In December of 2011, the Southern Baptist Convention engaged in a major nation-wide study of how favorably or unfavorably Americans view different faith groups including Catholics, Protestants, Mormons and Muslims.
The study revealed that The United Methodist Church has the most positive religious “brand” in America. 62% of Americans have a favorable view of United Methodists. This is the highest favorability rating among all faith groups in the survey. The study also discovered that United Methodists have the lowest unfavorable rating of any of the faith groups that were surveyed. People in America like United Methodists for many reasons, including our emphasis on GRACE instead of judgment, our reputation as an orthodox yet open- minded church, our balance between faith of the head and faith of the heart, our combination of evangelism with social ministry, our affirmation of gender equality, and our efforts to be an inclusive “big tent” church both theologically and politically.
In short, people are impressed with a denomination that tries to live out its motto of “Open Hearts, Open Minds and Open Doors.” This study is yet another reason to invite your family, friends, co-workers and neighbors to a United Methodist Church. Most of them already have a favorable impression of our denomination. Many of them would gladly visit any one of our great churches in the Cumberland District, if they received a personal invitation. So why not invite someone this week? My challenge is for each of us to invite ONE person to church this week. People need to hear the amazing Love Story of Jesus!
It is my privilege to be your District Superintendent.
Scott
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