Growing Our Home- To Another Place
Psalm 16
Romans 8: 22-27
We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now…it is a startling image, given that this letter was addressed to a newly formed and forming Christian community in Rome and that it was likely written by a man or a group of men. Dear fellow believers, we know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains… Labor pains are not exactly what we might label as images for church people. But even if the crafters of this letter had not experienced the process of giving birth themselves, they must have had some idea that ushering new life into the world is painful- especially when it comes to life in the church.
I was drawn to this passage given some of the conversations that we have begun to have in this church. This past summer, our Deacons started a prayerful conversation about what God is calling us to do in response to the growth that we have been experiencing as a church. And some of what began to emerge felt a bit like labor pains- the pain that is sure to be found whenever new possibilities are trying to be born.
According to the Alban Institute, a group dedicated to the study of congregations, in order for a congregation to break through to the next level in terms of size, it must deliberately relinquish familiar patterns of behavior and begin to act as a larger congregation would act. Let me say that again, in order for a congregation to break through to the next level, it must deliberately relinquish familiar patterns of behavior and begin to act as a larger congregation would act.
It sounds odd. It is almost as if a congregation has to behave like something it isn’t yet, in order for it to become what God is calling it to be. A series of anecdotes in Alice Mann’s study on the size transitions of churches highlights this point. She writes, “While the pastor and the evangelism committee work hard on growth and welcome, members frequently say that it would be best to remain small so that we can all know each other. Growth plans are presented primarily as medicine to cure a budget squeeze and leaders hesitate to say that the congregation might have a vocation to reach more people. Though members describe the church as welcoming to newcomers, leaders hear many complaints about plans to add capacity; for example, by adding a worship service, expanding the staff, or buying land for parking.” I am sure that none of these examples are representative of our church, but they point to the hard reality of how difficult it can be to become the church God is calling our church or any church to be.
For the past weeks, we have journeyed through our stewardship campaign Growing Our Home. When the Stewardship Committee began the process of brainstorming the theme, the image of home quickly rose to the top. The group loved the image of home and all of the warmth that is felt when we think of the idea of home. Home is where the heart is, home is where we are safe; home is where we can be ourselves. Home is where we keep the things that matter deeply to us. Home is the place we long to return to when we are lost. But it was clear that while we loved the image of home for our 2010 campaign, it seemed somehow inadequate. It felt incomplete because we all felt as if God has been doing some remodeling on our home. Amen? God has been calling in something like holy contractors and carpenters. God has been asking for plans for expansion. God has been working on our home here at the Cotuit Federated Church. And so it is not just our home here that we want to lift up, it is what God is calling us to do with our home. God has made it clear that we need to Grow Our Home and I have heard that many of you do too. I have heard many of you speak with joy about what God is doing with our home and through our home. And we think of the letter to the Romans again, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now…”
Over the past year, God has presented us with something of a holy dilemma. We have exceeded our worship capacity on numerous occasions and much of the time we have been at 80% of our capacity, which according to most studies, is the time to begin conversations about where God might be leading us. And it seems to me, that this reality is indeed the pain that comes with ushering in new life, these pains serve as evidence that new life is trying to break through in this very place. As you might imagine, I have had my nose in many books as to how to lead us through this time. While I surely do not have all of the answers, much of what I have read, offers, at the very least, language we can use to name the pains that we are already feeling and some that are sure to come. These labor pains, can present themselves in the form of barriers, barriers to the growth that God has inspired in this place.
In her book, Raising the Roof: The Pastoral to Program Size Transition, Alice Mann argues that there are several barriers to church growth. And because of the conversation we will have after church today, it feels important to share some of what I have learned, so that we all have a common language for how to understand what will emerge as we move forward together.
The first barrier for growth in a congregation is when a church is unclear whether there is room for new people. To be sure, all of us, when asked would quickly say that we want our church to be welcoming to each and every person that comes through our doors. But, if this sentiment is to become more than a lofty idea, creating space in our pews, in our hearts and in our worship, for people that are newly churched or church refugees, we must make it a part of our identity. Alice Mann contends that a lot of congregations get stuck when their primary commitment remains grounded in the idea that our first priority should be to “strengthen our current members.” This becomes an obstacle because the focus and purpose of the church remains internal and “about us,” instead of asking what those who are just finding God or just returning to God might need.
The second obstacle for congregational growth emerges when a church fails to see the reality of the situation. In other words, some churches would rather not talk about what is happening, for fear of jinxing it or out of lack of understanding of what is really going on. Mann writes, “Members will initially assume that new people can join if they really want to- after all, there are usually some new faces in church- and will be baffled by leaders who announce that major change is needed.” Ignoring the reality that growth will plateau if it is not planned for, is one way in which growth can be stopped.
The third barrier is when spaces in the church are filled up. When worship seating, parking, education space, office and fellowship spaces are basically full, most newcomers will not return and even the attendance of regulars can begin to slide. Alice Mann writes, “Most of us would rather be near the end of a row and a little further back, even if we know our fellow congregants pretty well. So imagine how a newcomer feels if squeezing in or parading up to the front appear to be the only choices.” I am sure none of us can relate to this, right? We human beings require enough space to feel that the space is ours alone. None of us wants to feel crowded and when this becomes a reality, many of us will choose to remain on our couch instead of facing the obstacle course of finding parking far away from the church and then once inside finding it nearly impossible to comfortably slide into a pew.
The fourth obstacle is when churches are not staffed for growth. “To open up the potential for continued growth, a congregation on the pastoral-to-program size plateau, <which is where we are> needs staff whose priority (and talent) is releasing gift-based member ministry rather than ‘delivering’ all the ministry as solo performers.” In some ways, this shift is just as difficult for the pastor as it is for members. The pastoral role shifts from being the primary keeper of every relationship in the church to one who works to equips others to serve and to lead.
The fifth obstacle for growth is that our concept of an adequate budget does not permit growth. Mann writes, “…a church budget that previously grew in modest increments may now step up rather sharply because of the change in scale.” She goes on to say that, “Lay leaders responsible for the budgeting process may experience tremendous anxiety as they hear fellow members express hesitation, or even predict catastrophe, with regard to church finances.” I know our Finance Committee has already felt this labor pain, as they have been burdened with the task of leading us through this transition. According to Mann, the trick to overcoming this barrier is to engage in intentional assessment of an overall financial strategy to respond to the newly emerging needs of the church.
The final barrier to growth is that the infrastructure of the church is inadequate for movement to the next size. As growth occurs, a paradox quickly arises and some of you have already pointed out this labor pain. The challenge is for us to retain a personal touch even as more people come and few of us know everyone. Mann argues that if the church lacks excellent organizational machinery, it will be nearly impossible to continue to provide reliable and personal ministry for both new and existing members. This reality affects incorporating new members, the development of new leaders, pastoral care, small groups and the leadership and staff teams. In each category, the roles shift and require, even if slowly, the art of embracing a new identity.
We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now…it is a startling image, but a real one because ushering new life into the world is painful- especially when it comes to life in the church. But when I look at who we are and what God has been doing here, I can’t help but to be excited, not giddy, but that kind of feeling where we can look to God and say, “You brought us here, we are ready, show us what you want us to do!” It makes sense that in the midst of our stewardship campaign inviting each of us to grow our generosity, we are also preparing as a church, to give birth; we are preparing to grow our home for the sake of Jesus Christ. And that is what all of this is really about, all of this effort and prayer, all of these conversations and hard work are all aimed at making a home big enough for every single hungry heart who comes through these doors.
As we dedicate our pledges and gifts today, as we bring our hearts forward to God, I wonder what new life we are willing to welcome in our midst. I wonder how we will turn these labor pains into possibilities. I wonder what new life will emerge because of God’s Spirit in this space. It feels right for us to dedicate our pledges to Growing Our Home, even as we join in conversation after church today about how we will respond to God’s faithfulness in our midst. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains, but these pains are signs of new life, signs of God’s faithfulness, signs that God longs to Grow Our Home- to another place. May this be so. Amen.
Alice Mann. Raising the Roof: The Pastoral-to-Program Size Transition. (Alban Institute 2001) 5.
Alice Mann. Raising the Roof: The Pastoral-to-Program Size Transition. (Alban Institute 2001) 11.