Some reflections on church vitality

Every church is unique, a blend of gifts, traditions and challenges. Any efforts to re-vitalize a declining congregation must be adapted to the local context. This all goes without saying, and so it is rarely said. There are, however, some lessons to be learned from churches that have seen success, and those who have struggled. Below are some reflections based on my own experiences in healthy, re-vitalizing and declining congregations. They are not hard and fast… we are all learning and exploring, trying to find our way to the church of the next age.

1. Forget the tips and tricks. No multimedia screen, praise band or charismatic pastor is going to turn your church around. If your objective is to add members purely to keep the church alive in its present form, to fill committee slots and increase pledge units, you’re doomed. To transform your church you must transform yourself, must transform your faith. Remember, the church is not the building or the history. It is a living thing, the Body of Christ breathed into existence by the Spirit two-thousand years ago and existing in countless forms, serving a Living God. And being alive means change. Which leads to…

2. You can’t do the same old thing and expect different results. A UCC theologian and pastor was once told by a search committee that they wanted to grow their church. Her immediate response was “What are you willing to give up?” It does us no good to pretend that you can turn your church around while everything looks the same, and that includes aspects of worship and community life that people are unwilling to give up. The first skill you need to learn in order to transform your church is how to engage in difficult conversations, how to disagree and still remain in covenant with one another. Submission to the discerned will of the congregation is a spiritual practice at the heart of Protestant spirituality, a practice that makes us very uncomfortable in this “my way or the highway” culture. We must cultivate bonds within the church that are stronger than the forces that pull us apart.

3. Don’t expect things to change overnight. It took years to get into the hole we are in and it will take years to get back out. Even once we make the turn around, it will take several years to develop the spiritual practice of stewardship. We live in a culture of instant gratification, and we like measurable goals. But God doesn’t always work on our schedule! Be patient and dig deep. Celebrate every small movement of the Spirit. You will get through this and in the process, will become better servant-leaders.

4. Expect something. A recent research study identified the belief system of young Mainline Protestants as “moralistic therapeutic deism.” Core beliefs for this group include that God wants everybody to be happy all the time, that we should be good, and that everyone goes to heaven. This system of belief is both unrealistic and way too fluffy to give shape and direction to our lives, leaving us open to outside influences like the slick message of Madison Avenue. The truth is we are not all happy all the time, life is not easy, and there is such a thing as sin and repentance. Young adults want a faith that makes demands on how they live, that provides answers in times of despair. Expect them to act like a Christian 24/7, as much on Monday morning on the trading floor as on Sunday morning in the pew, and they will respect the faith they have been called to follow.

5. The structure of the church has never been uniform, has always changed, ranging from top-down bureaucracies to Spirit-led chaos. The current church model was built for a time when most Americans stayed at the same job until they retired, lived in the same town, were members of the same church until that church buried them. We no longer live in that world. We are now a mobile culture. Young adults are not “joiners,” are not interested in serving a three-year term on a committee that meets monthly whether or not it has tasks to complete. The good news is that there is an ancient model that fits our current time! The early church was a dynamic network filled with Spirit-driven innovation. We must begin to experiment with this new-ancient way, shifting our governance from an institutional model to a faith-based network of entrepreneurial teams. Of course, it is going to take time to find the right balance of structure and chaos, but we are up to the task! We know the old model stopped working for many of our churches years ago. Let’s dare to try something new!

6. Just as some have suggested that a video screen will solve all our problems, others have suggested we just need to do more mission-service, then the young adults will come. The truth is that many young adults are already doing mission, just not in the context of church. Building the just and caring Kingdom of God is only part of our Christian faith. We must also make new disciples and deepen our own faith. Remember, a young adult can feel good about building a house for Habitat without committee meetings and pledge cards. Young adults want to know that Jesus changes everything, that walking the Way of Christ is demanding. Keep mission-service, but strengthen your faith development and evangelism, so that each takes a quarter of your congregation’s energy (leaving a quarter for the necessary non-mission administration).

7. Being proper will kill you- the new Christianity lives at the fringes. It has tattoos and stays up too late. It speaks words of truth, even if those words make us uncomfortable. A nose ring should not be a barrier for entry into Christian community! You’re going to catch yourself judging others… learn to laugh at yourself. And learn to forgive yourself. Then remember that Christianity has always included the rich widows and the poor lepers, mad monks and regal kings… The Gospel is scandal! Be willing to act scandalous.

8. Do not ignore those who can’t make the change. Many of them built and sustained our churches, and while their model of church no longer works, they deserve our love and support. Some consultants make clear that church growth may cost you members, and that the objections of a small minority should not stop adaptation and change. I’ve even heard pastors name the reality that the deaths of certain congregants will have to occur before a church can grow. (How did we ever get in such a fix?) These things may be true, but it is foolish and uncharitable to bulldoze those who aren’t ready. I recently watched a Senior Pastor ignore the growing anxiety and frustration of a segment of the congregation that had not bought into the vitality vision. Rather than engage them and listen to their concerns, she just plowed on, resulting in a congregational crisis. Stay engaged, even with frustrating obstructionists. They may surprise you, but even if they don’t, you should make a faithful effort to keep them in the church covenant family.

9. Be willing to build parallel communities, trusting that with time they can be brought together… but be intentional about keeping them in conversation. I’ve seen congregations develop separate communities through multiple services with distinct styles of worship. Often these remain grounded in old church models, separate churches in some ways, but still tied together through the system of committees and fundraisers. On occasion a church will develop a worship or a small group that is so distinct that it remains free-floating, never fully integrated. Neither of these approaches has proven fully sustainable. But there are quite a few exciting experiments in church organization and alternative forms of community. There is even a form of intentional Protestant community called neo-monasticism (not made up of celibate males!)… Our congregations and the UCC must learn to make room for and integrate new models, from Young Adult Networks to intentional/alternative communities. I have no idea how this will work, but believe it may carve out enough room for innovation and Spirit to be successful.

10. Trust in the Spirit. Christianity has changed and adapted since the first disciples went out two-by-two. We get so anxious about church transformation, get so ramped up, that we lose our joy. Make sure you build some fun into your transformation process. Schedule some “no change” sabbaticals in the process. Our God is amazing and alive. Amen!