ISSUE ARCHIVE

What You Told Us About Your Summer Worship

Last month, the Lewis Center administered a survey about whether and in what ways churches change worship practices during the summer. While this was not a scientific survey, the responses do give some clues for church leaders. Some initial observations from the first 132 churches responding are:

• Forty-five percent report making changes, with 55 percent not doing so.
  
  
• Among those making changes, the most common are changing the time for one or more services (67%), changing Sunday morning church school patterns (67%), and changing the music (53%).

• Less common changes include reducing the number of services (29%), changing the location (19%), changing the pattern of who preaches (9%), and changing service length (9%). Most churches that make summer changes do it for three months or more (57%), followed by two months (33%), and one month (10%).
  
  
• The churches responding came from six denominations and 42 United Methodist annual conferences.
  
  
• While the survey did not ask for church size, if the United Methodist churches (for which we have data) are representative, then 45 percent of all churches responding were large (350 or more worship attendance), 45 percent were mid-size (126-349 attendance), and 10 percent were small (125 or fewer attendance). Among the large and mid-size churches, about half made changes in the summer, and half did not; whereas 80 percent of the small churches responding did not make summer worship changes.

Thank you for your participation in this survey. It helps lay the groundwork for a scientific survey that will seek to look at summer worship changes and their impact, if any, on worship attendance.

Lovett H. Weems, Jr.

Do You Have Questions of the Lewis Center?

The Lewis Center often asks questions of you. If you have a question about church leadership, you may send it to lewiscenter@wesleyseminary.edu. The Center will seek to respond to as many as possible. Some will be answered in future Updates without attribution of the questioner.

New Ron Heifetz Book

A few years ago the Lewis Center helped with a research project to determine the textbooks used in church leadership courses across various theological schools in North America. As one would expect given the nature of the field, there was a mixture of theological and secular resources. One of the most common secular authors found on the book lists was Ronald Heifetz of Harvard. Many of Heifetz’s concepts—technical vs. adaptive change, getting on the balcony, etc.—have become common language in leadership circles. Those not currently familiar with Heifetz’s work will probably want to begin with Leadership on the Line (written with Marty Linsky). However, those already familiar with Heifetz’s work may want to check out his new book, The Practice of Adaptive Leadership (with Linksy and Alexander Grashow), recently published by Harvard Business Press.

Leadership on the Line can be purchased at Amazon.com and Cokesbury.com.

The Practice of Adaptive Leadership can be purchased at Amazon.com.

Looking for Adult Theological Studies for the Fall?

One common request of pastors and lay officials is for resources they can use to enhance the theological competencies among their congregational leaders and members. They are seeking material that can be used locally but of a theological depth not always available from local sources. The Wesley Ministry Network is a colleague ministry of the Lewis Center at Wesley Theological Seminary. The Wesley Ministry Network has developed a collection of video-guided study resources that bring the teaching of some of the world's best theologians to local congregations. Eight short-term Bible and theological curricula provide high-quality adult educational materials in the broad mainstream of Christian theology.

The Networked Congregation, A New Online Resource

Do you wonder how blogs, podcasts, and other online networking tools might support the ministries of your church? Do you wonder how people who are not “digital natives” enter this brave new world? In a new online report entitled The Networked Congregation: Embracing the Spirit of Experimentation, Andrea Useem examines the impact of the digital age on congregational life. Sharing the real experiences of congregations, pastors, and individuals who have embraced new technologies, Useem dispels the undue fear as well as the inflated hopes often associated with internet religion.

To those who are ambivalent or fearful about this new terrain, the report offers two helpful conclusions—that online religion generally enriches rather than diminishes congregational life and that congregations navigate these new challenges with the tried-and-true methods of learning, consulting, reflection, prayer, and, most importantly, experimentation. This report is offered through the Congregational Resources Guide funded by the Lilly Endowment and operated by the Alban Institute and the Indianapolis Center for Congregations.

Update is a monthly report to subscribers of Leading Ideas
on the work of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership.