Congregational Life Centre
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Editorial
Hillhurst United:What We Saw
by Joyce Madsen
Clair and I have had the opportunity to connect with this congregation several times over the last seven years. Our first visit involved Board development work and later we did some work with the congregation around re-missioning. We remember clearly suggesting that they re-finish their front doors because the paint was peeling and they didn't look very inviting.
We have watched this congregation evolve from a struggling congregation to what is today a vibrant, alive, spiritual community. Why this congregation and not others? Well, we know that it all has to do with leadership - clergy and lay - being empowered and having a dream.
There is no question that the right people, at the right time, in the right place are factors that have to come together, BUT, if we aren't looking for the right people and we aren't brave enough to make the necessary changes it will never happen. The people of Hillhurst have made many of the right decisions over the last 10 years. They have challenged their traditional way of thinking and invited leadership that would help them see their ministry with new eyes.
What we see today is a young, growing community of faith. There are people in the pew and attending small groups that have never been in a church before. Some of the groups meet in coffee shops and some meet in the local pub. Do you remember those words, "Whenever two or three are gathered"? We have to stop measuring the effectiveness of a congregation by how many are in the pew on Sunday morning! This congregation has become a vibrant, exciting place to be all week long. People invite their friends to come and join them - that is the best way to grow a congregation.
How do you become a place where folks invite their friends? You have to be doing something that is relevant for folks today. New people aren't interested in the fact that you have 'always done it this way'; they want to know what you believe and how you live out that belief. New people are not going to conform to the traditional way of being faithful; they want to explore their own way. The congregations' role is to welcome and encourage them on that journey. That's what is happening at Hillhurst.
We had the opportunity to talk with John Pentland. His most powerful comment was, "The congregation has to let the leader lead". We have worked with many congregations that say they want to change, and some even call new clergy to do that, but when they see their favourite event, hymn, or structure challenged they become afraid and block the leader. If our model is Jesus, we have to be brave enough to explore what steps he would take today to create God's new community.
We have highlighted Hillhurst United Church in this newsletter because it is one of the congregations where we see leadership happening - leadership that is making a difference not just for the congregation but for the whole community around them.
"Leadership Ventures" Congregational Life Newsletter. October 2010. Volume 17 No. 2.