Q: My church has two years left before we run out of money and will have to close. But the rest of the congregation is in total denial about it. They are sure the church will be revitalized with new people who haven’t shown up yet. What can I do to help the congregation face reality and start to make plans?
A: Magical thinking is a difficult challenge to overcome in a church. The belief that somehow new people will just miraculously arrive to save the church speaks to me of deep grief. A grief that something so precious and important to them is going to disappear is more than the congregation can contemplate, so they hope for the best.
Can a church be revitalized? Yes, but only if we recognize that it does not mean a return to the past. Revitalizing a church involves deeply understanding your context, your neighbourhood and its needs, and then formulating a plan to meet them.
It also requires an honest appraisal of your resources: physical, financial and human. What is the capacity of the congregation to do this work?
One of the emerging trends to consider is a shared ministry model, where one minister works with a couple of churches that can’t afford a full-time minister. I predict this trend will grow and become interdenominational.
But as for your situation: you can’t do this on your own, so the first place I would start is to invite your board chair and minister for a coffee. Share your concerns about the situation your church is facing. Trust me, they are fully aware of it. Then offer to find a few kindred spirits to start examining the different options.
I expect their relief will be huge. It may be the spark that is needed to start the process of facing reality and creating a new future for your community of faith.
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Rev. Christopher White is a United Church minister who lives in Hamilton. Do you have a query for Question Box? Email christopher.white143@gmail.com.
This column first appeared in Broadview’s April/May 2024 issue with the title “Question Box.”
Comments
K. Kepler says:
Fifty years ago, I was told: "God's work done in God's way will not lack God's supply." Fast forward half a century and churches are closing left and right. Either the slogan was wrong from the start, or churches need to start working in God's way.
Sheldon LeGrow says:
After 15 years of serving in several small community churches I've had the privilege of praying at the bedside of the dying, as well as with their families. I've had the privilege of counseling those seeking answers to life's deeper questions. I've had the privilege of baptizing babies as well as encouraging folks to think about their faith: what they profess to believe; why they believe it and whether or not it works for them. In my personal life I have struggled only to find that God was leading, pushing, pulling me in a particular direction and only after much anguish I said "yes" to God. I should say, however, that my concept of God is probably not the same as many folk's in the pews. At one time on my first day in a new pastoral charge I was taken to task by a church session member for calling God "She." In another, many of my congregation actually got up and left because I asked a simple question: "If you truly believe that God is all loving and all forgiving, how does that equate with your concept of hell?" All I wanted was a discussion but they took it as an affront to their simple beliefs. However, these days, there is a spirituality for everyone in any bookstore. Ministers are taught theology and to think critically but when we try to impart any new concepts to the congregation we are told, in the words of one of my church elders: don't upset the applecart. Well, isn't that what Jesus did? He encouraged those around him to think about life in community with one another in new ways; loving ways, peaceful ways, forgiving ways. He didn't live in a mansion. He had no airplanes. He had a simple message which, after 2000 years still hasn't seemed to come to fruition. Everyone seems to have a favourite Bible quotation to justify their own actions. So, if a church is running out of money maybe it should forget the ceremony and the archaic hymns, and the committees that never seem to work properly and focus on working within the community with community organizations. There are some churches now that have divested themselves of buildings in favour of renting space for worship. Maybe we should be more involved in the community much like the Salvation Army and actually show the community what being a follower of Jesus is about. I believe in answered prayer. I have many personal experiences of answered prayer in my life....too much to be coincidence, so having a church building close is not the end of the world. The church is not a building, the people gathered together to follow Jesus' teaching is. Don't be afraid of new ideas. Maybe God is answering prayer by saying "It's time for a change."
Ivan Simic says:
It is unfair to ask members and adherents to tithe more, given the economy and the fact that many do not have significant disposable income. Of course, those whom God has blessed with much should donate more according to their ability and desire.
Consider the potential benefits of amalgamating with a local congregation. Amalgamation enables churches to use the sale proceeds to invest in the new church's infrastructure, including refreshing the paint, getting new chairs, updating meeting rooms, and enhancing our online presence. This strategy could significantly improve our church's physical and digital spaces.
Church members could consider lobbying their respective pillar chairs and board members to create "Member Engagement & Inclusive Evangelism" Committees. For such a group to materialize, committed volunteers (at least four or five people) passionate about member engagement and growing the church would be needed.
Churches must take steps to understand the demographics of the community they're a part of. We need to determine why many young people, young adults, young married couples, and BIPOC people are not present with us. This understanding is a crucial step towards inclusivity and community engagement, and could lead us to consider changing our approach to faith formation.
Many Mainline Protestant Christians feel uncomfortable with evangelizing (spreading the good news) because of our colonial past. However, we must understand that our current values and theology are essentially inclusive evangelism. We need to put this into practice by being invitational, which is God-honoring. This can't be done without churches leaving their comfort zones and creating formal committees to move forward. It takes a church community to change in a positive direction, starting with board approval and strategic direction.
Creating cultures of strong volunteerism is not just a reflection of the Protestant Work Ethic, but also a key to church growth. The same people have been volunteering for years and decades at many of our churches (at least the ones I have visited in Ontario). We must reach out to all members and adherents to encourage them to serve, leveraging tools like CRM software, such as Tithely, to facilitate this process.