Growth requires clear vision and willingness to change

I don’t really know much about statistics, having avoided that class through four years of college and three years of graduate school. But I still find them fascinating. l love odd statistical bits and pieces like the observation that the use of drums in worship seems to be related to church growth.

I mentioned that correla­tion in a column a few years ago and got some interesting feedback from readers. Actually the drum-growth correlation is still true. According to the Faith Com­munities Today (FACT) report, drawn from 2005 statistics from churches, synagogues, temples and mosques in the United States, slightly less than half of the congregations using drums showed growth. Only one-fifth of churches who never used drums were growing.

I wouldn’t put that at the top of the list of ways to make one’s church grow. “Just add drums” probably isn’t a complete strategy.

But the report has a lot of other in­formation that we can put to work. Last month we looked at one of the clearest indicators of growth: churches that have a clear sense of mission and purpose. Here are a few more ob­servations from the report, presented by Kirk Hadaway, director of research for the Episcopal Church.

For instance, there is a correlation between growth and churches that are will­ing to change. That means that there is some value in being open to new ways of doing things. This is not always easy for churches which draw some of their security from the familiar – who say consistently, “We’ve always done it that way.”

One of the most dramatic statis­tics, displayed on a chart labeled “Lud­dites Beware!,” has to do with web sites. Congregations that have established or maintained a web site in the past year are most likely to grow, the study says. Those that have not done this but are open to do it grow more slowly. The churches that oppose a web site are very unlikely to have experienced growth.

The information about web sites is part of some broader observations about ways that churches enter into “recruit­ment-related activities.” It is well known that many who are looking for a church look first on the internet. For some, web-surfing is their prime information source. Someone mentioned to me the other day, “No one looks in the phone book any­more.” That might be an overstatement, but does underscore the importance of a web presence, particularly for younger members.

If you are without a web site, Bryan Krislock, a member of the diocesan staff, is willing to talk with you about possi­bilities. Contact him at bryank@spokan­ediocese.org.

It probably goes without saying that the churches that are intentional about new member ministry – about fol­lowing up with visitors or inviting people to church or even identifying newcomers to the community as potential parishio­ners are more likely to grow. According to Hadaway, some 21 per cent of Episco­pal churches make no contacts at all and nearly half make two contacts a month or fewer. Even a few contacts, he sug­gests, would bring some improvement.

Leadership is an important factor. Congregations rarely grow during transi­tions in clergy leadership and the first couple of years of a new priest’s tenure are not usually prime time for growth. The most fruitful years for growth, Hadaway concludes, are often the fifth and sixth years of a priest’s tenure.

He also names some character­istics of clergy that seem to be related to growth. These include: generates enthusiasm, charismatic leader, has a clear vision for the congregation, knows how to get people to work together, and knows how to get some things done. All of those characteristics are open to interpretation, but all of them, accord­ing to the report, were most frequently identified.

There is much more information on growth and decline in congregations in the study, which can be downloaded from www.episcopalchurch.org/research.htm. The clergy in our Fresh Start group (stipendiary clergy who have recently moved to new ministries) have been discussing this and it might make a good topic for a congregational leadership or deanery group. The next FACT study is scheduled to be launched in 2008.