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United Methodists throughout the Baltimore-Washington Conference are living out their discipleship in bold, audacious and extreme ways, serving like Christ as they grow mission, disciples, spiritual leaders and churches, Bishop John Schol said in his state of the church address May 22.

"Extreme disciples are believers who are willing to risk it all for a Kingdom adventure; disciples who through the Holy Spirit are shaping the church to be the body of Christ," the bishop said. "These disciples take time to be quiet and listen with their hearts to hear the voice of God. They are also disciples who speak through actions of justice and mercy. They are Good News, offering God's grace through Jesus Christ."

These disciples have embarked in meaningful ways on the conference's Discipleship Adventure as they: "celebrate in passionate worship, connect as one through radical hospitality, develop through intentional faith formation, serve in risk-taking mission and share God's extravagant story of grace."

In their faith, they are enabling their churches and communities to "discover God's abundance, rather than accepting scarcity; profit from sacrifice rather than self indulgence and demonstrate love rather than indifference," Bishop Schol said.

The bishop encouraged area United Methodists to adopt the denomination's four new areas of focus to develop principled Christian leaders for the church and the world; create new spaces for new people by starting congregations and renewing existing ones; engage in ministry with the poor; and stamp out the killer diseases of malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.

Such goals can never be accomplished "on the wings of small thinking or by drawing the circle smaller," the bishop said. He applauded individuals and ministries that are transforming the world "in such a time as this."

They include:

- The Hope for the City strategy, and several new communities of Shalom, that are bringing community development efforts and strategies to re-empower and renew Baltimore;

- Camino de Vida and Foundry UMCs that are providing radical hospitality to Latino immigrants;

- The Rev. T.R. Chattin, the Quality of Life retreats and HOPE Fund that are ministering to people with HIV/AIDS;

- The Nothing But Nets Campaign, a grassroots effort to provide insecticide-treated bed nets that protect children in Africa from malaria;

- Conference partnerships with Zimbabwe, South Korea and a new venture with Russia;

- A group of 38 African-American pastors and three lay people who did relief work on homes ravaged by Hurricane Katrina and opened up new relationships in the mission field;

- Young adult ministries in the conference and in local churches that are empowering a new generation for ministry;

- Milly Rivera and Maria Snody who are developing new Hispanic ministries in the Frederick area;

- Courtney Jones, a 13-year-old who on her birthday requested that her gifts be given to the Nothing But Nets campaign; and

- Bel Air UMC, which is nurturing a new campus/congregation.

The bishop also applauded the 272 congregations that have achieved at least three Acts 2 fruits over the past three years: paying their full apportionment; attracting one new member for every 25 worshipers and grown worship attendance by at least 2 percent.

"This is a 200 percent increase since 2005 and puts us half way toward our 2012 goal" of at least 600 Acts 2 churches, he said. "This is a movement of the Holy Spirit. ... The Holy Spirit is demonstrating what God wants to do in our midst."

However, United Methodists are still facing significant challenges, the bishop warned.

The Baltimore-Washington Conference is one of the most diverse in the denomination theologically, geographically and racially.

"We celebrate our diversity, but we have not always worked as companions in our ministry," said the bishop, who encouraged those present to "use biblical principles and Christ-likeness in the midst of our diversity so that we become companions in the adventure God has placed before us."

To assist the conference in transcending its differences, the bishop called for the creation of a team to assess how to build on the conference's rich and diverse history.

He also called upon people to consider their callings to ministry in the face of a shortage of ordained pastors. This year, the conference was short 45 fulltime pastors, which it found by recruiting from other conferences and denominations.

In the next 10 years, approximately 30 Baltimore-Washington Conference pastors are expected to retire each year. Consider what your congregations can do to "call, equip, send and support every worshiper in ministry," Bishop Schol asked each person present.

"Have you faith, the bishop asked, echoing the words of John Wesley, Methodism's founder. "Have you fire? Have you fruit?"

The state of the church in the Baltimore-Washington Conference is good, the bishop concluded, as extreme disciples "give their best" to God and world.

Following the address, the people of the conference broke into small groups to pray for the various missions of the conference.