. The length of tenure in the itinerant system is often much shorter than others. This creates problems of building trust, casting vision, and developing long-term relationships.

While this system had advantages and was effective for years, it is largely ineffective today. I am totally convinced that LifeChurch would not be close to what it is today if the staff, the body, or my family knew that any year I could be asked to leave and serve another church.