We visited a congregation a few weeks ago that has two comfortably full services on Sunday morning. All the traditional main-line church programs are available for participants. The bulletin was filled with announcements of suppers, men's breakfast, and women's gatherings of all varieties. There was only one problem. Looking across the sanctuary on Sunday morning, all one could see was a sea of white hair.
What that said to us is that this is a congregation in maintenance mode. It has had a history of being very involved in the community. There is a youth ministry with an active youth group. The budget is balanced. Most of us would say that maintaining a congregation with two packed services and a full plate of midweek activities is not bad.
The only question is whether it is good enough, in the long run. What we see in so many congregations is that the maintenance mode that worked so well yesterday has turned into precipitous decline today. It seems to all be a matter of attitude. Congregations who are exploring new ways to share with their community continue to thrive. Congregations that adopt a defensive "circle the wagons" posture and concentrate on caring for their current members are - or will shortly be - in decline.
We like what Jim Collins has to say in his book Good to Great. What make the difference between a good organization and one that is great are leaders who work as a team and who are more concerned about the organization's ability to meet the needs of those it serves than that it meet their own needs.
Not that an outward
perspective is all that easy. A number of congregations have given new ministry
staff a mandate to bring in change. "We know we are in decline. We know
we have to change!" Two or three years later, however, long-standing members
become uncomfortable and the staff are asked to leave.
Sometimes, however, the staff do not leave - rather it is those who oppose the changes that exit. Jim Colins says it is as important to "get the wrong people off the bus" as it is to recruit the right leadership. That can clear the deck for a outward approach that leads to real growth.
Sometimes the outward focus takes the shape of meeting a physical need, like housing for seniors or special care for the disabled elderly. Sometimes it is a matter of developing the programs that serve the young families in the area - an exciting children's ministry coupled with family events that give parents an opportunity for spiritual growth. Sometimes it involves moving out into the community with a carnival or street fair that models hospitality. It could be finding a special ministry such as Christian theatre or music for children.
What makes the difference is that outward focus. The lawyer that won Jesus' approval had it right. "Love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. And love your neighbour as yourself." The business end of our love for God and our love for self is our love for our neighbour - our new neighbour. Whether or not you choose to open up to accept them may make the difference between spiralling downward or soaring up.
They were visibly
excited and felt that they were responding to God's call.
Over the years, the blue-collar neighbourhood had been in a state of decline. Most of the original congregation had moved to other areas of the city, but still supported the church. The question was - how to relate to the community that was there now. The congregation's strength was they were paying attention and prayerfully discerning what it was they should focus on.
While exploring the possibilities for their future, they had become aware of the power and the talent for music that was there in the congregation. Music had always been a part of who they were. The icing on the cake that made it all possible was the arrival of just the right leadership to pull it all together.
It didn't mean that the congregation was going to explode in numbers or that the bank balance would grow. What it did mean is that children in the community got an opportunity to experience what it felt like to create music - some with instruments, some with their voices. No one knows how many of these children will grow up to be active participants in a congregation. What we do know is that the congregation provided each of these children with an opportunity to develop their gifts and a sense that they were both loved and valued.
The leadership
team knew that it was time to find new ways to connect with the people in their
blue collar neighbourhood. They felt strongly that a small group ministry would
provide opportunities for people to grow spiritually and make connections with
one another. They found good lay leadership to partner with them. The clergy
team did their research and learned all they could about this new form of ministry.
In addition they developed a second service with a worship format more suited
to young families. Thus began the journey.
Some months into the journey, at an Annual Meeting, one of the founding members of the congregation stood up and challenged the direction the church was going. His protest not only stopped the process, but also created conflict within the congregation. When firing the clergy team failed, some of the older families left. However, the vision of a congregation that served its community proved more powerful than the voices of the naysayers who would rather the church stayed the way it had always been.
Six months later, after consultations and many meetings, the leadership team of clergy and lay picked up the pieces and continued to look for ways to share God's love in their wider community. New people have taken the place of those who left. Energy and vitality is flowing into outreach activities that are meeting real needs of neighbourhood people.
It was a dying
congregation in a small town that was welcoming new young families. The building
was in the centre of town and was providing ministry to its long-time members.
How to cover the cost of keeping the building going was the question that pushed
people to look at their future.
They explored the possibility of tearing down one wing and using the land for housing, but the cost for doing that was beyond their means. They really had no idea where to go, and yet were not willing to let go. They kept turning over the rocks to see what possibilities might lie beneath.
Then the ingredients came together - their musical history, their desire to connect with the community, coupled with the arrival of the right person at the right time. The result was the launch of a new ministry of providing musical theatre that could be shared with all of the people in the community.
The story is not finished. The connections they are making with the community will lead to the discovery of other ways God wants them to serve.
Congregational News October 2008 Vol. 15 No. 1