Week 2

"The Inviting Church" by Roy Oswald and Speed Leas

As week 2 comes to an end, I have been busy working in the den. The painting is complete, the furniture returning has been placed, now comes the task of putting back what we want to have in the den and then what to do with all the left overs. This is a much bigger project than I expected; so is reading and writing about the books I have on my reading list. Time seems to disappear rapidly.

The book I read this past week took a different approach to hospitality, welcoming, and assimilation. It began by exploring those influences effecting a church's ability to grow that are beyond its control. Interestingly, the first factor explored, which has been the a traditional linchpin for growth in most denominations is the lower birth rate. Second, was a factor the author called 'new volunteerism'. While the first factor is self explanatory, this one was explained as the shift away from self-denial and commitment to a particular church or tradition, and a gravitational pull towards self-fulfillment where personal experience and autonomy are more important than a sense of community. The third factor is the declining baby boomer population. This is the last generation to return in mass to the church (they once knew) as life events called for a response and the need to find something missing in life they once knew. The author believes this factor is now outside the control of the church because later generations lack the grounding in denominational traditions than their predecessors. Add to these three factors the fact that many neighborhoods once growing and thriving with youth, find themselves a neighborhood of those retired or nearing retirement; and that businesses once employing large numbers have downsized or gone out of business all together; and that churches once built out in the open, are now surrounded by neighborhoods and business and are no longer visible to the person passing by.

Of all the factors impacting a church's ability to attract and assimilate new members, three the author thinks are most critical are: satisfaction with worship and program, social action involvement, and congregational harmony and cooperation. The author does a very good job of unpacking what each of these three areas entails. In short, if a person does not walk away from worship feeling something positive (spiritually or emotionally), or the programs offered have no similar impact, they won't stay just because that is the tradition or church they grew up in. Likewise, a congregation lacking social engagement is not a place that post baby boomers are likely to settle in. These generations don't want to just talk about their faith, they want to live it out. They also want to be better prepared to not just fit in, but to take initiative. The last area is almost too obvious to be mentioned, but a guest can feel the unspoken or un-acted upon tension in a community. Body language, the way people gather and interact, whether or not people smile and laugh, are all indicators of a community that is not in harmony. Add to this, when calls for help are announced, when the same two or three people show, and the rest of the congregation sits on the sidelines, it is another indicator of a lack of cooperation and is another turn off to those seeking a place where they are welcome and hope to be happy.

Another interesting point the author makes is in chapter five. Here the author states that the chances of a guest returning is directly proportional to the number of new friendships they make. "If converts (guests) do not immediately develop meaningful friendships in their church, expect them to return to old friendships - and ways - outside the church". If at the end of six months they have not made at least three deep connections (relationships) they will not stay, no matter how exciting the church may have been.

Lastly, the author says that in pastoral size churches (those churches with average Sunday attendance between 100 and 150) a connection to the pastor is essential, if not critical to future commitment. The pastor does not have to be one of the three close friendships/relationships talked about in chapter five, but there must be recognition by the pastor of who they are and an awareness of at least a piece of their story. Programs facilitating this relational development differ from church to church and are not always interchangeable. However, the author believes that there must be some form of parish orientation (led by the pastor), a structured while informal opportunity for guests and senior clergy to interact, some type of inquirer's class  to allow new people to dig deeper into the faith and practices of the parish and faith tradition (again led by a member of parish clergy), some type of membership class (during which the clergy must have a participative role), some way to publically recognize their commitment to becoming a member.

While the author's use of statistics (arising out of a series of surveys conducted on church growth across differing size churches and denomination) were not always helpful, and sometimes distracting, the points raised were all important, but not widely different than other authors I have encountered in my reading. Most noteworthy to me was the authors emphasis on the development of deep and lasting friendships as the one factor most often found in churches experiencing growth. People come where they are invited and stay where they feel welcome.

What's next? Going to try and read two books this week:
- How to WOW your church guests by Mark L Waltz
- Church Greeters 101 by Rev. Christopher Walker.

Both books look to be a quick read.