tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10515331.post-26375447124603178742008-05-02T10:09:00.003-04:002008-05-02T11:01:52.864-04:00<div>From the quantity of email I have received this week, it's obvious that most people think I am either joking or exploiting the Rev. Wright controversy by suggesting that he should be the UCC's next President. Neither is true and I genuinely want Rev. Wright to be the next President of the UCC. Part of the reason some folks might be suspicious of my support is the cavalier way I first suggested Rev. Wright by taking jabs at our current leadership. I understand the confusion, but let me be very clear - Rev. Wright should be the next President of the UCC because:<br /><ol><li>Rev. Wright knows more about church growth than anyone else in the denomination right now and he's proved it at Trinity UCC. First and foremost, our denomination needs a leader focused on church growth.</li><br /><li>Rev. Wright is probably second to Barack Obama as being the most visable person in the UCC to the public. While he is considered controversial, he makes the UCC visable and relevent. It also doesn't hurt that he can get attention for the denomination in a way that our current leadership has failed to do.</li><br /><li>We are a church full of pew sitters who are not engaged or aware of what our denomination does. Yes we have a sizable group of folks who are active, but they represent only a small percentage of our denomination. For the most part we go to church on Sunday, get the feel good message and go home to our regular lives often forgeting the lessons of the sermons (and I'm as guilty as anyone of that). Rev. Wright's pressence as the leader of our church would be a welcome shock to our rather sedate denomination and it is our best chance to save our denomination that is slowly dying.</li></ol>I have been extremely critical of Rev. Wright's sermons and even if he becomes President of our denomination, I will still be critical of him or anyone else who gets elected. This criticism, however, doesn't diminish what he can bring to the denomination as a whole and the value that he would bring to us as President.<br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.UCCtruths.com/</div>UCCtruthshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05878487273131062965noreply@blogger.com