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Rethinking Small Church Ministry

Niche Churches — Hmmm!

This is from a blog by the Rev. Larry Peters, a Lutheran pastor from Tennessee. He was commenting on the writings of Terry Mattingly.

If churches want to reach millions of independent-minded young Americans they should learn a thing or two from craft brewers. . . . It’s time, he said, for “craft churches” that reach niche audiences.

This is an astute observation. Small churches have been serving niches for some time.

Our Ambassador visits reveal that most churches, large or small, serve a niche, but probably with little intent!

The largest church we visited (non-Lutheran and twice the attendance of the largest Lutheran church we visited) was a congregation of 25-35-year-olds.

Birds of a feather . . .

Small churches know their niche. Any intention of being all things to all people, though tempting, is out of reach. Even if people wanted that kind of ministry, (and most mission statements sound like they do!), finding leadership is daunting.

Church leaders often view small churches as failures—undesirable places for pastors to serve. Part of this is economics. All churches must rise to the same budget expectations, which in the modern era have priced many communities out of the faith business. Pastors assigned to small churches often view their role as care-taking, never bothering with outreach. Some even use the offensive term “hospice ministry.”

Perhaps it’s time to seriously examine the economics of church.

People will make their church home where they can see their offerings and efforts at work. They will neither participate nor attend a church where they do not feel fully welcome.

We at Redeemer know the difference between being welcome to attend church and being welcome to participate. Our bishop made it clear that we are not welcome to participate in SEPA Synod. She seized our property and pledged to close our church and reopen it under new leadership. She wrote to us that current members could attend this new, improved Lutheran church but former members would not be permitted to participate. She unilaterally denied us vote or voice. When we started visiting churches she sent a letter to pastors warning them!

How’s that for a welcome statement!

Redeemer was welcoming East African immigrants who were moving into our community—not just to use our building, which is the more common outreach approach, but to join their traditions with ours. We saw our unique niche ministry as adding to the mosaic of the greater church.

But SEPA was determined that one population had to die before a new population could be fully welcomed. As Bishop Burkat said, “White Redeemer must be allowed to die, black Redeemer . . . we can put them anywhere.” Control of assets was the objective.

Religion is not supposed to be a spectator sport.

Part of the problem with niche ministries is that few pastors are trained to serve niche populations.

Defining a niche (while recognizing the likelihood that niches will change every decade or so) may not be such a bad idea. It will take decades to recognize and train leaders to actively serve niche ministries and not view them as “hospice” assignments.

Another problem with niche ministries is that the “niches” that are most in need (the ones the Bible talks about), often can’t support them.

The true mission of the church is defeated by cost—at least with today’s budget and funding expectations.

Meanwhile, rejected and criticized by our denomination, Redeemer has created a niche ministry. You are visiting it now. Today, two months into our third year, we are reaching more people every week than the largest church in our denomination’s local region. We are just getting started.

photo credit: Grant MacDonald via photo pin cc
29 Aug 2012

Conflict in the Church: Why Does Anyone Care?

Why Does Anyone Care?

This question is not asked often enough.

Why do church people care enough to get up every Sunday morning, dress better than usual, fuss to get the children and teens ready, leave their homes greeting their neighbors jogging by or walking their dogs, and drive their cars—passing diners and big box stores with full parking lots—to come to church.

Why, with all the demands on their lives at home and at work, do church members dare upon occasion to challenge church leaders?

The answers to these questions were probably taught to them in Sunday School and nurtured in their homes. Church leaders today are able to take advantage of the fact that fewer and fewer of the few people in the pew have a passionate religious upbringing.

Church leaders can take advantage, playing to the common denominator, risking church division to achieve their goals. When disagreement turns to conflict, leaders, quick to take all resistance personally, often resort to labeling church members. Members are resistant to change, ignorant and incompetent. They are incapable of leadership and not very good at following either. Members are dehumanized with terms such as “alligator” to describe lay people who oppose clergy. Church members are quickly considered expendable.

The “discernment” process in the church is widely cited, but rarely practiced. It would ask questions.

  • Why do members care enough to challenge leadership?
  • Why are members willing to risk peace in the congregation and in their personal lives to advocate against an idea?

The answers to church conflict are the answers to these questions.

But they are rarely asked.

Also not considered: If members don’t care enough to stand up for what they believe, why does the Church crave their benign attendance? Or maybe they don’t!

photo credit: StarrGazr via photo pin cc
27 Aug 2012

Practicing Happiness Techniques in Worship: Part 4 of 5

he meditates day and nightMeditation

But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

— Psalm 1

Meditation doesn’t come easily to me, but a few years ago I took a course in yoga.

I went to class and was politely dubious. The teachers were enthusiastic and likable. They had created a beautiful studio. But I felt so sorry for them. Next door there seemed to be a factory or a workshop and the noise of the machines was terribly distracting. I wondered why they had chosen such a loud location for their lovely studio.

It was a few sessions before I realized there was no factory or workshop next door. The noise was an “oooohhm” machine. The noise was intentional and it was meant to help us meditate. 

Mediation can be unsettling. A church leader routinely called for a moment of silence at meetings when someone in the congregation died. All heads would bow. After only a few seconds he would end the meditation with a brusk, “That’s enough!”

But apparently there is something to it. Here is a link to an ABC news report and video from about a year ago.

Shawn Acher claims that just a few minutes of meditation will increase happiness, by diverting attention from our tendency to multitask. Studies show that, as proud as we are of our ability to do many things at once, it isn’t really a good idea.

Meditation is used in some denominations more than others. Lutherans tend to abhor a vacuum in worship. We fill every moment with words or music. There is nothing more awkward than an organist losing the page in the hymnal and fumbling for endless moments of nothing.

Redeemer’s experience was tempered a bit. East Falls has a fine Quaker School, which many of our children attended. They experienced the meditative ways of the Quakers—a few minutes in  kindergarten to a full hour in high school. The children claimed to like it. It influenced our members’ tolerance for meditation. There is nothing wrong with a little empty space in a liturgy.

On a few of our Ambassador visits, there was time for mediation built into the service, usually after the sermon. Communion is also a time when members can meditate while waiting for others. Some people develop the habit of arriving early at church to enjoy a quiet moment.

While many churches open Easter worship with trumpet heralds or the organ equivalent, one small country church played a nature CD with the bird calls and gurgling brook garden sounds. It was very effective!

Like every other step in the Happiness Advantage. It’s a matter of creating a habit.

How can we encourage meditation. Here are some ideas.

  • Orthodox Christians use icons to focus their meditation. Use interesting art on your bulletins as a meditation tool. There is a wealth of images available on the internet. Many simply require a credit line as permission to use.
  • Find an inspirational quote. In worship, we focus naturally on scripture. There is a wealth of Christian thought expressed by theologians and poets that can fuel meditation.
  • Open the church for meditation during the week.
  • Teach simple meditation techniques. Concentrating on breathing is key. Here are some links that might help:http://www.yogajournal.com/for_teachers/1856

    http://www.artofliving.org/teach-meditation

  • Slow the pace of worship. Build some quiet in between sections of the liturgy.
  • Use a meditation CD.

However you decide to introduce meditation into your worship, remember to give it three months before evaluating.

22 Aug 2012

Tuesdays Are Object Lesson Days

abc's of object lessonsWe never set out to be experts in object lessons, although we were major contributors to a site specializing in children’s sermons before we (and our children) were evicted from our church.

Strange things can happen on the internet. Last November we visited a small church in Fort Washington, Pa. We wrote about the pastor delivering an object lesson in a church where there were no children present. It seemed to be more popular with adults than such sermons are with children.

That post, now about nine months old, still gets daily search engine traffic. In response to this interest, we have started to post an object lesson corresponding to the lectionary readings for the upcoming Sunday. We’ve posted about six so far and aim to try to add a new post featuring Adult Object Lessons each Tuesday.

Although we use an object (most of the time) sometimes we just present ideas for interactive lessons with adults. Many can be adapted for use with both children and adults—sometimes encouraging the age extremes to engage with one another.

We leave most of the theological interpretation to theologians. We just make some suggestions on how the topic might be handled.

We’re not quite sure what we are getting into or how much discipline it will take, but we’ll make the effort. Hope it helps!

photo credit: nettsu via photo pin cc

21 Aug 2012

Practicing Happiness Techniques in Worship: Part 3 of 5

Cat is stretching. Exercise!Exercise for Happiness

The third suggestion from Shawn Achor’s Happiness Advantage is EXERCISE.

That’s a tough one to apply to congregational life, but let’s not dismiss it too quickly.

We Lutherans are known for standing up and sitting down. Many churches kneel and there is meaning in the physical acts. We stand to address God and honor the Gospel. We kneel in penitence and contrition. But this hardly qualifies as exercise!

At summer church camp we recognize the importance of exercise, sort of! We gather in the morning at the flagpole or cross, greet one another with a joke, read a short scripture and say a prayer. But included in the mix we do a bit of calisthenics. They are silly versions of standard exercises. My favorite is “doing squat.” As effortless at these “exercises” are, they serve a purpose. They help the camp wake up, laugh together and bond for the day’s activities. There is power in just having fun together. Exercise is a good option for making that happen.

So how can congregations exercise? In the olden days (within memory), most congregations had group exercise — bowling, baseball or basketball. Churches banded together to form leagues, creating interdenominational fellowship. This idea could be revived. Redeemer sponsored a community morning walk which catered to the less able. It was held at the community park which covers the area of two or three blocks. Those who have difficulty getting outdoor exercise on their own, met, enjoyed one another’s company and did a few laps around the park with safety and support of numbers. Playground playdates for young families are another exercise option. Yoga classes might be popular. Or teach liturgical dance! What if your liturgical dancers invited the congregation to join them!? Assign them some movements they could do in place to add to the praise of dance.

Think of what exercise options might be helpful to your congregation. Your worship experience might change if people gather having been energized during the week through social and physical benefits of exercise.

If nothing else, you can always invite the congregation to give you one or two stretches before worship!

photo credit: Kong SG via photo pin cc
21 Aug 2012

Practicing Happiness Techniques in Worship: Part 2 of 5

Write A Daily Journal Entry

An unexamined life is not worth living.

—Socrates

Shawn Acher’s second recommendation in The Happiness Advantage is to write a daily journal entry addressing in depth something that added joy or happiness to your life.

Writing things down has a power. Motivational experts often give advice to commit hopes, goals, or intentions to paper to increase the prospects of making them reality. “Post your goal on the whiteboard. Make a “to do” list.” The act of writing changes the brain’s priorities. It will help you solve problems and determine direction. Acher adds, it will also help you be happy.

There is something to the discipline of doing something daily. Blogging experts always advise posting two or three times a week. Daily if possible.

Some of the most faithful Redeemer members are dedicated daily readers of devotional books. Even in our exile we have kept up Redeemer’s subscription to the ELCA devotional book, Word in Season. Our members purchase multiple copies.

Enthusiasm for daily devotional readings doesn’t stop there. Redeemer members still stop by other East Falls churches, share extra books and pick up copies of other denomination’s devotional booklets. They often come to worship eager to compare readings from the different publications.

One recent Sunday morning we met at a local bar/restaurant. (Our eviction from God’s house leads us to the strangest places!)

We hadn’t planned an Ambassador visit that morning, but we like to get together regardless. While we awaited breakfast one member said, “Let’s read from our devotional booklets and have a prayer.” She reached for her purse and tapped her arsenal of dog-eared booklets, leafed through them, and chose some readings. We sat in that bar and had our morning worship!

Daily devotions is a discipline which has contributed to our ongoing happiness even under persecution.

But Achor is advising writing! That’s a bit different! How can this enhance congregational life?

IDEA 1:

Try asking your members to write happiness experiences in the form of devotional illustrations. Each week list the daily lectionary scripture readings in your worship bulletin. You can find them online. Invite members to share some of their thoughts based on the readings.

IDEA 2:

Here is where your web site can be put to work. Create  a “happiness” page. You might label it “Blessings.” With permission, post your members’ writings. Compile them into a weekly newsletter and email them to your followers.

Use one or two of the best in worship.

IDEA 3:

Actually mail some writings to shut ins, students, or new members — anyone that might need a word of encouragement. You can use greeting cards or letters. Physical mail can be powerful, a meaningful departure from the digital age.

Your members will be boosting their happiness quotient and sharing the joy!

__________

Remember Acher’s advice: Give it at least 21 days! Our advice, as a group give it three months.

What ideas to you have that might make happiness journaling part of your worship life?

20 Aug 2012

The Science of Happiness (or JOY!)

I’ve been writing for a few days about the importance of joy in the church. The ideas were based solely on experience.

Today, I sat down in front of the TV, grabbed the remote and flipped through some channels. Saturday afternoon. Blah TV. Sports. Ancient reruns. Try PBS. Great! Fundraiser time! But wait a minute. This guy is talking about happiness. I’ve been writing about joy!

I stumbled across a presentation by Harvard researcher, Shawn Achor, who has studied the science behind the human emotion, happiness. It makes me happy to know that there is science behind what 2×2 has been advising! Joy!

I listened to the last half of his talk and when it came time for the ten-minute pitch, I went online to find out more. Here is a 12-minute video from his talk at a TED conference. Watch it and pay attention to his list of five action steps near the end.

He has some interesting ideas.

Tomorrow, we’ll look at ways to apply some his thinking and research to Church life.

Shawn Achor is the author of The Happiness Advantage.

18 Aug 2012

What’s Missing from the Church? Emotion

“We are not thinking machines that feel;
rather, we are feeling machines that think.”

—Antonio Damasio

What does it take to mobilize a congregation?

The answer to this question is elusive. It is usually answered with formulaic responses presented by distant church leaders, many of whom have limited hands-on pastoral experience.

  • Get a good pastor. (Definition of this is never clear).
  • Write a mission statement. (The push to have mission statement is now a decade or more old. Has it made a difference?)
  • Target certain demographics. (Rather exclusive!)

Sometimes these approaches work. Not usually.

A congregation will not be mobilized until it feels. Emotion is fuel for action.

People don’t act based on the analytical part of their brains. They act based upon the emotional parts of their brains. In head vs heart, heart wins.

Churches are not good at handling emotion. Emotions can be so messy!

The cerebral approach permeates church life. We tend to turn up our noses at more demonstrative styles of worship. Soon, even hymns of joy are sung cerebrally, with every nose in the congregation buried in the hymnal!

Pastors are often cerebral in their approach to ministry. They are trained to read and analyze scripture. Applying that training to action is s rarer skill.

To appeal to the emotional is daring and dangerous, but it is the only way to get a congregation moving.

Congregational leaders must find ways to help worshipers feel again.

Too often in its history, the Church has relied on two emotions: FEAR and GUILT.

And we wonder why people stay away!

Here are some emotions that could change your congregational life for the better.

LOVE is powerful. Love is a verb. It is easy to talk about love and do nothing.

ANGER is a powerful emotion. Make sure anger is directed in unselfish ways, but don’t be afraid to encourage appropriate anger.

HOPE is an emotion. Hope is lost if people come to church week after week and nothing happens.

JOY is a powerful emotion. It demands expression. Foster joy. People are eager to come together when they can expect true joy. (View the boychoir video in the last post. Those boys come faithfully to rehearsals because they are encouraged to express joy. Compare the faces of the boy singers to the faces of the typical church choir!)

Warning! A church that takes an emotional approach to mission will experience conflict. It goes with the territory. Conflict, well-managed, can be a good thing. Both the Old and New Testaments are infused with conflict. If transformation is to be more than a buzzword, it must be expected, respected and embraced.

Learn to foster emotions—and the conflicts that go with them. Be prepared to use the dynamics of emotion to teach, motivate and change lives — including your congregation’s life!

16 Aug 2012

How Hierarchies Are Putting the Church Out of Business

Hierarchies start with the best of intentions.

  • Centralize authority to ensure quality and efficiency. Call it leadership.
  • Pool resources for cost effectiveness. Call it stewardship.

This has worked only short-term. In the long run, it has been disastrous and self-destructive.

The Church has been in the hierarchy game for a very long time. The Old Testament dallies in a number of systems—patriarchy, slavery, judiciary, military, monarchy—each with strengths for the moment, each going awry to be dealt with by a powerful, vengeful (but still loving) God.

The New Testament, puts all of this aside and forges a new relationship between God and His people, centered not on wrath but on love.

As Christianity spread, scattered faith communities sought unified leadership. The keys handed to the fisherman who set out with a walking stick and the shirt on his back were soon held by those with well-appointed robes and massive treasuries. The only way to keep the coffers full was to exert power.

The trappings of power created the illusion of necessity. Necessity became entrenched. If anyone noticed that the system was leading nowhere, they were dealt with swiftly.

The well-intended system stopped working a long time ago. It took centuries for Reformation to attempt to do something about it. Its success was limited and its message seems to be forgotten.

That’s the way with hierarchies.

Today, every person wields tremendous power. A teenager holding a smart phone controls more resources than worldwide television networks had twenty years ago.

When church members in the pew realize this, there will be a new Reformation. The only delay in this happening is the long tradition of lay people doing little but following and the innate desire of God-loving people for peace and pleasantry.

There are still many (if far fewer) satisfied followers sitting in the pews. Knowledgeable, motivated leaders among them are beginning to realize that their considerable efforts to gather resources to support the hierarchies isn’t good stewardship after all. They are growing weary of struggling for resources that do nothing for their communities but maintain a building and support a requisite hierarchically named pastor. They are looking for new supporters, but the lines of people looking for controlling relationships with its own system of taxation is very short.

For the time being the hierarchies are licking their chops as they glean the last kernel of corn from the field before they give up their ways—all the while preaching that the problems of the Church are that congregations won’t change.

Hierarchies don’t really want change.

But change cannot be avoided.

There are fewer churches and fewer Christians. Same old hierarchies.

photo credit: K e v i n via photo pin cc (retouched)
06 Aug 2012

How Church Camping Helps Congregations

Church camps are one of the Church’s greatest, relatively untapped resources.

Smart churches find a way to get as many members as possible to camp for at least a few days each summer. The Return On Investment is in the quality of lay participation and lay leadership. This goes a long way to creating a vibrant atmosphere in any congregation.

Camp is no longer just for kids. Many camps have multiple offerings throughout the summer for various age groups, including adults and families.

Church camps foster spirituality.

Camp is a place for reflection and introspection—but this activity takes place among a group of people who provide validation for spiritual exploration. Campers quickly lose the self-consciousness that might otherwise hold them back.

Church camps add new perspective and foster innovation.

Camps often use newer church music, so when your congregation turns to newer music, you’ll have a core group that either already knows or is mentally prepared to learn. The same applies to dance, drama and the visual arts, worship and teaching.

Church camp stretches your congregation’s talents. 

People will try out new skills in their new (non-home) environment. Encouraged, they return to their churches ready to go to work.

Church camps help us break through centuries of stuffiness.

Silliness is always part of camp. Silliness helps us learn to not take ourselves and our preconceived notions too seriously.

Church camps create a network between participating congregations. 

Campers develop friendships that span lifetimes. The Church needs to develop this resource. Congregations are always tempted to solve all problems independently.

Church camp is a reality check.

Today, more than ever, it is helpful to step away from the busy world and technological demands. At camp, we can find our roots and take a few days each summer to nurture and water them.

Although the focus of church camps is on the individual camper, those individual campers return to their congregations with renewed spirit and energy. In turn, it benefits the congregation.

Pity the church that doesn’t tap this great resource.

photo credit: OakleyOriginals via photo pin cc
21 Jul 2012