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Growing in spirit

by Sherard Edington

A Continuing Conversation
On Church Redevelopment

Onward Christian Soldiers

I invite everyone within the sound of this Voice to join me on a dragonslaying crusade to rescue our great church from the relentless clutches of decline. Sharpen your swords and join me this day in battle. Fighting together we shall eliminate all small churches from our blessed denomination.

Yes, you read that correctly, "eliminate all small churches." Someday I hope to hear the moderator joyfully proclaim to the General Assembly that there are NO small churches in the PCUSA.

I realize my words are anathema to many readers of this column who are faithful members of congregantchallenged churches. Some of you could not fill a church van with your worship attendance. So before you begin flooding me with hate mail calling me a pawn of tall-steeples, please understand that I am not proposing the dissolution of any congregations no matter how tiny. I simply wish to see an end to the disabling practice of churches labeling themselves as "small."

If It Walks Like A Dog

Upon my arrival in Old Hickory one of the first things I asked the folk to do was resist the temptation of describing their church with this insidious word. At that time membership was less than 100 and average attendance half that. When an outsider asked about the church I encouraged the people of Old Hickory to respond saying instead, "We are a growing congregation..." I wanted them to erase "small church" from their ecclesial vernacular.

Sure, it is a matter of semantics. Just saying that a church is growing doesn't make it true. But when a church labels itself as small it imprisons itself with a crippling identity.

It is like Jerry Seinfeld said, "If your parents name you Jeeves, your future as a butler has pretty well been mapped out."

Smallness has nothing to do with numbers; it is about attitude and how a church chooses to relate to the world. A "small" church may have hundreds or even thousands of members. On the other hand, a wee church may be large in spirit.

Schaller Goes Deep

My favorite book on church redevelopment is Lyle Schaller's 44 Steps Up Off the Plateau (1993), a must read for anyone interested in church growth. Unfortunately, Plateau is out of print. I located my most recent replacement copy at Cokesbury's sidewalk sale. I urge you to find and read this book.

Schaller argues that churches have a tendency to plateau in size. Churches, my own included, will seek out a comfortable size and settle there like college students outside a Ticketmaster. Moving off their plateau requires extraordinary effort that few churches are willing to endure. Redevelopment is difficult because it means accepting the inevitable pain of change. Schaller writes that between 65 and 85 percent of all Protestant congregations more than a decade old are either shrinking in number or are on a plateau in size.

Although Schaller identifies 10 plateaus, he reports that the most common plateau is the church that averages 25 to 40 in worship. At this size every face is familiar, the leadership is unchanging, finances are adequate and there are few surprises. Growth finds resistance because it threatens to alter the enticingly comfortable fabric of the church.

A small church can summon a wealth of reasons to avoid change. These include lack of money, too few able people, age of the members, condition of the facilities, insurance, and the well-worn "we've never done it that way before." A growing church takes these factors into consideration but looks for ways to overcome them.

Home Invasion

A while back, I approached a Presbyterian church asking them to host a refugee congregation in need of worship space. At a gathering of the congregation my request was rejected. They offered all the "small" reasons I listed above. I will never forget when one senior member of the flock pulled me aside and said, "This church is our home and you just don't let strangers into your home." They acted small and within two years they had closed their doors.

That is not part of my plan to eliminate the small churches. I want to see every church growing in spirit. If they happen to pick up a few members along the way, that is even better.

Redevelopment Conference: The Synod of Living Waters is planning a redevelopment and new church development conference in Huntsville, Alabama, November 7-9, 2002. I encourage you to consider attending. Watch the Voice for details.

Sherard Edington is pastor of Middle Tennessee's Old Hickory church. [ Send Email ]

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