Tag: Congregations

Stripping worship back to the bare essentials. Less IS more.

Congregations do foster sustained face-to-face interaction and for many, this leads to the development of rich, emotionally supportive connections. But that kind of bonding is influenced by how well one fits with the core imperatives of congregational life. For congregations that want to encourage emotional bonding as part of the congregational mission, it is worth understanding that it does not “come naturally,” and that some people are less likely than others to be drawn into the circle of support.

In 2007-2008, FCC designed and implemented a church-wide program on Christian “faith practices” for all of its members, offering them the opportunity to explore the ways in which they were living out their faith through … hospitality, keeping Sabbath, and testimony. Building on this study, in 2008-2009 they initiated a second faith practices program focusing specifically on younger adults.

While the economy appears to be recovering from the worst downturn in generations, more clergy are facing unemployment as churches, irrespective of denomination, continue to struggle with drops in donations. Clergy that are let go may face a particularly tough time because churches aren’t subject to unemployment taxes; laid-off employees can’t collect those benefits available to other workers. Severance pay is not a guarantee in all cases.

As a congregation wrestles with the possibility of growth, it is important to create space where leaders and members can explore their own particular desires in this matter and recognize the conflicts that exist even within themselves. Clergy can have an especially tough time admitting their own resistance to growth.

Wayne Floyd: Why are church gatherings so likely to be homogenous—meetings of the like-minded, celebrations of sameness? Why are churches so often the poster children of the post-modern epidemic of sandbox-intolerance and bad manners? I got a look last week at how it might be different, when I helped to host a one-day workshop in Philadelphia.

The ghost bike memorializing the 2007 death of Portland art student Tracey Sparling will become part of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Parish’s bicycle shrine, giving it a permanent home away from the often-crowded downtown sidewalk outside the Crystal Ballroom.

One of the first things a new, change-oriented staff member may need to do is to disappoint and alienate people who prefer the status quo. Certainly this is true with clergy who enter static or declining congregations. Whatever patterns of behavior were preventing growth before need to be changed, and in the short run that is likely to repel more members than it attracts.

More bicycle news today from the Facebook page: