A Volley from the Canon, Number 134, Why Is It Easier?

A VOLLEY FROM THE CANON, NUMBER 134 “What Must We Do to Be Saved?” Small Congregations Plead For Their Lives PART THREE: AN ASIDE WHY IS IT EASIER TO PLANT A NEW CHURCH WHERE NONE HAS BEEN BEFORE THAN IT IS TO RE-START AN EXISTING CONGREGATION? It may seem counter-intuitive, but a brand-new congregation has a leg up on any situation where the congregation has gone into decline, for whatever reason, and now wants to make a concerted effort to re-invent itself and live anew. The “assets” of the continuing congregation turn out to be liabilities. Even with deep commitment on the part of the re-start, few of such attempts last more than three years before lapsing back into the old patterns of their past. Both situations share the obstacles of cultural and community problems, but in a nutshell, it all comes down to BAGGAGE: the new plant doesn’t have any, while the existing congregation has plenty. 1) Old habits die hard. If everyone is “new,” and there is no established way of doing things, then the group is free to discover its own way. But if some are long-time members, they will attempt to teach any newcomers the “right” way to do it, which happens to coincide with the way the congregation formerly did it. 2) Reputation. The continuing entity is known, for good or ill, in the community. A rebranding takes a long time and much effort. 3) Dysfunction. If there were people in the congregation whose behavior and state of emotional unhealth ran members off before, they will continue to do the same, if they are still around. They themselves are famously hard to run off. 4) Family Systems phenomena. A “system” seeks equilibrium and will do everything it can to restore it. Some individuals will play the role of saboteur, seeking to derail efforts to produce positive change. You can count on it. 5) Church life-cycle. The upward climb from birth is a hard slog, but it is exciting and energizing, because it is HOPEFUL. Swinging around from the downward death spiral toward a new birth is not only a hard slog, but there is the added burden of guilt and sadness over the death of what was. Hope is harder to maintain. 6) History. If there are memorials, designated funds, or bequests, those may be so restricted as to be worse than useless to the congregation 7) The Edifice Complex. We’ve seen McDonald’s and Bob Evans tear down perfectly serviceable structures to erect a new one fitting their current image. The church is stuck with buildings until the crack of Doom. If the thing burns down (“Act of God”), we’ll build another one just like it on the footprint! A congregation is much better off without a building than to be saddled with one that is no longer functional, or too expensive to maintain. An important principle for liturgy and church life: The Building Always Wins. Not only can an out-of-date building suck up all the funding and energy from a struggling congregation, it also determines what is possible to do, programmatically and liturgically. Having things like Queen Ann silver and Tiffany stained glass windows is a burden and liability, not an asset: you can’t sell them; they do not attract members; yet, you have to become, in effect, a museum, insuring and caring for them. That diverts the focus of the congregation from its true mission, often supplanting it with the false one of operating an historic shrine. This is what we’re up against when we try to re-start a congregation. It is difficult! Even so, it CAN be done, and the above circumstances are obstacles to overcome, not reasons not to try. We’re doing God’s work! We “can do all things through Christ who strengthens” us. Next week: Part IV: “OK, We’re In—Now What?”