It's Time to Act

by Joyce Madsen

I opened the cover of another book last evening - a good one according to my partner. I agree. It is well written and has some insights for church leaders. But I am very frustrated. Why am I finding it difficult to read any more about congregations - why they are in decline, the 7 steps to success, the signposts for effectiveness, and so on and so on?

We, in the mainline church have spent more hours than I can count and more money than I like to imagine analyzing, researching and sharing situations and stories of problems and successes in congregations, mostly in the U.S. It is time stop researching and start acting!

There is no easy or perfect solution. We know that. Every congregation has to make the decision to find out what it needs to do to be faithful followers of Jesus in their current community. We know it takes entrepreneurial, risk-taking leadership to find the ways to be a thriving congregation today.

It is helpful to hear the stories of others, and it is interesting to unpack the problems, the demographic shifts, modern vs. post-modern theories, the Christian and post-Christian era, but knowing all of these facts doesn't change anything. There is no substitute for acting!

What We Know

We know:

That technology is changing faster than we older people can keep up and that young people are plugged in.
That we live in a world filled with visual images and auditory sound bites.
That the last four generations have grown up in a world of high quality entertainment.
That education levels are increasing.
That our world is full of choices for ways to spend our time and money.
That we live in a global society.
That there are many people who profess a belief in God that have never been inside a church.
That there is a need for places of community.
That there is a hunger for meaning in our culture.

We can respond to these needs and changes. How?

1. Decide to act and find companions to journey with. Create a circle of people who share a vision and support one another on the journey.

2. Be clear that it is not going to be an easy journey, so commit to hanging in even when the going gets tough.

3. Be clear that there is a difference between identifying those you feel called to serve and those that you would like to serve with you. For example, if you are feeding the homeless you should not expect that they will have a relationship with the congregation. If others are helping you to feed the homeless they may choose to enter into a relationship with the congregation because they feel you are doing something worthwhile.

4. It is important to be clear about why you are entering into this journey - is it to grow your membership or is it to spread the news of God's love? This is why it is so important to be clear about your mission. If others perceive your mission is relevant and authentic, they will find that attractive and want to participate. If you are looking for new members just to help finance your congregation, people will pick up on that and stay away.

5. Find consultants, resources or models to guide you through the journey.

At a minimum consider the following actions.

Get clear about the congregations identity - gifts, assets, roles, etc. Who has the congregation been in the past? Who is it today?
Start to think about mission and vision. Why do you exist? What is God calling you to create in your community? (These are the two questions that will lead to understanding who the congregation needs to be in contact with and how to meet people on their terms.)
Identify the group, demographic, cohort, or community that you want to enter into a relationship with. There may be more than one, but begin with one.
Meet with people from the target group. Ask them about their needs and what it would take to have them enter into a relationship with the congregation.
Identify the resources you require to meet the needs you have identified.
Do it!
Promote what you are doing using methods that will reach others in the target group.

Easy? No. Simple? Yes! Set your eyes on the future and don't let anything or anyone stop you from reaching your goal.

Congregational News February 2007 Vol. 13 No. 3

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