Christian Colonialism


 I believe in small churches. Unfortunately, a local church in United Methodism exists to support a heavy structure and not the other way around. It contradicts the very essence of the church of Christ as a free movement.

The Christian church is a community constituted by the relationships of people with God. Any domination of one group over another is an abuse of power. All social relationships should come out of free will, trust and respect for each other. I look at my church and I see my mother, who needs extra care and attention. At one point I tried to push her to practice a healthier lifestyle and to exercise, but now, when she is getting older with every day, all she needs is love and care, and I finally got it. I would never imagine making my mother support me or accept my life style. 
All I know is that small churches deserve respect and love. In reality, small Methodist churches suffocate under the weight of a heavy Conference structure: they do not have enough attention from the Districts and Conference, they do not trust the system and they are angry because they know that their churches can be closed. Small churches do not possess the capacity to replicate effective mega-church ministry models that make the denomination look successful. 
United Methodism uses the connectional system to make local churches to serve the center. What is the source of bishop’s power? The roots of this policy lead to 1561 the Book of Discipline for Scotland, written by John Knox, who systematized Presbyterian polity. Out of this heritage come two forms of polity used today: connectional and independent. Our denominational life has become more regulatory than missional. The Book of Discipline continues swelling. Jim Bray, one of the delegates to the General Conference for seventeen years, shares about the work of the delegates at the General Conference:  “We have done our job so well that the number of words in the Book of Discipline has increased from about 200,000 in 1972 to around 300,000 in 2008.”
It explains why back in Russia the actions of some Western ministers looked like Christian colonialism. “The World is my parish” approach happened to have its negative side that looked more like “occupation” of small towns and villages by foreign missionaries. 
Charity can be really toxic and we saw lots of examples of it. “Powerful people offering selfless support to the powerless. No thought of repayment. No ulterior motive. Charity work with no strings attached. Seems so noble, so Christian,” Rober Lupton says in his book Toxic Charity, before he begins giving examples of that charity that had negative affect on people. Mercy without justice creates dependency that takes people’s dignity away. Relationships are not possible in a setting like that. The worst aftertaste of Christian colonialism is distrust and disappointment, not only toward those who caused it, but also to God. 



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