Leadership in the Smaller Church

Leadership in the Smaller Church

Presenter Alice Mann Pastored 5 small churches Consulted with hundreds of smaller church leaders Alban books on church revitalization, planning and growth now from Rowman & Littlefield www.congregationalconsulting.org

People in our time bring with them to congregations the search for help, hope and home. Kennon Callahan Small, Strong Congregations

Today s focus Special culture of the smaller church Strengths in small packages Challenges for pastors Additional resources

Some basic facts Half of American congregations have less than 100 regularly participating adults These congregations contain about 15% of wider church membership Proportions stable over last 25 years Faith Communities Today (FACT 2008 2010)

Many Kinds of Small Church! The always small church The once large, now remnant church The not yet large church The schismatic church The intentionally small church The family church The ethnic church From PA Southeast Conference, UCC

Attendance in smaller churches Very Small (1 34) Small (35 74) Middle (75 149) These are Kennon Callahan s groupings

Your own background What did you experience growing up? Very Small (1 34) Small (35 74) Middle (75 149) Medium Large (150 500) Large to Mega (501 +) No church experience

Your church today Where is your church numerically? Average Sunday attendance year round If two services: Total number of individuals Include children and teachers downstairs Very Small? (1 34) Small? (35 74) Middle? (75 149)

Proportion of all congregations ABOUT A THIRD Small (35 to 74) Middle (75 to 149) ABOUT A QUARTER ABOUT A QUARTER Very Small (1 to 34) Proportions based on United Methodist attendance data similar to other groups Questions and comments?

Size and strength Small churches can be strong churches!

In strong churches, people Are growing spiritually Find the worship meaningful Participate in the congregation Have a sense of belonging Care well for children and youth Focus on the community Share faith Welcome new people Are empowered by church leadership Have a shared vision for the future U.S. Congregations Study summary: Beyond the Ordinary

Small church advantage areas Are growing spiritually Find the worship meaningful Participate in the congregation Have a sense of belonging Care well for children and youth Focus on the community Share faith Welcome new people Are empowered by church leadership Have a shared vision for the futurer the future All Churches Great and Small, Chapter One

US Congregations Study authors say Small congregations tend to be spiritually stronger than other congregations Pound for pound, small congregations carry a lot of spiritual weight! Woolever and Bruce

So why are we here? Wide variation from church to church Focusing key strength takes work Keeping focus takes more work Pastors surprised by tenacity of culture Distractions abound Poor us! We should be like them Must do everybody s pet project Maybe the next pastor (or my next church!)

1. Small, strong congregations Share one excellent mission as their gift with the whole community Frequent Consistent Outward looking Relationship building Kennon Callahan

Example A church that excels in offering one time, seasonal and short term events for children and families

Curly says: One thing! What is the one special thing your church can be or do passionately, as a gift of love toward your community? Pay attention to what is May not fit pastor s mission preferences!

2. Small, strong congregations Are compassion driven not vision driven Compassion shows in: Everyday lives of members Church s one excellent mission

Forgiveness

3. Small, strong congregations Create widening circles of community and belonging

Help us live well in the world Different neighborhoods gather Relational (friends) Vocational (work and volunteer ) Sociological (ethnic and language groups) Geographical (specific areas) Genealogical (literally family ) Which are most prominent in your church?

One, three or more Two cell fights can be endless Three cell congregations fight, but they take turns! St. John s by laws fight Firehouse guys and ladies auxiliary VS Professional / managerial (Red Cross, Zonta)

4. Small, strong congregations Have a consistent spirit of self reliance Improvise and act creatively (in a few key areas) Draw upon community resources Find pastors who do just enough (and the right things to build long term ownership of ministries)

5. Small, strong congregations Worship in a way that: Touches people s hearts Stirs their longing for wholeness, health Advances their understanding of life Helps them find hope for the week ahead

Congruence Music Message Congregation

6. Small, strong congregations Live and share as a team Pay attention to the whole Love the variety of gifts Appreciate the pastor s strengths

Key pastoral gifts Good shepherd Helpful preacher Wise, caring leader Community pastor, but not a substitute for member engagement

Lay leadership We think Formal Organizational Committee God gives Informal Team Community God gives leaders that match the congregation s character and its mission

Continuity Small, strong congregations pass the power well.

7. Small, strong congregations Have facilities that are: Just enough for their special mission Both sacred and shared A blessing, not a burden

Mission first When you know what gift you ve been given to share When you know who you are supposed to reach with that gift

Mission first Then you will know what facilities you really need!

8. Small, strong congregations Open many doors of giving: Spontaneous giving causes Planned special purpose offerings Short term major projects Enduring gifts Annual appeal

People will give if they Feel they have participated in choosing the cause Can clearly picture the people they will help See that their giving goes directly to the intended recipients Can build on the way they already live and give

People and mission budgets We plan to help these people during the coming year These volunteers will share the help Here is our leadership team We are investing this amount of funds

Is Small and Strong an Option? One excellent mission Compassion driven Widening circles of belonging Consistent spirit of self reliance Worship that lifts heart and hope Live and share as a team Facilities just enough for mission Many doors of giving

To everything a season

Life Cycle Formation Birth

Formation Questions Who are we? Especially at a faith level Who are we before God? What are we here for? Sense of call, purpose Who is our neighbor? To whom will we be a neighbor? How?

Life Cycle Stability Formation Decline Birth Death

The Path of Ongoing Renewal Stability Formation Decline Birth Death

The Path of Revitalization Stability Formation Decline Birth Death

The Path of Redevelopment Stability Formation Decline Birth Death

Small Congregations Re development may involve some form of cooperation with other congregations Co operative ventures can be strong or weak, just like small churches

Returning to Formation Issues Stability Formation Decline Birth Death

Exercise: Locate your congregation on this map Stability Formation Decline Birth Death

Criteria? What factors did you have in mind when you decided where to put your church?

Imagine the congregation that might worship here

Let s look over the hill

Crucial connection Faith Context

Faith & Context Ministry Opportunities Congregational Strengths Embodied in Congregation s culture Core group One excellent mission Embedded in Community culture Populations Assets / needs Unfilled niches

How strong is our connection now? Faith Conte xt

Your congregation s past What key neighborhoods have defined your congregation s identity in the past?

Relational One or more social networks? Long time friends Clubs Service or fraternal groups Child oriented networks Alumni

Vocational Key occupational groups? Police and firefighters Teachers and social workers Doctors and lawyers Trade and technical workers Service and clerical workers Small business people Corporate managers Farmers and agricultural workers

Sociological Ethnic communities? Socio economic groups? Home owners vs. renters?

Geographical Strong ties to location? Town Neighborhood County

Genealogical One or more family networks?

Challenges for small church How has your surrounding community changed? What neighborhoods are around you now? Questions and comments?

1. Movers In any given year about 1 in 7

Where do people move? Same county Out of county Out of state From abroad

Who moves in a typical* year? 1/3 of people in their 20 s 1/5 of people in their 30 s 1/10 of all people over 45 1/20 of people over 65 * 1999 2000, reported in American Demographics

From homeowner households One in 14

From renter households One in three

Good news, bad news Older, homeowner congregations may experience less annual turnover but may be less permeable to newer residents

2. Millennials Born 1980 2000 Largest school age cohort ever Age 14 34 in 2014 www.d.umn.edu/advising/millennialtraits.doc

Early traits Special Sheltered Confident Team Oriented Achieving Pressured Conventional (care more about worship quality than how contemporary )

At work and at church Multi taskers need clear purpose and clear near term goals Connected seek and create social media Tech savvy frustrated by old stuff Motivated by Significance, gratification and recognition Helping people in achievable, practical ways Work Life balance and flexibility Collaboration with friends/colleagues Transparency Advancement challenge and achievement, not chairs http://talent.linkedin.com/blog/index.php/2013/12/8-millennials--traits-you-shouldknow-about-before-you-hire-them

Challenge for smaller church Church is invisible to millennials if not regularly shared on social media Millennials are in the mobility years Millennials are forming families of many kinds Conventional programming for their children is tough for small church They want quality

Strategic question Can our one excellent mission capture the imagination of Recent community arrivals? Younger adults in our community

4. Multiethnic society Projection for U.S. in 2020 White* Black* Hispanic Other What about Virginia?

5. Communications Computer revolution People don t take face time for granted Want content available online Face time must build relationship and/or deliver quality product

How to learn more about our context? Sources of demographic information? Narrative sources most important for smaller churches Reality test narratives with demographic profiles

Questions for Reflection How appreciative is my attitude toward smaller churches? How well do I work with intense relational dynamics? How ready am I to support their mission preferences over my own? How equipped am I to help them discover one excellent mission? What kinds of help do I need most in order to serve well in smaller congregations? Lo Hi 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

Resources All Churches Great and Small: 60 Ideas for Improving Your Church's Ministry, Kirk and Rosie Farnsworth, Judson Press, 2005. (Recommended reading for this Webinar series.) Effective Small Churches in the Twenty first Century, Carl Dudley, Abingdon Press, 2003. Beyond the Ordinary, Cynthia Woolever and Deborah Bruce, Westminster John Knox, 2004. Small, Strong Congregations, Kennon Callahan, Jossey Bass, 2000. Can Our Church Live? Redeveloping Congregations in Decline, Alice Mann, Alban Books (online sellers or Rowman@Littlefield) New website: www.congregationalconsulting.org