The question
we are asked most often at the Centre is "How do we turn our congregation's
numerical decline into growth?" The question
we are asked most often at the Centre is "How do we turn our congregation's
numerical decline into growth?"
The answer, surprisingly enough, is a very simple three step process. I didn't say it was easy, but it is simple:
We in the church do not do a very good job of welcoming people warmly. Where we really fall down, however, is in step two. Those of us who have been raised in a church based on committees and a highly structured organization too often make the mistake of assuming that people have come to become part of our organization. As a result we give them a few weeks to settle into a pew, then approach them to join this committee or teach Sunday School or usher - all activities to support our congregation's current structure.
What we forget is that the x-generation (generally those born between 1963 and 1978) and the millennial generation (born 1982 - 2000) are not interested in being part of an industrial age organization. They are children of the communications era. It is people they are interested in, not perpetuating a structure. It is an experience of God in their lives they deeply long for, whether they can articulate that or not.
Find Why People Come
People do not come to our congregations because they happen to be wandering by the church on Sunday morning and drop in. They don't come because they have nothing else to do with their time. Schedules today are hectic. People have more than enough entertainment, not to mention children's hockey games and trips to the ski resort, to keep them occupied on Sunday morning.
New people come to your congregation because they have a very specific reason for doing so. More often than not that reason is related to a transition in their life. One couple walked into my congregation because they had just retired from work in a supermarket - he was the manager and she a cashier - and they were looking for a community to belong to. A young couple came because they wanted their children to be taught Christian ethical values. A single parent came because the church she was attending was not feeding her spiritually. She was looking for depth in her spiritual life and for colleagues on the journey. A number of young adults came because they were new in town attending a vocational college and were looking for a place to make contact with others their same age who were interested in discussing life issues.
The task is to find out why people have come, one person at a time. The question is not "Where in our organization would you like to plug in?" The question is the one every knowledgeable clerk asks when you walk into a store, "What can I help you find?"
Help them Find It
That brings us to the third aspect of growth - helping people find what they have come for. It meant introducing the retired supermarket manager and his wife to other couples in the congregation their same age, until they knew enough people to feel they were truly part of a worshipping community. It involved introducing the young couple to our Children's Ministry coordinator, who took the time to walk them through our whole Christian education process and introduce the children to others of the same age. It meant starting a program for singles in the congregation, because that was what was needed for the singles as well as our new single parent. The young adults were invited for a spaghetti dinner and asked what they wanted to do. Their answer - sit around in someone's living room on Sunday evening and talk. That they did, until there were as many as 25 each week.
This third step requires an entre-preneurial spirit. When there is a need for something not available, it means taking the time to bring people together who have similar interests. How can a clergy do all this? The answer, they can't. Ministry staff who are successful today see themselves as having one primary task - and that is to identify, train and support the potential leadership that is in their congregation. They have one motivation - the same one we see in Jesus' ministry - a passion to let more people than they can personally reach know that God cares for them.
This means changing the way we clergy have traditionally operated. Worship is not a time when "the Minister" dominates centre stage. It is a time for training worship leadership. Bible study is not a place where clergy show off what they learned in seminary. It is a place where co-leaders are given the confidence to become leaders in their own right. Marriage preparation classes are not just about lessons in making a marriage work, but also a time to spot and encourage couples with leadership ability and to hone and make use of their gifts. Confirmation classes are not just about church membership. They are occasions to identify future leaders, to be followed up with the opportunities and the support they need to develop their leadership gifts.
Deal with the Opposition
One last word - maybe the most important. There will be opposition, usually from well meaning members of what we have come to call the "old guard." They are senior members of the congregation who were raised in the industrial era and tend to put buildings before building community, balancing the budget ahead of budgeting for growth. They work very hard to maintain a comfortable status quo, and work equally hard to resist any who would create the new wineskins that are required for new growth. There is no easy way - you have to deal with them head on. The question Matt Ziprick of Bethel Lutheran says he asks is simply, "And what church are your grandchildren attending?" All too often today the answer is "None." The church of the old guard is in rapid decline and will more than likely die with them. Personally, I want there to be a church in the future that not only attracts my grandchildren because it communicates using their language but also provides for their personal and spiritual growth.
The answer is simple.
It is not easy but the resulting growth will be worth it. We guarantee it.
By the way, that single parent is Joyce Madsen, now my staff team colleague at the Congregational Life Centre. When you meet people's needs, no telling where it will lead.
Congregational News February 2007 Vol. 13 No. 3