Beyond the Ordinary

Congregational Conflict: Worshipers’ Views

By Deborah Bruce

A previous post examined congregational conflict from the pastor's point of view. Today, we’ll look at what worshipers say about the topic.

Few worshipers have seen conflict. Almost one-half of worshipers (47%) report no conflict in their congregation in the past two years, and another two in ten (21%) don’t know if there has been any conflict. That leaves just one-third (32%) who are aware of congregational discord.

Fewer worshipers than pastors are aware of congregational conflict. Eight in ten pastors (79%), but only one-third of worshipers (32%), report that their congregation faced any conflict in the past two years. Why might this be so?

Church size plays a role. More worshipers in small churches than in larger ones report conflict in their church. In churches that average 100 or fewer in worship, a slight majority of worshipers (56%) knew about a conflict, whether major or minor. But in the largest churches with more than 350 in worship only half as many (26%) were aware of conflict. Rather, three-quarters of worshipers in large churches (74%) say there’s been no conflict or simply don’t know.

In smaller churches more worshipers are involved in more ways in the church’s activities and more hold leadership positions in the church. This involvement exposes them to the good and bad sides of church life. Thus, many worshipers in small churches share the pastor’s view from a standpoint that makes church conflict visible.

In larger churches worshipers may participate in worship without engaging in other aspects of congregational life. Sunday-only worshipers have little knowledge of what happens behind the curtain to keep the church alive. These unengaged worshipers are sheltered from conflicts that might pop up—conflicts that the pastor cannot miss.

 

What is the Good News?

By Cynthia Woolever

Easter reminds us to continue to hope—even when the evidence at hand doesn’t support that belief. We’ve been tracking the big trends for congregations for the past decade. We try to highlight the ways congregations show strength and resiliency. Let’s face it—it has been a difficult decade for churches and for our country. Is there any good news?

Congregations are doing more for their community and those in need. We used seven indicators to explore what worshipers were doing for others.

• One in four worshipers (26%) were involved in social service or advocacy groups through their congregation back in 2001. By 2008, one in three worshipers (32%) reported involvement in such congregational efforts.
• Slightly more worshipers (28%) said they were involved in social service or advocacy groups outside their congregation (for example, Habitat for Humanity, Red Cross) back in 2001. The percentage of worshipers reporting involvement in community groups rose 14 percentage points (to 42%) by 2008!
• Two out of three worshipers in 2001 (66%) said they contributed to a charitable group (other than their congregation), but by 2008, three out of four worshipers reported contributing to such groups.
• More worshipers in 2008 than in 2001 valued their church’s (a) community care and advocacy efforts and (b) its openness to social diversity.
• More worshipers also reported in 2008 that they worked with others to solve a community problem in the past year than did in 2001.
• Finally, 84% of worshipers said they voted in the 2008 presidential election (up from 71% for the 2000 election).

Are these dramatic results “real” change between 2001 and 2008? Or do these percentages just show something that came up when worshipers in two different groups of churches were compared?

A small random sample of congregations participated in our research project back in 2001 and agreed to participate again in 2008. Information from this subset of churches provides a rare opportunity to look at real change over time—because the congregations are the same. When researchers draw new samples to track change, there is always the question of whether the observed change is due to different samples.

By analyzing the results from our repeating congregations, we can confirm that worshipers are doing more for others today than in 2001. The results for the smaller sample are slightly less dramatic but still statistically significant. Mainline Protestant worshipers especially led the way in increasing their engagement with others to make a difference for others in their community.

In a news report covering the damage from a recent tornado the anchor remarked, “The disaster relief efforts have been amazing. We’ve had some teams arrive even before the churches got here!” The statement points to the public perception that people in need can depend on churches and people of faith to take action in the face of disaster. Congregations and their worshipers have earned that reputation in community after community, year after year. That is good news!     

 

 

Worshipers’ Experiences in Fast Growing PC(USA) Congregations

By Joelle Kopacz

Most mainline Protestant denominations have been losing members (including the ELCA, the Episcopal Church, and the PC(USA)).  Yet some mainline Protestant congregations are still growing in the face of this widespread membership decline.  In 2011, worshipers in more than 100 fast growing PC(USA) churches participated in the U.S. Congregational Life Survey.  They reported on their spiritual growth, congregational involvement, experiences in worship, and perceptions of church leadership.  (Fast growing congregations were selected based on significant growth in worship attendance between 2004 and 2009 relative to other PC(USA) congregations.)  By comparing survey data from worshipers in fast growing PC(USA) congregations with 2008/2009 data collected from worshipers in a random sample of PC(USA) congregations, what can we learn about the characteristics of growing mainline Protestant churches?

 Worshipers feel spiritually fed in fast growing congregations.  Nearly four in ten PC(USA) worshipers in fast growing congregations (38%) experienced much growth in their faith in the past year, growth that came primarily through their congregation.  Only three in ten worshipers in the random sample of PC(USA) congregations (31%) experienced this same growth in faith.  While 31% of worshipers in the random sample of PC(USA) congregations “strongly agree” that their spiritual needs are being met in their congregation, 39% of worshipers in fast growing PC(USA) churches report this level of spiritual fulfillment from their congregation.  (Most of the rest in both groups “agree” that their spiritual needs are being met.)

More worshipers in fast growing congregations express satisfaction with the children/youth programs.  While a majority of worshipers in the random sample of PC(USA) churches are “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with children’s programming (59%), two-thirds in fast growing PC(USA) churches are (67%).

More worshipers in fast growing congregations experience enriching worship.  More worshipers in fast growing PC(USA) churches than in the random sample of PC(USA) churches “always” or “usually” experience the following in worship: a sense of God’s presence (80% of worshipers in fast growing congregations, compared to 76% in the random sample); inspiration (78%; 74%); awe or mystery (25%; 20%).  In fast growing PC(USA) congregations, fewer worshipers experience boredom (29% experience it “always,” “usually,” or “sometimes,” compared to 35% in the PC(USA) random sample of worshipers) and frustration (26%; 30%).

The sense of belonging excels in fast growing churches.  Over half of worshipers in fast growing PC(USA) congregations (51%) feel a strong and growing sense of belonging to the congregation, while only 45% of worshipers in the random sample of PC(USA) congregations do.  Over one-third of worshipers in fast growing PC(USA) congregations (35%) participate in the activities of the congregation more now than they did two years ago, compared to 30% of worshipers in the random sample of PC(USA) churches.  The importance of worshipers’ sense of belonging should not be underestimated.  After giving up on church for a decade in early adulthood, author and speaker Christian Piatt names the sense of belonging he found in a church community as one of the main reasons he began attending church again.  

Worshipers in fast growing PC(USA) churches experience congregational life differently when compared to worshipers in typical PC(USA) congregations.  In an upcoming blog post we will talk about two more characteristics of fast growing PC(USA) churches that really set them apart from the crowd: empowering leadership and a future-oriented focus.