Beyond the Ordinary

T.G.I.F. or . . . is it T.G.I.M.?

By Ida Smith-Williams

"Thank God It's Friday!" is a common anthem sung by people in the workforce and students in schools everywhere, celebrating the last day of the work or school week before the weekend. Do clergy sing this tune as well?

Most pastors take a day off each week.  Pastors in a national random sample of congregations were asked "Do you regularly take a day off each week?"  (the U.S. Congregational Life Survey leader survey). Eight in ten said yes. Among mainline Protestant pastors, nearly nine out of ten (87%) take a day off each week. Three-quarters of Catholic priests take a day off each week, as do seven out of ten conservative Protestant pastors.

 
What day do pastors prefer for a day of rest?  While not all pastors take a day off each week, of those pastors that do, 44% report that Friday is their day off. Another 33% of pastors take Monday off.

Preferences for day off vary by faith group.  While half of clergy in mainline Protestant congregations (52%) chose Friday as their day off, the largest number of leaders in Catholic parishes (43%) and conservative Protestant congregations (39%) chose Monday. Friday was the choice of 36% of conservative Protestant leaders. Catholic priests' second choice was split evenly between Thursdays and Fridays (20% for each). With many Catholic parishes holding mass on Saturday, it is not surprising that Saturday was not a common day off for Catholic leaders.

Does size of congregation matter?  Eight in ten leaders in small, mid-size, and large congregations took a day off weekly. Fridays were the most popular day off in each size group. Pastors in small congregations were more likely to choose Saturdays (22%) than those in larger congregations (6% for mid-size and 10% for large congregations).

 
While Mondays off sound like a good idea to me (some Mondays are awful to face), I'm not sure I'd want to give up my Saturdays and Sundays! Many of us work 40-hour workweeks (five days a week). Yet most pastors have a six-day week. (For some, it's more!) I'm glad to see the majority of clergy regularly taking at least one day off each week. 

Technology in church

By Deborah Bruce

We’ve posted several times about the use of technology in congregations, including how worshipers use the Internet for religious purposes and clergy use of the Internet. 

Elsewhere, we’ve looked at the link between innovation and church growth using the U.S. Congregational Life Survey. We found that use of visual projection equipment in worship is not related to church growth.  That is, congregations that are using visual projection in worship and those that forgo that technology are just as likely to have grown in recent years. 

That seems surprising.  After all, most of the mega-churches that draw so many people to their services use visual projection equipment in worship.  So what’s the deal?

There has been quite a bit of conversation about this topic recently.  Cynthia Holder-Rich called herself “tech-curious” rather than “tech-saavy” and noted that “the tech scene keeps up its inexorable process of change, and being a decade or half a decade behind means that we in the church are generally out of the game.”

Landon Whitsitt, Vice Moderator of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), responded to Cynthia’s post.  He argues passionately about the role of technology.  He says:  “If we are not using technology as a part of our ministry . . .  we are saying we do not care about being an incarnational presence in this world.  By refusing to engage in the ways that those we would reach engage . . . we’re saying we don’t care about them.”  

Can your congregation afford to send this message?

10 spiritual resolutions for the new year

By Ida Smith-Williams

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 attend 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 US CLS 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. 

Resolving to be happy . . . or perhaps 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 2001 and 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 are not far behind.

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.