This quote from Bishop Jones came at the Kansas East Residency Retreat in response to a question about what characterizes an effective clergy person.
Effective clergy lead congregations to increasing missional effectiveness.
I really appreciated this answer. I believe it is the right answer for the renewal of the denomination and for encouraging pastors in ways that are helpful.
Rev. Andrew Conard 
2 replies on “Bishop Jones Said… (2 of 4)”
Good statement though a little bland in my mind. Wesley would have said, “You have nothing to do but save souls so spend and be spent in this work” Perhaps it was better contextualized in the Bishops talk – I am sure it was. But out of context the statement above simply isn’t enough. It begs too many questions. What “IS” the mission, and what “Defines” effectiveness. On one level its a truism, “What makes an effective clergy leader is one who is effective” Without a concise, clear, understanding of the mission, it really doesn’t say much. A great follow up question would have been – “What is the mission” I suspect Bishop Jones would have an excellent answer to that question as well.
I would add the question then how do we measure “missional effectiveness” in a way that is more than mere numbers, with which so many denominational officials seem to be more concerned.