People contact me from time to time with this request. “We need help with a plan to attract new members. How can we grow?”
Aren’t we asking the wrong question? First, I don’t get these requests from congregations that are doing well financially or numerically. They come from groups that are in serious danger. At that point, it is too late to implement any program that would not bear fruit for years. In addition, if say we want new members, but we don’t ask for help until we are desperate for cash, doesn’t that mean that what we really want is money, and maybe bodies in pews, not real and active members, who would have their own ideas, hopes, and dreams, not necessarily in sync with ours? God help ‘em, if they volunteer to organize the rummage sale—but not in the way it has been done for decades!
Second, though there are surely some “church growth” plans and programs out there that may promise membership increase, we are foolish if we think that something “off the rack” can fit every congregation’s needs or that any kind of guarantee of success can be expected. There just isn’t a magic bullet for church growth, certainly not one that can be revealed by a Canon in an evening Vestry meeting, especially in this era, and under economic and social conditions we encounter here in West Virginia and in the Episcopal Church.
We want more people to come to our church: what exactly are we hoping they will come to? Is our worship enlightening and uplifting, spiritual and transformative? Is preaching consistently interesting and insightful? Is music moving and memorable? Are there sound, effective formation programs for all ages? Is there a strong, welcoming, inclusive Christian community in regular contact for service and companionship? If not, what good is it to recruit a guest, who would be unlikely to attend a second time?
So wouldn’t a better question be, “Can you help us become a more faithful and effective witness to the Gospel in our community?” The answer to that is an unequivocal “Yes!” When we work hard to be who God is calling us to be as a church, God will send within our sphere of contact those people who are most needful of our church, who will most benefit from and contribute to the life of an Episcopal congregation. We’ll also become more adept and confident in seeking those who are more deeply undercover in our community. We can’t just decide to grow, and have that happen for us. We can, however, adopt attitudes that ultimately (over time!) contribute to church growth.
[I would certainly love it, too, if we could begin to ask such a question early, while there is still a flame to fan and kindling ready at hand.]
Stay tuned for Part II: “Be-Attitudes for Church Growth”
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