By Jim Brown
October 10, 2003

(AgapePress) - Some United Methodists may be surprised to learn who will be performing at the denomination's missions fundraiser this weekend. Among those providing entertainment at the event sponsored by the UMC Board of Global Ministries is country music singer Willie Nelson.

The telethon on Sunday, to be taped and broadcast on the Inspiration Network (INSP) in early December, will take place at historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville -- original home of the Grand Ole Opry. The telethon hopes to raise money $2.5 million for pastor training, women's and children's programs, and building Methodist churches overseas. Featured entertainers include Nelson, actress/singer Shirley Jones, and folk singer Judy Collins.

Mark Tooley, who heads the United Methodist Action Committee at the Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD), says the Mission Board evidently was not looking to enlist people known for their robust Christian faith, but rather wanted celebrities who would attract attention. He says he doesn't find that surprising.

Mark Tooley

"The overseas Methodist churches tend to be theologically more conservative," he says, "so it's rather a dichotomy that our Missions Board -- which is ostensibly trying to help those churches -- is [oriented toward a] very liberal, very social gospel [and] is not evangelistic at all; and yet it's helping these churches that tend to be very evangelistic."

He says the Missions Board, which is the official missions agency for the United Methodist Church, has been struggling financially for two decades because of its political action and lack of evangelistic emphasis.

"Local churches are basically forced to pay their apportionments to support all the official church agencies," Tooley explains. "But the Missions Board has had a reduction in funding -- in part because of lack of enthusiasm by local churches for its ministry, but also because it has relied heavily on its assets in the stock market, which of course has gone down over the last couple of years."

According to Tooley, the overseas churches try not to be too affected by the theology of the Missions Board, even though they may accept financial help and material assistance from the agency. But the IRD spokesman is convinced that unless the Missions Board changes its theological approach, it is likely to continue to endure cutbacks.

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