ISSUE ARCHIVE

Mission as the Emerging Entry Point
for New People

It is intriguing that the first connection people have with a congregation tends to change from time to time.

For churches with struggling adult Sunday Schools, it may be hard to imagine that for a long time the Sunday School was the most likely church entry point for most adults, as well as children and youth. Well into the 1950s in many denominations and regions, the most common invitation church members gave their new neighbors or co-workers was to attend their Sunday School class with them. It was not uncommon for church school attendance to run higher than worship attendance. In fact, the Sunday School sometimes seemed to receive more loyalty than the worship experience. This was particularly true on circuits where the Sunday School was an every Sunday experience while "preaching" occurred on a rotating schedule among the churches on the charge.

Most of us are more familiar with the pattern that came next, in which the most likely first connection with a congregation was a worship service. People looking for a church on their own no longer came early to ask which Sunday School class they should attend but came first to a worship service. And church members inviting others to attend their church would now more likely invite newcomers to "worship" with us at our church. In this period the worship attendance in most churches pulled ahead, sometimes well ahead, of Sunday School attendance.

We may be on the verge of another change, in which the entry point to a congregation for more and more people is through service and mission. This seems especially true for the young. For many young people, inviting their friends who don't attend church to "come to my church" may not be the most comfortable invitation to make or the one most likely to receive a positive response. On the other hand, few young people would be reluctant to invite any of their friends to join them for a service project sponsored by the church, and few young people will turn down such an invitation. The sense of commitment to help others among young adults is as strong as their excitement about most churches is weak.

It is too early to know if mission as an entry point to church will take hold in the way that Sunday School and worship did in prior times. But we do know that for increasing numbers of persons with a passion to serve and some disillusionment with the church, mission may be their most likely entry point – if churches are actually serving others and including new people in such service. We also know that, in this time when "belonging leads to believing," it is often only after a person comes to trust a community and to feel accepted by that community that there is much interest in what the community believes.

Lovett H. Weems, Jr.

2011 Funding Resource DVD/CD Now Available

The Lewis Center's newest Funding Resource brings the best of the 2011 Funding Conference directly to you and your congregation. The Resource includes a DVD with video plenary presentations by Dr. Lovett H. Weems, Jr., Director of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership, and Dr. David McAllister-Wilson, President of Wesley Theological Seminary. The Resource also includes a data CD with PowerPoint presentations, templates, and handouts on these topics: Developing an Operating Budget, The Three Pillars of Giving, Developing a Dashboard of Key Financial Indicators, Building and Funding a Capital Budget, Youth and Stewardship, Fostering Generosity in Children, and Investing Church Funds Wisely. The 2011 Funding Resource is $65. A Resource Package Bundle including 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 Funding Resources is $185. Order today.

New Blog Focuses on Lay Staff Ministry Issues

Ann Michel, Associate Director of the Lewis Center, has launched a new blog, In Ministry Together, which shares information about lay staff ministry in the United Methodist Church and explores an inclusive paradigm of ministry that embraces the gifts and callings of lay and ordained staff. You can view or subscribe to the blog at www.in-ministry-together.com.

Right Start Resource Guides Pastors Who Are Moving to New Churches

The Right Start: Beginning Ministry in a New Setting is a video-based learning resource designed to assist pastors as they prepare to complete their ministry in one setting and move to another. Right Start includes DVD instructional segments, CD resources, planning aids, and supplementary materials on the following subjects: stages of a pastoral move; leaving well and preparing the way; entry into a new setting; the start-up period; the emotional dimensions of transitions; and formulating a personal transition plan. The Pastor's Version is $59. The Group Training Version is $199 and includes a wide array of training and facilitation aids; it is intended for conferences and other judicatories offering group sessions for pastors preparing to move.

CGP: A New Tool to Monitor Your Congregation's Giving More Precisely

Will your church meet its budget this year? To answer this vital question you need to track giving accurately; but simply dividing by 52 weeks or 12 months — as nine in 10 churches do — will not give you a clear picture of your financial situation. Because each congregation has its own unique pattern of giving, the Lewis Center has developed the Congregational Giving Profile (CGP) to monitor your finances based on the way people in your church actually give. CGP helps to establish a more meaningful system of monitoring and reporting progress on your budget. Learn more about CGP.