The graphic above was posted on Twitter by our denominational headquarters in Nashville, TN.  It made me laugh because now that I am in extension ministry I am not wondering if the District Superintendent will suddenly call me to tell I have a new church I will be moving to in July.  Also the Annual Conference session does not impact my ministry in healthcare as dramatically as it did when I served local churches.  The things we talk about at Annual Conference just are not as relevant to patients as they are to church members.  Also at the hospital United Methodist members are a small percentage of the total number of patients.  In any local United Methodist Church 90% or more of those present are generally members of the United Methodist Church.

Extension ministry does take the vital ministry of the church from inside the walls of the church and move it into a setting where I can on a daily basis interact with people who have no church affiliation or regular church attendance pattern.  The conversations I am able to have with patients about why they believe in God but are not motivated to be a part of the local church (any denomination) are interesting.  Some have gotten angry and stopped attending.  Some have just gotten out of the habit of attending.  Some have found the services don’t have meaning to them.  Even with all these reasons for not attending church, patients are very happy when I offer to pray for them.  Chaplaincy gives me the opportunity to pray with people and present the church in a way where they can see me follow the example of Christ in taking the message into the world.