Many
of us grew up in a world that believed in a "if it ain't broke, don't fix
it" philosophy. That is not the world that we live in today. Today we see
Tim Horton's introducing new sandwiches and drinks every month; we watch shopping
malls renovate to change their space; we have cars available in many, many sizes
and models. We live in a time when we need to respond to changing needs.
We try to stay in touch with the changes that are happening around us and explore some of the ways to adapt to these changes.
Our Website
Younger people are very much at home communicating via the Internet. This is one of the reasons why an effective website is important. We totally revamped our website last summer to try to make it more relevant, easier to navigate, and easier to maintain. Our usage has climbed to 1,500 visits in a month, or 50 every day. We want to continue to have a relevant resource so your suggestions are always welcome.
If you haven't got a website, or you haven't looked at yours through the eyes of someone investigating your congregation, we invite you to make that a priority. Young people today use the web!
Newsletter
Communication is a problem areas we hear most congregations talk about. We keep in touch with our membership base as often as possible; at minimum we send out 4 newsletters every year. Last year we went digital and our distribution has more than doubled. It is interesting how many people share digital newsletters with friends and others, and then these people ask to be added to our list. Our network of connections just keeps growing. Are you increasing the number of people you communicate with - or are you worried about saving postage?
Resources
We try to meet the ever changing needs of congregations by providing resources and adapting our processes and methods.
Through St. Stephen's College we offer our on-line course, Congregational Transformation, which was developed from our book Wings Like Eagles. We also taught a successful one-week intensive course on Managing Personal and Organizational Transformation. In May we are again facilitating a one-week Science and Theology Course. We invite any of you interested in exploring these areas to consider joining us.
This summer we are delivering a Team Building program at VST. We invite you to consider bringing your team and participate in a week of learning and playing together.
Our Small Group Ministry program will be held in Athabasca again this summer. This is a four day program designed for congregational teams to explore and develop a plan to introduce a small group ministry in their congregation. We make the material relevant and provide an authentic small group experience for the participants.
Some of you may be familiar with the resource we published in 2004, Prisms. Over the summer we spent some time editing the questions used in building a profile and have developed a 6-8 week Prisms study guide, Shaping Your Deep Gladness. This is a resource for small groups who want to explore their gifts and their ministries as they prepare to respond to God's call.
Consulting
We have been consulting for more than 11 years now. Congregations today say they want to grow, more often than not so they will have more income to meet their growing expenditures. They look at what we call the flavour of the month or the program of the year as a quick fix for their decline. Transforming a congregation is not about fixing the financial problems or adding a new and innovative worship service, or even updating your programs - it IS about finding a new way to be the church in your community today.
There is no quick fix. You begin with what you have done in the past, what gifts you have to share - and then you find out who is in the community you serve. Are they young families, single adults, married with no kids, blue-collar workers, professionals, sports fans, or fitness gurus? Your ministry has to connect with the people you serve. What are they missing in their lives that you can provide?
Get creative about meeting their needs. Run a PD program so parents have a place for their kids when the teachers take a day off. Provide a way for families to come together over dinner. Offer muffins and meditation at 7:00 in the morning. Offer a tutoring or reading program for busy families. In other words, do whatever it takes to become a place where people feel they belong.
You have to be prepared to prune - sometimes significantly, and then you have to nurture the new life. It is risky business because sometimes the tree will die in spite of all your best efforts - but continuing to do what you are currently doing in a declining congregation will only result in more decline.
Are we only serving those who have supported our churches for years. Frankly, their needs are being met. There is no evidence that Jesus was concerned about those attending synagogue. It was those with no spiritual home, the poor, and the outcast that had all his attention.
Meeting the needs in your community is the challenge for a congregation today. It requires confidence, a willingness to work hard, the courage to confront naysayers, and being prepared to take the risk.
Congregational News April 2006 Vol. 12 No. 3