Gary Roberts, Associate for Church Development & Renewal
In one form or another, I am regularly asked the question, “What do we need to do to keep our church vital and healthy?” For purposes of this article, I’m setting aside the intriguing parallels with the story of the rich young person (Lk. 18:18-29 or Mk. 10: 10:17-30). I am also assuming that the people asking are not looking for a simple answer, a magic wand they can wave to have their congregation return to being the kind of place it was once before, when the world was different.
I think the question reflects a serious concern of serious UCC members, Christians who may have watched over the years and decades as the spiritual landscape has gotten more and more complex. On the one hand is the clear “success” of the Calvary Chapels and Saddleback churches of Southern California, recently the subject of an article in the Sunday LA Times (October 11, 2009) which noted that California has more mega-churches than any other state. (I plan to return to this subject in a later article for Connecting Voices). On the other hand, there are many indications California also leads the nation in the changing attitudes towards faith and spirituality. A recent poll by Parade Magazine (October 4, 2009) reported that 24% of respondents nationally had identified themselves as “spiritual but not religious,” most typically defined as maintaining a private form of faith but without active connection to a faith community. Intriguingly, according to similar surveys in MissionInsite, a new demographics package being tested by the Conference, the percentage is more like 75-80% in Southern California.
Also intriguing is the answer a recent national survey (Faith Communities Today – FACT 2008) conducted by Hartford Seminary’s Center for Religion in American Life provided. As with any survey, it pays to look carefully at the survey method. I have done that, and am personally satisfied that it has valid things to suggest for leaders of UCC churches in Southern California, even though it surveys other denominations and locations.
The Fact 2008 survey asked the senior pastors of over 2,500 churches how much attention they gave to a wide range of tasks commonly included as pastoral tasks. The three that stood out as strongly related to a congregation’s spiritual vitality were:
-- Promoting a common vision -- Evangelism -- Training lay leadership
Figure 11 compares the time spent by church leadership on promoting a common vision for the ministry of the church with the number of church leaders reporting a spiritually vital congregation. In Southern California I suspect this is even more important. I regularly visit churches which have many committed Christians, vital in their own faith, but not entirely committed to working with their fellow church leaders to implement a common vision. This may be the result of an ethic of congregational polity, or perhaps the individualism that contributes to our spiritual complexity. In any case, it only stands to reason that a church must have broad agreement on its place in God’s church for the church to be an effective witness to itself, let alone its community. Figure 12 shows the relationship between efforts at evangelism and congregational vitality, according to survey results. In my opinion, this finding needs some interpretation to fully understand in terms of the UCC in Southern California. It is undeniable that calling others to join a church’s common vision of itself is essential to the church’s future, not to mention the effectiveness of its ministries, no matter whether the vision is conservative or progressive, multi-cultural, or whatever. But the burning question is, “How?” i.e. how to invite those “others.” Even Orange County evangelicals in Southern California are changing tactics, because modern evangelism is far from the activity that comes first to mind. Think reaching whole new communities, maybe via a tailored worship service. Think inviting rather than attracting. Think justice outreach as not only scripturally sound but also an effective opportunity for invitation. Understood this way, Figure 12 makes sense to me, even for the most progressive UCC church in Southern California.
Figure 13 makes even more sense when applied to UCC churches in this Conference (and most others, in my experience). I only know of one or two churches that have a robust training program for turning new members into leaders. Most SCNC churches (and the Conference, for that matter) have a leadership selection process that uses a committee (Nominating Committee) to recruit (cajole) people into filling positions of leadership within the church. Figure 13 suggests the benefits of a training program that begins where new membership classes leave off, helping people develop a personal theology, a personal sense of calling, some biblical literacy, and a way for them to exercise their spiritual gifts in ways that give them increasing responsibility. If your church has such a program, the Conference’s Interim Church Development Implementation Team would like to hear about it, so that we can share it with others. And recognize your church for its excellence in this area of church life.
Interestingly, the FACT 2008 survey reports little correlation between time the pastor spends on preparing worship experience and the church’s vitality. This is clearly counter-intuitive. Again, I would welcome your thoughts about why this may have been among the survey’s conclusions. My own guess is that it reflects the much more theologically, ethnically and demographic diversity of our congregations and the communities from which they are drawn. For me, though, it does not negate the conclusions I’ve presented here, nor does it negate the other conclusions of the full report.
This article focuses on just one key finding of the Fact 2008 report that responds to the question I hear so often, “what must we do to be a spiritually vital church.” It’s a pretty good answer, I think, but by no means is it a “Final Answer”. If you have thoughts about this article, or would like to join a conversation on this subject, join me in the SCNC section of Facebook.
The complete FACT 2008 report, as well as a complete description of its methodology and other Faith Community surveys, can be found at http://hirr.hartsem.edu/. The full report also sheds insight on many other aspects of church life. I hope you will visit the site and let me or the Church Development Team know the thoughts it gives you, either via Facebook or with an email to roberts@scncucc.org.
Gary Roberts Associate for Church Development & Renewal Southern California Nevada Conference http://www.scncucc.org
Article by:
Gary Roberts, Associate for Church Development & Renewal
Figure 13 makes even more sense when applied to UCC churches in this Conference (and most others, in my experience). I only know of one or two churches that have a robust training program for turning new members into leaders. Most SCNC churches (and the Conference, for that matter) have a leadership selection process that uses a committee (Nominating Committee) to recruit (cajole) people into filling positions of leadership within the church. Figure 13 suggests the benefits of a training program that begins where new membership classes leave off, helping people develop a personal theology, a personal sense of calling, some biblical literacy, and a way for them to exercise their spiritual gifts in ways that give them increasing responsibility. If your church has such a program, the Conference’s Interim Church Development Implementation Team would like to hear about it, so that we can share it with others. And recognize your church for its excellence in this area of church life. 
