Growing an Engaged Church

How to Stop "Doing Church" and Start Being the Church Again

Albert L. Winseman

• Publisher: Gallup Press
• Year: 2007
• Print ISBN: 9781595620149
• eBook ISBN: 9781595620439
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Church

Growing an Engaged Church offers unique, research-based, often counterintuitive solutions to the challenges facing churches today, including declining congregant participation, decreasing contributions, and slumping membership. Ministers, priests, and church boards will find the evidence and answers in this book provocative, eye-opening, and, most importantly, actionable. What if members of your congregation... • were 13 times more likely to have invited someone to participate in your church in the past month? • were three times as satisfied with their lives? • spent more than two hours per week serving and helping others in their community? • tripled their giving to your church? What would your church — your parish — look like? And how would you go about creating this kind of change? One thing is certain: Church leaders are never going to inspire more people to be actively and passionately involved in their congregations by doing the same things over and over again. Pastors and lay leaders need something fresh. Something new. The last thing they need is "just another program" or to set up a laundry list of new activities for members.Based on solid research by The Gallup Organization, Growing an Engaged Church will appeal to both Protestant and Catholic clergy and lay leaders who are looking for a way to be the Church instead of just "doing church."

CHAPTER ONE:

JEFF AND TRICIA’S SEARCH FOR A CHURCH

Jeff and Tricia are like just about everybody else on the planet: They have a God-sized hole in their lives.

But Jeff and Tricia are different from most Christians in the United States because they are aware of the hole. And they are even more unusual because at one time in their lives, that hole was filled.

The way Jeff and Tricia filled that hole was through their church. Every week as they participated in worship, they came away moved by the music, or the drama, or the “witness talks” by members, or the pastor’s message. There wasn’t a week when they didn’t feel, at some time during worship, the presence of God. They came to like their church’s more contemporary, thematic approach to worship — blending urban gospel and contemporary Christian music, using soloists backed up by a choir and a seven-piece band, drama that dealt with real-life issues, and relevant messages from the pastor, who rarely failed to make an emotional connection with most worshipers. The church was growing rapidly (one year, it nearly tripled its average worship attendance), and although there were many newcomers each week, Jeff and Tricia always felt the pastors and other leaders loved and cared for them. New members said there was a spirit about their church that set it apart from just about every other church in the city.

Their church supported many local and international ministries to the poor — Habitat for Humanity, food pantries, the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, and Heifer Project International, to name but a few. One of Jeff and Tricia’s favorite outreach ministries was their coordinating of Project Angel Tree, in which church members provided Christmas gifts for families of the inmates in the local prison.

Jeff and Tricia served their church gladly: Tricia was one of the best children’s ministry leaders the church had, and Jeff served on the church’s strategic mapping team and taught adult Bible classes. Their closest friends were members. Jeff and Tricia gave sacrificially, even finding a way to donate $20,000 to the building fund campaign over and above their regular tithe. They felt themselves to be growing spiritually, and discovered the “God-sized hole” in their lives was being filled.

Then Jeff was offered a promotion at work, which meant a transfer to a different city. The hardest part about moving away from the city they called home for seven years was leaving their church. They spent a lot of time discussing and praying about the situation, and eventually decided Jeff should take the promotion and they would move. Even though they were leaving a church family they loved, they thought they could eventually find a church home in their new city.

Little did they know how difficult it would be.

FEELING DISCONNECTED AND DISCOURAGED

After Jeff and Tricia got settled into their new home, they started “church shopping.” The city they moved to was about a third the size of the one they left, so already there were fewer churches to choose from. They visited more than a dozen churches — most of them more than once. They visited churches of their own denomination, churches of other denominations, independent churches, churches that offered traditional worship, and churches that offered “boomer contemporary” worship. But throughout their search, they just didn’t experience the emotional connection in worship they had felt in their former church.

Jeff and Tricia were in a quandary. But they were not about to give up yet.

During their year of church shopping, they noticed a new church building was going up just five minutes from where they lived. They watched the progress of construction with interest, because the church was a mainline denomination church that was relocating. When the building was completed, Jeff and Tricia decided to visit.

Their first visit was encouraging. The worship center was warm and inviting, and it was nearly filled to capacity. There was a band, a praise team leading singing, and words to the songs were projected on the screens. The preaching was good, too, and there seemed to be a lot of positive energy in the congregation. It wasn’t exactly like their former church, but it was as close as they’d been in a long time. They decided to return.

Over the course of nearly a year, Jeff and Tricia attended the church regularly. But during that time, not once did anyone from the church personally contact them, even though they signed the attendance register each week. They did, however, get a letter inviting them to become members after their third Sunday in attendance — Tricia remembers that it seemed a bit presumptuous. But they kept attending anyway, trying to figure out ways to become involved.

The couple decided that a good way to get to know some of the members was to join a monthly dining-out group advertised in the church newsletter. They showed up at the restaurant and joined four other couples who obviously knew each other well. After they all introduced themselves, the couples who were already friends conversed about shared experiences, laughing and talking and having a great time — but nearly always excluding Jeff and Tricia. The same thing happened the next three months, even though Jeff and Tricia each tried numerous times to join the conversations. Not surprisingly, they stopped going to the dinners, figuring that no one would miss them anyway.

One Sunday, Jeff answered a call for volunteers to sing in a special choir for Ash Wednesday. He showed up for the first rehearsal, introduced himself to the choir’s director, got some music, and joined the baritone section. The other choir members were polite, but not particularly welcoming. Yet Jeff kept coming to rehearsal the next three weeks, tried unsuccessfully to get to know others in the choir, and sang with the choir at all three Sunday morning services. It’s a good thing Jeff enjoyed the singing, because the experience didn’t otherwise make him feel wanted or needed.

Yet even with these discouraging experiences, the couple still decided to join the church. They were persistent, because the feeling of having that God-sized hole filled is not easily forgotten — and individuals will go to great lengths to have it filled once again. Jeff and Tricia thought that perhaps membership would unlock some doors for them.

So they signed up for “Coffee With the Pastors,” which they anticipated would be a Q & A session, followed by an opportunity to enroll in membership classes. But to their surprise, Coffee With the Pastors was the only membership class offered: a two-hour Sunday afternoon session in which the prospective members introduced themselves, and the pastors talked about the history of the church, did a 30-minute overview of the Bible, and handed out a stack of information about the church — including a financial pledge card, a Spiritual Gifts Assessment, and a Ministry Opportunities Worksheet. The prospective new members were assigned sponsors, who would meet them before worship the next week, and were asked to complete the Spiritual Gifts Assessment, the Ministry Opportunities Worksheet, and the pledge card, and bring them all to the new-member dinner after the worship service.

So Jeff and Tricia dutifully filled out their forms — but not without a lot of head scratching. The 144 items on the Spiritual Gifts Assessment seemed to be directed to pastors or church professionals. These are some of the items Jeff and Tricia were asked to answer:

• Christians from outside of my normal ministry circle often seek out my advice.

• I am able to put other Christians to work using their gifts and talents.

• I proclaim God’s message in a way especially effective for introducing Christ to those who do not know Him.

• I speak in tongues as a personal spiritual exercise.

• It seems important to share the truth of God’s Word even if it irritates others.

• People have told me I was God’s instrument that brought about supernatural change in lives or circumstances.

• It is quite natural for me to embody Biblical truths in my daily life.

• I have a clear understanding of Biblical doctrines.

• I can judge well between the truthfulness and error of a given theological statement.

“Wow,” thought Tricia, “I wonder what people who haven’t been in church that often would think of this? They’d probably be scared off!”

The Ministry Opportunities Worksheet wasn’t much better — especially because no one took the time to explain the different ministries in which members could be involved. The form was confusing and listed names of ministries Jeff and Tricia didn’t understand, like New Beginnings Home Volunteer, Personal Intercessor, Alpha-Omega Relay Captain, Loaves and Fishes, Joyful Journey Navigator, and Hang-Time Host Family — and the form didn’t go into further detail about any of the ministries. Jeff and Tricia came away thinking there was a lot going on, but they had no basis for deciding what to be involved in or how to get involved.

On new-member Sunday, Jeff and Tricia showed up, met their sponsors, and came up to the front to be introduced, along with 42 other new members. After church, they went into the family life center for the new-member dinner. They went through the buffet line with their sponsors, ate dinner, and made small talk. The church staff was introduced and each staff member briefly described his or her ministry area, followed by the new members introducing themselves. The pastor said a prayer, and then they all went their separate ways to enjoy a pleasant Sunday afternoon.

And that was it — the sum total of Jeff and Tricia’s new-member experience at the church. Oh, yes, they did receive a card from the volunteer coordinator, thanking them for joining and saying that if they ever wanted to get involved in a ministry, they should give her a call.

Jeff and Tricia still attend worship regularly, write a check each week (though for not nearly as much as they gave to their former church), but they don’t feel particularly wanted, needed, or engaged. They’ve all but given up trying to fill that God-sized hole in their lives, thinking that maybe it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience — an experience they both cherish and long to discover once again.

A LUKEWARM CHURCH

If you’re seeing your church in this story (and I don’t mean the church Jeff and Tricia moved away from), you’re not alone. Jeff and Tricia’s experience is not at all unique; it is replicated all over the country in thousands of churches each week. People with God-sized holes in their lives show up, hoping beyond hope to get just a portion of that hole filled. But many of them walk away still carrying the void, and are more discouraged than when they first came.

This phenomenon is quite disturbing, considering the Biblical emphasis on the crucial role spiritually healthy churches play in reaching people for Christ and making disciples. Matthew’s Gospel records Jesus as saying, “on this rock I will build my church,” and while Bible scholars have debated the origin and meaning of these words for centuries — and probably will still argue them for centuries to come — one thing is clear: By placing these words on the lips of none other than Jesus himself, the Biblical witness declares the primary importance of the Church in the overall schema of the Christian faith.

The experience of so many churches today resembles another Biblical witness, this time from the book of Revelation. Now, it’s always a little tricky to bring Revelation into any discussion because of the imagery John uses to describe Christ’s eventual triumph over evil, but a scene in Revelation stands out because it is eerily descriptive of so many churches in America today. The third chapter of Revelation describes the risen and exalted Christ addressing seven churches in Asia Minor. To the church at Laodicea, Christ tells John to write:

I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. For you say, “I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.” You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

The church at Laodicea was complacent and self-satisfied — and also spiritually impoverished. Its lukewarm Christianity was unpalatable, and its members had lost their passion — their fire — for reaching others with the Gospel. They had stopped making disciples. They had ceased to be a movement and instead had become an institution.

Sadly, I am afraid many, many churches in the United States today fit this description — and they don’t even realize they are lukewarm and unpalatable. Jeff and Tricia represent a best-case scenario for these churches, because people like them will stick it out anyway. But most people who encounter what Jeff and Tricia did will simply not come back, and will quietly slip away from the influence of any church.

In analyzing Jeff and Tricia’s story, at least three things stand out that can help church leaders who are serious about not just doing church, but actually being the Church. Pay attention to these factors, and you’ll reclaim the Biblical heritage of the Church found in Acts: a growing community of followers of Christ who were passionate about the message and mission of the new movement, who practiced radical hospitality, and who were so emotionally engaged with the movement that they were willing to risk everything to see it succeed.

WHY BE WELCOMING?

The first factor is that few people, if any, in their new church reached out to Jeff and Tricia to make them feel not just welcome, but wanted. Whenever people evaluate whether they want to belong to — or deepen their involvement in — an organization, they ask two questions: “Am I valued?” and “Do I make a meaningful contribution?” This is true of any organization, be it a workplace, a school, or a service club. But it is especially true of the Church. Jeff and Tricia’s experience made them doubt they were valued, because no one reached out to them. The Spiritual Gifts Assessment, with its confusing verbiage, made them feel inadequate. And because no one took the time to find out about their talents and strengths, Jeff and Tricia didn’t think they had anything of value to offer their new church.

The congregants that Jeff and Tricia had met at the church probably had been members for a long time, and naturally had common experiences that Jeff and Tricia did not share. That is a natural part of the life cycle of groups. After about 18 months, a group tends to become closed, in that the members now have a history together. Because of that shared history, it becomes difficult for new members to join such a group. Churches that are serious about making newcomers feel welcome in collective experiences are constantly forming new groups of new people — who can then create their own shared history.

But the problem at this church is deeper than just the particulars of group dynamics: Hospitality is obviously not one of the core congregational values. Although it may be one of the church’s written values, it is not lived out. And that is a leadership issue.

Many leaders see hospitality as a strategy for growth rather than something that has intrinsic value. Jeff and Tricia’s new church was a growing church — at least in terms of worship attendance. One benefit of its decision to move to a rapidly growing part of the city was a 30% increase in worship attendance during its first year in the new building. If the church was already growing, why should members go to the trouble of practicing hospitality and demonstrating an inviting spirit?

Well, without a spirit of hospitality, the church’s numerical growth will probably be short-lived. Its worship may still attract a crowd, but if those who are coming don’t feel valued or wanted, they will find their way out just as easily as they found their way in. Jeff and Tricia are probably prime candidates for leaving if they ever find a church that, in addition to the other qualities they are looking for, makes them feel both valued and that they can make a meaningful contribution.

THE VALUE OF MEMBERSHIP

A second factor that stands out is the church’s new-member process — a process that is replicated at thousands of churches across the country. Several issues n...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Dedication
• Foreword
• Introduction: A Heart Attack Waiting to Happen
• Chapter One: Jeff and Tricia’s Search for a Church
• Chapter Two: What Really Counts
• Chapter Three: Spiritual Commitment by the Numbers
• Chapter Four: The Engagement Imperative
• Chapter Five: Measuring Engagement: “What Do I Get?” and “What Do I Give?”
• Chapter Six: Measuring Engagement: “Do I Belong?” and “How Can We Grow?”
• Chapter Seven: Inside an Engaged Congregation
• Chapter Eight: Strategies for Improving Engagement
• Chapter Nine: The Dynamics of Engagement
• Chapter Ten: Preparing the Soil
• Learn More
• Appendix A
• Appendix B
• Acknowledgements
• About the Author
• Copyright