Looking Good
PUTTING THINGS INTO PERSPECTIVE FOR YOU….
According to LIFEWAY RESEARCH - Twenty years ago, most churches (53%) were growing by at least 5%. The latest FACT study of more than 15,000 religious congregations in the U.S. found only around 1 in 3 (34%) grew weekly worship attendance at least 5% in the last five years. Most churches (52%) were in decline of at least 5%, while another 14% reported their attendance today is within 5%, plus or minus, of what it was five years ago.
More than 15,000 U.S. religious congregations revealed that 7 in 10 U.S. churches have 100 or fewer weekly worship service attendees, while 7 in 10 U.S. churchgoers attend a church with more than 250 each week.
While the average U.S. congregations gathers in a building that seats around 200, only 65 attend the median church each week. This means that half of all churches have fewer than 65 people in their weekly worship service.
Mainline Protestant congregations have the smallest churches and have felt the largest percentage decline. On average, 50 people gather each week at a mainline church, a drop of 12.5% since 2015. However, smaller churches (those with 100 or fewer each week) have high levels of member commitment. The congregations have greater percentage of member participation in weekly worship. Participants give more money per person and are more likely to volunteer. These churches spend less on staffing and give the highest percentage of their budget toward missions and charity.
However, these congregations are also more likely to have volunteer or bi-vocational clergy and their sanctuaries are the least full during worship compared to other size congregations. The churches also have the highest budget per capita, spend the highest percentage of their budget on buildings, and have the highest percentage of members over 65 and smallest percentage of children, youth, and young adults. Churches this size are also the least likely to say they were actively looking for new members.
9 Characteristics of Spiritually Healthy and Numerically Growing Churches
- Strong leadership that fits well with the participants - Most congregations say the relationship between laity and leadership is at least good (25%), if not very good (68%). This positive relationship is needed for a growing, thriving church.
- Clear and compelling mission - Healthy churches are able to help their people grasp their goals.
- Vibrant, thought-provoking worship - At growing, healthy congregations, churchgoers say the worship is relevant and meaningful. That does not necessarily mean “contemporary,” though that is often the case.
Most congregations say their worship is thought-provoking (77%) and reverent (64%), but fewer would describe their services as contemporary (31%) or innovative (24%).
- Innovative and open to change - Healthy, growing churches aren’t only innovative in their worship, their seeking to do new things to meet new challenges facing their congregation. If COVID-19 taught churches nothing else, it’s that they should be ready to face anything and pivot plans when circumstances warrant.
- Active in the local community - Growing, vibrant churches are integral parts of the surrounding neighborhood. Congregations who make themselves seen and known by their neighbors in a positive way are churches that draw in those same neighbors.
- Diverse community of participants - Faith Communities Today found that churches that have a diversity of participants across genders, age, ethnicity, socio-economic status are more likely to be healthy and growing
- Attracting and involving new people - If a church is growing and healthy, they’ll be good at involving those new people into the life of the congregation.
- Significant lay involvement - In the 70% of congregations that have a worship attendance of 100 or less, churchgoers give more money per capita and are more likely to volunteer.
- Visible and vocal faith -Churches that are growing spiritually and numerically are home to people who recognize the importance of being involved in their congregation and inviting those outside to join them.
SO…. HERE WE ARE: Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church
In the past 10 months we have extensively researched a lot about who we are as a congregation and what we need to do to prepare ourselves for strong Pastoral Leadership. We have re-evaluated what type of leadership we are looking for to take us into the future. We are currently in the call process.
We have carefully gone through our gifts and talents are as a congregation from that we have created current mission and vision statements along with 3 core values that guide us in our vision to LIVE IN GRACE through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
We have changed our way of worshipping to one holistic service where the whole body of Christ gathers weekly to share in a common and inclusive worship service that changes each quarter of the church calendar keeping the worship experience thought-provoking and reverent to everyone. We have online services available each week that reach many more people in our community!
We have had to realize things are not the way they used to be in this congregation and have found a new vision toward our future. We are now celebrating who we are as a church family and how exactly we will live into the future with real expectations as to how we can grow and thrive as the ELCA Lutheran Body of Christ in Tucson. We love who we are as an aging congregation!
One of the things we do best is to seek out ways we can make a difference in our community using the resources we have. We have many ministries that reach out into the community that target specific groups in need. Our community Connections teams work together to be sure no one gets left out and that the needs are being taken care of.
Ministries within the congregational family continue to thrive keeping volunteerism and member participant level at high level. We are preparing to take in 7 new members this month. A few months ago, we had a baptism of one of newest children and this month we will celebrate an adult baptism. Baptisms and new members used to be signs of growth in a congregation… I do believe they are great growth events that cause the other growth factors to thrive! We are alive and well!
Keep it up Beautiful Savior! We are looking good!
Pastor Tony