Beyond the Ordinary

Resolving to be happy . . . or perhaps resolving to attend worship?

By Ida Smith-Williams

 January just wrapped up, a month when many people think about change and new beginnings.  Did you make any New Year’s resolutions?

According to Professor John Norcross, clinical psychologist at the University of Scranton in Philadelphia, 40% to 45% of Americans make New Year’s resolutions each year.  The top resolutions are to eat healthier, exercise more, and spend less money.

Do worshipers make resolutions? Dissatisfaction with aspects of one’s life often drives resolutions to change.  The U.S. Congregational Life Survey  didn’t ask about resolutions, but it did ask worshipers about their satisfaction with various parts of their lives.  Worshipers were asked to rate their satisfaction with their health, relationships with family and friends, happiness, spiritual life, and more. 

In 2008, the largest numbers of worshipers were satisfied with their life as a whole, their relationships with family and friends, and their spiritual life.  Other items were not far behind.  Feelings of satisfaction had grown from 2001 to 2008 for worshipers in terms of their own happiness, health, and feeling safe in their community. 

From the looks of these results, one might wonder if worshipers might be more satisfied with life and happier, in general, than those who don’t attend worship.  Does having God in one’s life really make a difference?  These results are for those in worship only and would need to be compared to those who do not attend worship services to identify any differences.  However, another study did find that religious people were more satisfied with their lives than nonbelievers.  But the study found that it was not a relationship with God that made worshipers happier, but rather that the happiness stemmed from friendships and relationships formed within the congregation.

How does your satisfaction stack up?  Perhaps you should consider attending a church if you do not already belong. 

 

Growing congregations keep pace with changing times

By David Briggs

Longer services. More substance abuse counseling. And a greater emphasis on the environment.

Add to the mix a presence on Facebook and Twitter.

What you get are some of the traits more likely to be found in fast-growing Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregations in 2011, compared to the practices associated with fast-growing churches in the denomination in 2002.

Navigating the challenges posed by an uncertain economy, growing Presbyterian congregations appeared to embrace new opportunities to meet the needs of contemporary worshippers, Ida Smith-Williams reported in a study presented at the recent annual meeting of the Religious Research Association.

Smith-Williams, a researcher with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the U.S. Congregational Life Survey, compared survey data from 114 fast growing Presbyterian churches in 2011 with responses from 93 fast growing Presbyterian congregations in 2002.

In the post-recession period, the fastest growing congregations are doing more with less. In 2011, about three in 10 growing congregations reported increasing finances; in 2002, nearly three-quarters of growing churches said their finances were on the way up.

But fast growing congregations in 2011 continued to lead the way in using technology to reach out to potential new members.

In 2002, 70 percent of growing congregations had a website, a percentage similar to the average
Presbyterian congregation according to the 2008-2009 wave of The U.S. Congregational Life Survey. But 97 percent of fast-growing congregations in 2011 reported having a website.

While 73 percent of growing churches in 2002 reported placing an ad in the paper and 61 percent
advertised in the phone book, the evangelism strategies of six in 10 fast-growing churches in 2011 included following up with emails and using social media such as Facebook and Twitter.

Among other changes, nearly half of the fastest-growing congregations in 2011 used visual projections in worship services, compared to 26 percent using those devices in 2002. Today's growing churches were also almost twice as likely to offer substance abuse counseling and four times as likely to offer animal welfare or environmental activities.

As some activities were added, others were cut back. Consider also these findings:

• Longer services:  Even in an era of decreased attention spans, 89 percent of worship services in the fastest growing congregations in 2011 lasted more than an hour.  In 2002, just 55 percent of worship services in the fastest growing congregations were longer than an hour.
• Missing teens: Six in 10 growing congregations in 2002 said participation by teens was part of the worship service. Just four in 10 of growing churches in 2011 reported teen participation.
• Exit laughing: Ninety-one percent of growing churches in 2002 said laughter was part of their worship service. But that dropped to 80 percent of growing congregations in 2011.
• Fewer sports: A quarter of growing congregations in 2011 reported offering sporting activities, compared to 38 percent of growing congregations in 2002.

It should not come as a big surprise that fast-growing congregations change over the years.

What is consistent throughout research on church growth is that openness to change and a commitment to embracing the future are key indicators of successful congregations.

 

10 Spiritual Resolutions for the New Year

by Ida Smith-Williams

Adapted from original post on 2/8/11

People often make resolutions regarding health and finances at the beginning of a new year to improve their life.  Consider comparing yourself to benchmarks from the U.S. Congregational Life Survey to find ways you might make changes in your spiritual life.

1)      Attend worship services.  Increase your frequency of attending or start attending.  Overall, 65% of attendees are in worship usually every week.   Studies suggest that religious people are happier and that it might be due to friendships with others in the congregation.

2)      Get more involved in group activities. Nearly half of worshipers are not regularly involved in any group activities in their congregation.  Three in ten are involved in fellowships, clubs, or other social groups; one in five attends Sunday school, church school, or Sabbath school; and one in five are involved in prayer, discussion, or Bible study groups.  When asked to compare their participation in activities at the church now to two years ago, half (51%) said they participate about the same amount.   The USCLS found that many congregations with high levels of worshiper involvement also have worshipers who are growing spiritually, are inviting others to worship, and share a strong vision for the congregation’s future. 

3)     Become a leader.  Six in ten worshipers do not play a leadership role in the congregation.  Yet there are many ways to be involved (ushers, church school teachers, choir members, committees, etc.).  A pastor cannot do all the things a church needs to function.  How can you help?  

4)     Spend more time in private devotional acts (prayer, meditation, reading).  Only half of all attendees spend time every day or most days in private devotional activities.   It is these activities that will help you grow in your faith. 

5)     Grow in your faith.  Half of attendees have grown much in their faith over the last year (49%).  A third report growing mainly through activities of their congregation, 12% through their own private activities, and 6% with the help of other groups or congregations.

6)     Talk to others about your faith.  Invite friends to your congregation.  Nearly six in ten feel at ease talking about their faith and do so when it comes up.  Yet only four in ten have invited friends or relatives to their congregation in the past year.  Inviting others is an important first step
toward increasing the number of new people.  Most people attend a congregation for the first time because someone they know invited them. 

7)      Get more involved in your congregation’s community service, social service, or advocacy groups.  Two-thirds of worshipers are not involved with such groups.  Strong congregations balance their attention inside their congregation and outside in the wider community.  This is the mission of many churches, if not all—to help others in need.  There are many benefits to working towards this mission.  Getting involved can help you learn or develop a new skill, find new interests or hobbies, experience the “real” world, meet new people, give you a sense of achievement and purpose, and make you feel good about giving back to your community.     

8)     Make more friends in the congregation.  Two-thirds of worshipers have some close friends in the congregation.  Close friendships among churchgoers, rather than theology, seem to be the key to happiness among religious people, according to the findings of the Faith Matters Survey of U.S. adults.

9)     Pray.  Three-fourths of worshipers pray every day or most days for themselves or for their family.  Three-fourths pray more often than in the past.  Beyond connecting you to God, there are many proven benefits of prayer.  Prayer relieves stress, calms fears, reduces anxiety, stabilizes your moods, and gives you a feeling of well-being. 

10)   Support your congregation financially.  Fewer than one in five worshipers are tithers, giving 10% of their income to the church.  Three in ten give between 5% and 10%, and about as many give less than 5% regularly.

Do any of these give you ideas for personal change?

Interested in learning how your congregation’s worshipers compare to these averages?  Give the U.S. Congregational Life Survey.  Learn how. 

 

Joy to the world: Spending private time with God linked to benevolent love

By David Briggs

It is one of the most intense experiences in the lives of individuals, but a major new research project indicates spending quality time with God also may hold a key to benevolent love for all of humanity.

The Godly Love National Survey, led by researchers at the University of Akron and the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love, found people who most often reported feeling God’s love were more than twice as likely as the average American to give time to those in need more than once a week.

In addition to being generous with their time, talent and treasure, people who experienced God’s love most frequently also were far more likely to strongly agree all people share an unbreakable bond of humanity, a strong predictor of benevolence. Scholars Matthew Lee, Margaret Poloma and Stephen Post share the survey findings, along with related research, in their new book, “The Heart of Religion.”

So it seems to be an especially good practice that so many Americans spend a great deal of time in prayer and other devotions, according to findings from the U.S. Congregational Life Survey.

About half of U.S. worshippers said they spend time in private devotional activities such as prayer, meditation or reading the Bible alone every day or most days. Two-thirds said they engaged in devotional activities at least a few times a week. 

We pray most often for ourselves and our families, according to a random sample of 846 Christian adults asked about their prayer practices as part of the 2008-2009 survey.

Three-quarters of respondents, including 81 percent of conservative Protestants and two-thirds of mainline Protestants, said they personally pray for themselves and their closest loved ones every day or most days.

But we also pray for more universal concerns. Consider these findings:

• More than half of respondents, including two-thirds of Catholics, said they pray at least once a week for world peace or an end to war.
• About half of respondents, including 59 percent of Catholics and 52 percent of mainline Protestants, reported praying at least weekly for an end to world hunger or poverty.
• Some four in 10 respondents, including 42 percent of conservative Protestants, said they prayed a great deal or quite a bit more often than in the past because of world and national events in the
  past five years.

The idea that communion with God leads to love of neighbor is deeply rooted within the Christian theological tradition.

What the latest research appears to affirm is that the stronger the connection individuals have with the divine, the more likely they are to move beyond caring for loved ones to embrace the world.

“As you come to know the depths of God’s love, it’s easier to give that love away,” Poloma said in an interview.

More good news: Getting closer to God is also a win-win proposition, researchers found. Individuals who reported experiencing God’s love more than once a day were far more likely to say they have a strong meaning and purpose in life and to both find “great joy” in helping others and to recognize the “great kindness” other people have shown to them, researchers found.

As we enter 2013, many of us may want to consider having one of our resolutions be to work on our spiritual lives. You, your loved ones and your neighbors near and far may all be better off.

 

How Worshipers Feel About Gun Control

By Ida Smith-Williams[i]

A recent CBS poll shows that the number of Americans who favor stricter gun laws spiked significantly after the January shooting in Tucson that killed six people and critically injured Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford.  Previous polls have shown declining support for more stringent gun control.  However, in this latest poll, nearly half of respondents (47%) said gun laws should be made tougher; 36% said they should remain unchanged; and 12% said they should be relaxed. 

Gallup has asked about this topic frequently.  In 1990, more than three-quarters (78%) wanted stricter laws, but by 2010 this percent had dropped to 44%.  This downward trend in support for stricter gun laws continued despite some highly publicized shootings that occurred over the past decade. 

Jumping the Gun.  In recent years, gun sales have been increasing, membership in the National Rifle Association has grown, and there are now right-to-carry laws in over 40 states, with 20 states allowing guns in churches. 

What do worshipers think about gun laws?  In 2001 and in 2008, the U.S. Congregational Life Survey asked this question: “Do you think the laws covering the sale of firearms should be made more strict, less strict, or kept as they are?”  The percentage of worshipers who favor more strict gun laws declined slightly in 2008.  Nonetheless compared to national polling results, more worshipers support stricter gun laws.

Stricter gun control?  I am not surprised that many worshipers favor stricter gun control.  But I am surprised that the percent favoring stricter gun control has decreased since 2001.    There is something about the commandment “Thou shall not kill” that seems to be contradictory to being okay with lot of people having access to guns.  One pastor from Louisville, however, doesn’t see being a Christian and having firearms as a contradiction.  This pastor supports gun rights and encouraged his members to bring guns to church one Sunday.  This is, yet another sign that the gun culture is thriving.

Our prayers and thoughts go out to the community of Sandy Hook and to the nation as we try to make sense of the tragedy on Friday.

---

[i] This version is an updated post of one that ran on January 25, 2011.

Who Pastors Growing Churches?

By Cynthia Woolever

The general outlines of a growing church probably won’t surprise you. Representing 25% of congregations in the United States, growing churches:

• Have fewer worshipers older than 65 years of age compared to other churches.
• Attract many new worshipers, staying ahead of member departures and deaths.
• Attract more of the unchurched or first-time worshipers.
• Offer an engaging vision for the church’s future.
• Experience some conflict as the congregation deals with change.

But is what you think you know about the pastors who lead these growing congregations true?

Not young or old. One assumption is that younger pastors, under the age of 45, serve growing or soon-to-be growing churches. As the chart below shows, that’s not true. In fact, pastors of all ages lead in growing churches! The largest age group serving growing churches are those pastors who are between 51 and 60 years old.[i]  

Overall, young pastors are a relatively small demographic group. Only 12% of pastors are 40 years old or younger. Yet one in four (26%) of these younger pastors serves as the senior or solo pastor in a growing church. That margin is even greater among pastors in their fifties, however, with almost one in three (30%) leading a growing church.

First-career or second-career?  Historically, the traditional path to ministry meant attending seminary immediately following graduation from college, university, or Bible college. Today, though, a growing number of pastoral leaders worked in another occupation before entering ministry. About 40% of pastors currently serving local churches are classified as second-career. The sad thing is these second-career pastors are overrepresented in declining churches. Our research shows that growing and stable churches have more first-career pastors (64%) than declining congregations. Given that information, it seems that growing congregations may prefer to call a first-career pastor, if all else is equal.

A new pastor or one with longer service? Another common notion is that an exciting new pastor will make the church grow—practically overnight! While the number of years a pastor serves a church is related to numerical growth, it does not fit the above assumption. Pastors in growing churches are not new to the congregation. In fact, they have served there longer, than average, than leaders in stable churches.[ii] To help a church grow, takes time—to build trust, develop allies, reach consensus about robust strategies, and achieve results.

So do pastors get the credit for church growth? While pastoral leadership is important, it’s not the only factor in church growth. When a congregation is healthy and becoming more vital in every way, there is plenty of credit to go around. All lay or clergy, who are involved in the congregation, play a part. So pastors and members alike need to acknowledge and embrace their shared responsibility in discerning what God has called the church to be and do, to make it possible for the church to offer Christ to a new generation.

 

---

[i] The average time a pastor serves, across all denominations and faith groups, is five years. Average pastoral tenure varies by denomination.

[ii] The data included in this blog post comes from Cynthia Woolever and Deborah Bruce, Leadership That Fits Your Church: What Kind of Pastor for What Kind of Congregation? (St. Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 2012).

New Resource Available – Leader Guide for Leadership That Fits Your Church

Church leaders can now access a new resource that will help them involve their members in new conversations about finding the best leadership for their congregation’s ministries. J. Brent Bill, who currently serves as the Project Director for the New Meetings Project of Friends General Conference in Philadelphia, PA, authored the guide. For many years he was the executive vice president of the Indianapolis Center for Congregations. A Quaker minister, Brent has also served as a pastor in three congregations. He is a writer, retreat leader, and congregational consultant.

The guide will help your congregation to:

• process the information contained in Leadership That Fits Your Church:

What Kind of Pastor for What Kind of Congregation in a way that is useful for your setting;

• gain new insights into pastor-congregation dynamics;
• understand where some tweaks might be needed to improve or fix issues in this crucial relationship between the pastor and the congregation;
• assist pastoral search or clergy relations committees; and
• learn to care for each other in fresh ways.

The material in the study guide is

• organized into six, ninety-minute sessions; it can also be adapted for use at a leadership retreat; and
• filled with interactive exercises and discussion questions for small groups.

You can download the Leader Guide for Leadership That Fits Your Church on our project website:

http://uscongregations.org/

http://uscongregations.org/pdf/Leadership-That-Fits-Your-Church-Leader-Guide.pdf

Any questions? Call 800-728-7228 ext. 2040; or email us at uscongregations@pcusa.org

 

Do Pray Tell

By Ida Smith-Williams

A nightly ritual in our house is saying a bedtime prayer with my young daughter.  It’s been a learning experience for both of us!  Her list of who and what she wants to pray for gets longer and longer each night.  I think sometimes she gets God and Santa Claus confused!  We’ve removed inanimate objects from the prayer list (such as her stuffed animals), so we’re making progress.  I do think she is learning compassion as she prays for family members, friends, and teachers.

How often do worshipers pray?  Nearly seven out of ten worshipers spend time praying on their own on a daily basis (68%).  This has stayed steady since 2001. 

What do worshipers pray for?  Like my daughter, three-quarters of worshipers pray daily for themselves or their family members (74%).  Fewer than three in ten (29%) of worshipers prayed daily for world peace or an end to war, and one-quarter (26%) pray daily for an end to world hunger or poverty.

Do national and international events influence prayer?  When asked if they prayed more often than previously because of national or world events in the previous five years, three-quarters of worshipers said they did to some extent (75%).  Few (17%) increased their prayer a great deal.   

Do prayers make a difference?  Three out of five worshipers think prayers make a difference regardless of events (62%).  When asked “because of national or world events in the past five years, to what extent have you doubted whether your prayers made a difference?” only one in ten had much doubt about the effectiveness of their prayers (9%).

How is your prayer life?  Do, pray tell your story. 

Happy Thanksgiving!!

 

 

How to Find Leadership that Fits Your Church: Buy the book!

by Cynthia Woolever

Most church members report a high level of satisfaction with their church’s current leadership. In fact, only a very small number—3%—stated that they believed their pastor and congregation are not a match. That’s encouraging news for churches facing one of the most daunting decisions a congregation can make: finding the right pastor. In Leadership that Fits Your Church: What Kind of Pastor for What Kind of Congregation (Chalice Press, $19.99 paper, November 2012), Deborah Bruce and I (coauthors) offer insights into making a successful match.

The book is based on findings from the U.S. Congregational Life Survey (USCLS). The survey, funded by grants from Lilly Endowment, Inc. and the Louisville Institute, records the views of more than half a million people who regularly participate in worship. In addition, one key pastoral leader in each church responded to a survey about their ministry tasks, job satisfaction, sources of support and stress, compensation, and theological education.

The scope of the USCLS allows for a comprehensive portrait of pastoral leadership, drawing upon a large representative national sample of pastoral leaders, congregations, and parishes; a broad range of denominations and faith groups; the experiences of pastors in congregations of all sizes; and the opinions of both pastoral leaders and worshipers in the same congregations. This book presents a 360-degree data driven view of all that is involved in congregational vitality: the values, commitments, experiences, and perceptions of members, lay leaders, and pastors.

Leadership in the congregational context is particularly complex and difficult. Yet most pastors who participated in the study reported that they are enthusiastic about their ministry and feel they’ve accomplished a lot. High ministry satisfaction can be a buffer against the high stress levels that accompany pastoral work, and can prevent burnout.

We show how a strong match might be made between pastor and congregation. Then, we follow the pastoral transition experiences of three churches: mainline Protestant, Catholic, and conservative Protestant. The book outlines pastor and church types, and then we dig more deeply into the dynamics that yield a successful match.

We highlight several implications for pastors, lay leaders and other members of the congregation, including the importance of:

• Learning from the past by reflecting on the ministry of previous pastors.
• Allowing unstated assumptions to surface.
• Clarity about financial responsibilities.
• Recognizing how conflict damages congregations and pastors.
• Providing ongoing clergy support.
• Identifying and building on strengths.
• Seeking to understand and articulate what God is calling that particular church to be.

Leadership That Fits Your Church is the latest volume in The Columbia Partnership (TCP) Leadership Series.

How can you get your hands on this great new book? Available in Kindle form or hard copy at ChalicePress.com (or call 1-800-366-3383). You can even save 30% off all TCP books, including this one, with the code TCP2012 (offer expires on November 30, 2012).

 

Are you planning to vote?

(Adapted from the 10/27/10 post by Deborah Bruce)

On the day of the presidential election, let’s look at the intersection of faith and politics.  The U.S. Congregational Life Survey asked several questions that reveal how worshipers, pastors, and congregations are involved in the political sphere.

Worshipers vote.  Eight in ten worshipers (83%) reported voting in the last presidential election.  In contrast, only about six in ten eligible Americans (62%) voted for president in 2008.  (Read more about this difference.)

Voting is particularly common among worshipers attending mainline Protestant churches—nine in ten worshipers in mainline churches (89%) voted in 2008.  Eight in ten worshipers in conservative Protestant churches (83%) and in Catholic parishes (78%) voted that year.

Worshipers donate.  Far fewer worshipers (16%) said they contributed money to a political party or candidate running for office during the 2008 campaign.  More mainline Protestant worshipers (23%) than conservative Protestant (11%) or Catholic worshipers (12%) made political contributions in 2008.

Pastors vote.  More pastors than worshipers voted in 2008.  Nine in ten pastors of congregations participating in the U.S. Congregational Life Survey voted (Catholics, 94%; mainline Protestants, 96%; conservative Protestants, 97%). 

Pastors donate.  Pastors contributed to political parties or candidates slightly more often than worshipers (Catholics, 14%; mainline Protestants, 33%; conservative Protestants, 18%).

Congregations inform their worshipers.  Four in ten congregations (38%) informed people during worship services about opportunities to register to vote.  Half of Catholic parishes did so (54%).  Fewer conservative Protestant (43%) or mainline Protestant (30%) churches let their worshipers know about voter registration.

Two in ten congregations held voter registration drives or voter education events in their facilities during the 2008 campaign.  More Catholic parishes (44%) than conservative Protestant (24%) or mainline Protestant (13%) churches did so.

This year’s election.  We didn’t ask if congregations reminded worshipers to vote.  We hope your congregation will encourage everyone to get to the polls today.  And as for you—Please vote!