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July 2010 ::: by Kim Shockley
In my thirty years as a pastor’s wife I guess I have heard it all! My chosen career began as a Christian Educator, although I never served a congregation as a paid staff member. The best answer for me was consulting within a district or conference, which compounded how much I have really heard! When lay people are asked about the growth of their congregation, most of them are going to say that they need to reach younger families because “we don’t have many children or youth”. I’ve heard this from many congregations right here in Central Florida! I’ve also heard the same folks get grumpy when a family does come to worship, especially if the children are a little noisy or fidgety! Unfortunately we can’t have it both ways! If we really want children and youth in our churches then we have to make them and their families feel welcomed!
I’ve been privileged to be part of two new churches that instinctively knew how to welcome children and youth. Both of these congregations knew that what children really want is to belong. One of these congregations did this by providing snacks that were appropriate and healthy – cut-up fruit and cheese and wrapped granola bars were great for children. I overheard one youngster say to his mom, “Let’s come back to this church, their buffet is great!” They did come back!
Another congregation was able to provide this kind of welcoming and belonging by making “Activity Bags” available in the sanctuary so that kids could quietly entertain themselves during the worship time. Other churches make relationships important by making sure that the adults that are working with children and youth are trained, cleared according to their policy, and willing to go the extra mile to get to know their students. When I train Sunday School teachers I encourage them to acknowledge and greet their students when they see them outside of the church. Kids need to know that they are valued by adults other than their parents! When you recognize a student and take a minute to talk with them, you are extending God’s love to them in such a powerful way!
A testimony gleaned from an older woman at a church (not UM) in the Orlando area really hit home for me. Their dying small church decided that they needed to change their ministry to attract and engage younger families. In doing so they completely changed their worship style to be more contemporary and the church started to grow. When my husband asked her if she liked their new style she replied “No! But it really wasn’t about me, so I love the church we have become!”
Let’s face it – we have attracted all the folks we are going to attract by doing things the way we are doing them now! We have to open up, extend our reach, and put the needs of other people who don’t yet know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior ahead of our own! If you want to get some ideas about how to do this in your community, give me a call or email! 407-896-2230 x 101 or kshockley@flumc.org. I would love to hear from you!
June 2010 ::: by Janet Earls
How are we meeting the multi-generational needs of our churches? Does your church have a diverse age span? This article can take so many different paths but we will stay focused on the topic of choice, Generational Welcoming. So let’s explore what is going on presently in our churches.
Many churches are in crisis – The financial realities are that many need to cut church staff, reduce the number of services, the remaining employed staff has to accept pay cuts with more work responsibilities just to stay employed. The smaller churches are dying off as the congregation ages without new influx of younger families. There are volumes written about all the reasons for this situation. The reasons vary from social, political, economical, conservative vs. liberal, old way vs. new way, technological, and also competition for our time. Some have never had exposure to some kind of church while a whole generation is reeling with emotions due to some conflict within their church. Our primary competition for people not attending church is not people leaving to go to another church. Our main competition is NOTHING. Nothing means people staying home and not doing anything. They are not furthering their spiritual growth or building a church community. They are disillusioned with the economy and see the church as one more responsibility that they cannot manage either emotionally or financially.
Let’s begin with a few shocking statistics from The Barna Group, a market research firm that studies religious beliefs and American culture.
- Less than sixteen percent under the age of 35 attend church.
- Only a third of Gen X claim to be committed to Christ
- Eight out of 10 Gen X said that their faith is important, and 75 percent said that they prayed to God in the last week
- In one 2008 survey, just 53 percent of young adults said they were certain that God exists, compared to 71 percent of the oldest group.
- The largest share of parents (50%) reported that having children did not influence their connection to a church.
We should try to understand those reasons and not judge those reasons or the people. Instead, identify what the different generation’s value and their contributions to the church as a whole. Categorizing the generations varies depending on the article read. Generally, the generations are known as: Silent (born 1925 to 1945), Baby Boomers (World War II up to approximately 1965), Gen X or Busters (1961 to the latest 1981), Gen Y or Millennial (mid to late 1970s to the latest in the early 2000s ) and Gen Z or Gen Tech (between the mid-1990s and the late 2000s). When one church was at a period of discontent, they created a multi-generational celebration service recognizing each generation’s contributions to the church (corporate church, not just that particular church). After describing each generation’s gifts, those people were asked to stand to be recognized. Each one was very proud of their group and what part they played in the church history.
How do we make everyone happy? Some churches try the blended service to be attractive to more than one generation. One particular church in our district has a combined service on the fifth Sunday. While some of us think it is wonderful, others call it a train wreck while some don’t even attend. Trying to give everyone something they like, can result with everyone getting elements they don’t like. From the parking lot, to the music, to the exit – how are we welcoming all generations?
Look at the past and present demographics of your church. What generations are currently being served? What are the statistics of the church? Is attendance down? How many are involved in small groups? What is the group that is growing the fastest and why? Is the style of worship representative of that generation? There are no easy answers and there is not one book I could recommend for insight. What I do recommend is that we take a good hard look at our present church and an even harder look at the future. Instead of waiting until we experience declining attendance, vanishing membership, and staff cuts, we have to be looking at the future way ahead of time. We have to plan more for the future instead of trying to survive; we have to think further out.
Inside your congregation are the answers. There are people who are outliers (those who think differently) who can bring some stimulating conversation to the table. Have a focus group, think tank, or some kind of discussion group to have open and creative dialogue. That means sharing information and allowing for differing viewpoints letting the discussion take creative license. In the book, Who Stole My Church, because of changes in the church, a pastor takes a congregation through a discernment process. Many parallels can be drawn from this book within our congregations. Read the book, form a group to explore the future of the church. Your challenge is to ask, “What will this church look like in five years, ten years, etc.” How are we welcoming the different generations to service or to form small groups? Share with us what you find out – kshockley@flumc.org.
I was visiting a church several years ago and arrived in time for the fellowship time before the worship service. Within a few seconds of walking in the front door I was greeted and ushered to the hall where coffee and snacks were available. The gentleman who ushered me introduced me to a few other people, and within a minute, I was learning all about the welcoming ministry of this congregation; I even received a short tour of the church! Needless to say – I was blown away by the selfless attitude of this gentleman who was willing to look for the guest/visitor/stranger and offer hospitality!
I would like to take this opportunity to remind you that your congregation’s fellowship time, whenever it is offered, is a time that should not be focused on your congregation! I truly believe that if every individual within a congregation took on the responsibility of offering simple hospitality – a friendly hello, smile, or handshake, then our churches would be full to overflowing! Your Coffee Hour is the perfect place to begin practicing this kind of hospitality.
As an experiment, the next time you attend the fellowship time or coffee hour, look around to determine what is happening. Is everyone engaged in a conversation? Are there obvious guests/visitors/strangers? How are they engaged with other people? Are there small circles of people who know each other that have their backs to everyone else in the room? Is anyone else making an effort to identify people who are not engaged? Only after you have determined that everyone is engaged may you talk to folks that you know! And certainly, if you find folks who are not engaged, talk with them! This could be the first step to developing the kind of hospitality that will go a long way to impact your church with missional thinking – it is not about me!
One of the uncomfortable parts of offering conversation is simply how to start. I am a natural introvert, so it is necessary for me to keep a few questions in my mind that will help me to naturally start conversations. Hello – my name is _______. How are you today? (obvious, but sincere) Do you live in the neighborhood? Is there anything I can help you with today? Would you like to know more about our congregation? I’m involved in (a certain ministry), would you like to come with me when we meet? Simple questions like these have often helped me to point people in a direction where they were made comfortable. Sometimes you have to be willing to connect new folks to others within the congregation who will help them. The only way we can practice this kind of hospitality is to get beyond thinking that we come to church to meet only my needs! I know you can do this! God is with you!
You certainly have permission to copy this article into your church’s newsletter/bulletin! If you have questions, call 407-896-2230 x 101 or email me at kshockley@flumc.org!
It has been my joy to work among you in Congregational Transformation. I am learning so many things that can help us to be the churches that God intends. As you read through this article - please don't be afraid! The Bible refers to people being afraid more than 200 times. Jesus tells us to remember that He is with us - to the end of the age! We should not be afraid - what we should do is look for God's presence and identify ways that God is with us - through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. If you want some help to do this - please give me a call - I can be with you too!!! [READ ARTICLE]
Blessings,
Kim Shockley ~ kshockley@flumc.org ~ 407-896-2230 x101
Mrs. Janet Earls, Chairperson, First UMC of Port Orange
Mrs. Kim Shockley, East Central District Office  [email Kim]
Rev. Wayne Wiatt, East Central District Superintendent [email Wayne]
Mr. Robert Bergstrom, Hopespring UMC, Windemere
Rev. Ivan Corbin, Peace UMC, Kissimmee
Ms. Ann Lee Earnshaw, St. Luke’s UMC, Windermere (Orlando)
Rev. William Owens, First UMC of Ormond Beach
Mrs. Barbara Stricklin, First UMC of Deland
Ms. Michelle Van Son, First UMC of Winter Park
Mrs. Amelia Wines, Shingle Creek UMC, Kissimmee
It is a faith community dedicated to helping people meet, know and serve Jesus. It is a congregation that expresses care and compassion for both its members and its community. It has leaders that know, own and live out the clearly stated mission, vision and values of the church. It experiences numerical and spiritual growth. It has worship services that both inspire long-term members and are meaningful to first-time guests. It has a warm, welcoming environment and numerous opportunities for people to develop deep personal friendships. The ministry of the church leads to new people coming into a personal relationship with Jesus. It is both rooted in the historic theology of the Church and willing to try new ways to share the good news of Jesus with those not involved in a church.
What is a healthy, vital church? It is your church — or at least it can be! God calls every
church to be a healthy, vital church. Small, large or mid-size, every church can be filled
with spiritual energy and life. New or celebrating its 100th birthday, every church can reach new people with the life-changing message of Jesus. Rural, suburban or urban, every church can be filled with joy, hope and peace.
[Link to Church Transformation Survey Workbook]
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