A Volley from the Canon, Number 76

A VOLLEY FROM THE CANON, NUMBER 76

“BE-Attitudes for Church Growth”

1. Be faithful. We are a church, not a social club. We are a people of prayer, with a commitment to service and action on behalf of the least and the weakest. Sure, we make friends at church—but that is not what we come for. We come to worship and serve God, and to learn and to grow in the likeness of Christ.

2. Be focused. We have a mission. Each congregation has a distinct calling from God to minister in its community and in the world at large. We must know and live into that mission, and we must fight the impulses and influences that seek to distract us from that purpose.


3. Be proficient. In our tradition, it is important to offer God our best: our best building materials, decorations, altar ware, and vestments. We must be attentive also to offering to God and our neighbors the best liturgy, proclamation, teaching, outreach ministries, and spiritual formation opportunities we are capable of. We must be our own toughest critics, and our own best coaches.

4. Be visible. We must stop hiding our light under a silver mint julep cup. Publicity is part of the planning for any event. Sometimes, that means spending some money. Sometimes, it just means talking up church programs and events or mentioning what the church means to us among people we contact regularly. If our publicity attracts some folks who are not quite like the rest of us, Halleluiah! Never let anyone say of our church, “Oh, I thought that church had closed,” or, “Ah, you mean that church that’s always locked, “ or, “I never knew that someone like me would be welcome there,” or “What is an Apostople Church, anyway?” or “Hmm, I’ve never heard of that one” (which happens to be a block or two away.) --Yes, I’ve heard all of these comments about some of our congregations!

5. Be accessible. We must do everything we can to make it easy to choose to participate in church: parking, lighting, signage, ramps and ADA equipment, convenient times, publicity, greeting and welcome, plan for inclusion, housekeeping, maintenance, hospitality. We have to eliminate obstacles and impediments to all kinds of people, including less able ones, finding their way to us. If we are not willing to do these things, we need to shut down now and get it over with.


6. Be spiritual and experiential. Why is the Main Line in decline? Because it is doctrinal. Dogma is anathema to many people today, especially younger ones. Those churches that are growing do have doctrine, often one that would be repugnant in many ways to the people they are attracting. But they don’t stress doctrine, they stress experience. It happens that what we believe is important, to us and to others. But we will never have the opportunity to teach doctrine unless we offer spiritual and emotive experience, with hands-on opportunities for ministry, first.

7. Be prayerful. Are the members of the congregation praying for their church and for one another every day? For guidance, for insight, for resources, for opportunities to minister? Are those prayers included in the Prayers of the People in worship? Why would we expect to receive if we do not ask?

In summary, Be Church. Not club, not family, not business, not support group, and for God’s sake, not historical society. We are the living, breathing Body of Christ, his hands and feet in a suffering world. If we live into that, we will be Light.