|  Author | Topic: "Turnaround" Church (Read 314 times) |
kerusso59
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|  | Re: "Turnaround" Church
« Reply #30 on Mar 17, 2009, 8:56pm » | |
I'm not sure what you can conclude about attendance since 1/1/09. We were averaging about 170 before the calendar turned...now it's closer to 150. Flu? Economy? Disallusionment? Don't like the new preacher? I'm hearing reports from several places in varied locations of similar dips in attendance...maybe we should ask Barna to do a study..............
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n9gik / Mike SE IL
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| | How is everyone's attendance doing ?
« Reply #31 on Jul 28, 2009, 9:18am » | |
What has your attendance been doing this year?
We went from being a church a couple years ago bouncing off 180/200 pretty regularly to a church that has trouble getting over 100. A few years ago we were in the 150 -180 area with a preaching minister and a youth minister on staff. Our preaching minister left and we hired a new minister (I was on the search committee). He brought some new ideas, we changed the Sunday Evening service to a contemporary format, things were GREAT!
OK, you guys know better than that. Things were OK, but not great.
There were some issues that needed addressed. Our new preacher had went to Bible College later in life after a rough past. While he was a mid 40's man, he was a relatively green preacher. There were issues needing attention and (I believe) were quietly being addressed. His sermons were good and his presentation kept improving. The "pastoral" side was a bit difficult. He did an excellent job with some but others (usually "old guard" members) felt left out or ignored. While his sermons were excellent he was often "preaching to the choir" When over 90% of your attendees are long time members of the church don't keep preaching "soul-sinning" or "evangelistic" sermons. These folks need feeding and training.
Actually, the biggest issue was not him, it was her. Their son had some difficulties in school (VERY sharp kid ... and I suspect that is part of his trouble. He ends up being bored waiting on everyone else to catch up. Also has some ... I guess the term is personality disorders) and Momma went to school and ... well, let's just say she did not present herself in a manner expected of a small town preacher's wife. Her behavior was such that some vowed never to attend the church again while she was there.
She did not agree with the YM on something relatively minor so her kid did not go to most YM activities. She was going back to school and needed quiet time to study so she skipped PM services to study while the house was quiet...until the contemporary services started then she was in the second row every service. I'm not going to continue, but you get the idea.
The Youth Minister left. We are still on good terms, in fact we are supporting him through our missions program. I think we handled the YM wrong. We had never had one and he had never been one. Poor combo. We kind of set him up in his own little kingdom without enough supervision and not enough interaction the church as a whole. But I am digressing.
Anyway, it all came to head at the annual church election (and I am not going to address that issue. I know many have differing ideas of church government. This is how ours is, live with it). We haven't got a hard fast rule on how may elders we have, but usually it is 5-6, elected for a 3 year term, with terms staggered so a couple are up for re-confirmation each year.
We had 2 elders up for re-confirmation. One elder who lost his wife a few years ago and had spent a couple summers working at a park in Alaska. And me. There was no big debate, no controversy. But when the votes were counted he and I were out. I was ... surprised is too mild. Devastated is closer to reality. I was re-elected Church Clerk, but not elder.
The next elders meeting the preacher was asked to resign and given a date about 4 months later when it had to happen by. If he had to take off for a trial sermon or whatever he was free to go. He wasn't being kicked out in the streets, but he was being asked to find a new ministry where he fit better.
I had to be in weekend training for the fire dept a couple weeks later when it kind of exploded. A lot of folks did not handle things well. One couple walked out have not been back. Over the next few months we lost a lot people ... including all of our contemporary music people.
Oddly enough, financially the church has never been better. We just remodeled the auditorium, removing all the old panelling, dry walling and painting along with new lights and woodwork. Paid cash and have money in the bank.
Yes, part of the cash flow is because we aren't paying staff. But we are paying our interim preacher and other guest speakers fairly well. Our cash outlay is still over 50% of what the preacher was being paid. And our Faith Promise funded mission offerings are close to or above promise each week.
So where is all this verbal wondering going? I am hoping we are in the first stages of being a turnaround church. We've been without a staff member for a year and a half. We just completed VBS. Had over 80 kids attend. Closing program had over 180 in the building.
I am now a deacon. I share the responsibilities for Jr Church with 2 other people. I'm still Church Clerk (couldn't find anyone else dumb enough to say yes).
We have had a fantastic interim preacher. For various reasons (many health related plus he lives 25 miles away) he can't do the "pastoral duties" ... which is good because it has forced the rest of us to do them. The search committee has been looking diligently. I sometimes think they are trying too hard to find the "perfect" person.
I've written all that to ask this: Does anyone have suggestions for us on how to continue this turnaround path?
Church web site is www.wucc.us
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kerusso59
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| | Re: "Turnaround" Church
« Reply #32 on Jul 28, 2009, 12:38pm » | |
First, let me say the search team's diligence is a good thing. Too many times, the team gets impatient and the first guy who can properly process oxygen a majority of the time gets the call. That's bad...and in a small town or rural church, it's VERY bad. It takes a certain type of person to preach in a place like West Union.
One suggestion I have is to call in someone to sit down with the leadership and help to sort out a vision of where WUCC wants/needs to go in the future. Don Green or Barney Wells at LCU ("The New U!") or Frank Bush in Lincoln (he's a member at Broadwell) do a very good job of this, and all three have small town experience to draw on.
Having given that advice...something you might consider is calling the interim as the preaching minister (not senior minister) permanently, but on a part-time basis, and looking for a pastoral care minister - someone who would be responsible for calling, hospital calls, counseling, etc. That might prevent some of the "I'm being ignored" whining from happening, and might help meet some real needs. (sorry if that sounds sarcastic - I didn't mean for it to, but dealing with some significant nonsense here right now in that regard, from leadership families, no less!)
Finally, keep in mind that spiritual growth must happen in order to have the numerical growth actually serve a purpose. Whichever course you take, keep that at the forefront.
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jdmcarthur
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| | Re: "Turnaround" Church
« Reply #33 on Aug 4, 2009, 5:10pm » | |
Our attendance has been down this year after six years of steady, but slow growth. Actually, new people are still coming but we have been losing more than we take in this year. But the growth has been as steady as it has been in past years. The difference is in the past few years we have had very little loss so the small growth looked bigger. Researchers say a church can expect between 15-25% decline every year (deaths, moving away, health of members preventing attendance, & just dropping out or getting mad). Our decline this year is about 20% (In the last six it has been 5% or less). Our increase over the last several years has been between 10-15% so you see the problem.
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Malsteem
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| | Re: "Turnaround" Church
« Reply #34 on Aug 6, 2009, 9:52am » | |
Mike- the elders should really beign the "pastoral care". Unfortuanlty preachers come and go and most new people only connect with the preacher, that si not good or Healthy at all. They need to connect with the men who have been there and will be there.
As for this little church in the middle of no where. We are having a Turn around meeting on August 22. We have read the book and now the leadership (not elders, not biblical I know) are goign to meet and discuss it.
We are more contempary and ahve kept a country church feel. We still need to work on our children ministries and other things.
But we have come a long way and have a long way to go.
We have lost people (thank you Jesus) and have gained new people with servants hearts (thank you even more Jesus!)
I end my third year here at the end of September adn we will see what GOd is gogn to do the next 3 (hopefully) years
-M
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