"The Challenges and Opportunities Facing New Ordinands Called to Serve the Church in a Changing World”

Bishop Julius C. Trimble is the Resident Bishop of the Indiana Area of the United Methodist Church.

Bishop Trimble has the personal mission to encourage all people with the love of Jesus Christ to rise to their highest potential. It is his commitment to his personal mission that led Bishop Trimble to create the “To Be Encouraged” Podcast along with co-host Rev.Dr. Brad Miller.

Bishop Trimble says, “I am compelled by Jesus to share with you an encouraging word or two about Jesus, theology, the Bible, the pandemic, the environment, racism, voting rights, human sexuality, and the state of the United Methodist Church.”

To Be Encouraged with Bishop Julius C. Trimble is to be published weekly and is available at www.tobeencouraged.com and all the podcast directories.

https://www.inumc.org/bishop/office-of-the-bishop/

In episode 060 of To Be Encouraged, the podcast explores the challenges and opportunities faced by new ordinands in the current socio-political and technological climate. The guests are incoming Deacon Rev. Matt Sherrill who serves on the Pastoral Staff of The Carmel UMC in Carmel, Indiana and Rev. Denise Robinson the Lead Pastor of the Irvington UMC in Indianapolis IN.

This episode is part two of a two part episode with part one available here. https://tobeencouraged.com/episode/059

In this episode the ordinands discuss the importance of staying focused on the mission of loving God and loving others, despite differences in opinion and theological beliefs.

Rev. Matt Sherrill expresses his passion for rethinking the way confirmation is done to better disciple young people and is encouraged by the open-mindedness and willingness to learn and grow exhibited by students. He believes that students are the church now and sees hope in the powerful things they are doing, despite the disaffiliation of numerous churches.

Bishop Julius C. Trimble emphasizes that God loves all people and that most of our limitations are self-imposed. He encourages congregations to embrace the Breakthrough Prayer movement and focus on making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Rev. Denise Robinson shares her experience at Irvington UMC, an inner-city church committed to engaging with and helping the community. Despite challenges related to an older congregation and the dangers of the surrounding neighborhood, the church has established connections with the community through various programs and events.

Rev. Dr. Brad Miller asks Denise about her approach to dealing with challenges, particularly in the context of differing theological beliefs or hot button issues that arise within the church. She emphasizes the importance of not being diverted from the mission of loving God and loving others and finding different ways to share the love of Christ with the community.

Rev. Matt Sherrill explores the challenges faced by youth ministries in the current technological climate, as well as the importance of building relationships with people who are different than ourselves to change perspectives and break down stereotypes.

Takeaway points include the importance of staying focused on the mission of loving God and loving others, embracing Breakthrough Prayer, being church in profound ways in the world, and working to bring about social change. The podcast encourages church leaders to have conversations with colleagues from different places to learn from each other, create new opportunities, and celebrate the diversity of the United Methodist Church.

Time Stamps:

[00:02:32] "IUMC faces challenges in serving inner-city community"

[00:05:28] "Overcoming Limitations and Embracing Breakthrough Prayer"

[00:12:20] "Bishop Urges Focus on Gospel Mission"

[00:14:37] "Students embrace awareness and take breaks"

[00:17:55] "Pastor urges young people to hear message of God's unconditional love"

[00:23:18] "Prayer and Humility: God's Promise of Healing"

[00:25:03] "Special Guests Offer Encouragement on Podcast"

This episode is part two of a two part episode with part one available here. https://tobeencouraged.com/episode/059