Beyond the Ordinary

Learning From the Strengths of Growing Presbyterian Churches

By Cynthia Woolever

What can we learn from fast-growing churches—those in the top 3% across the denomination in numerical growth?[i]

We compared growing PC(USA) churches (117 growing churches and their 8,000 worshipers participated in the U.S. Congregational Life Survey) with a random sample of more than 500 Presbyterian churches and their 40,555 worshipers. The results are enlightening.

Building on strength. Using worshipers’ survey responses, we studied ten congregational strengths in both types of Presbyterian churches. Guess what? The average strength scores are higher in growing PC(USA) churches than in other typical PC(USA) churches—on seven strengths! 

Here are the seven areas where growing Presbyterian churches outdistanced other churches.

• Growing spiritually—more worshipers in growing churches say they are growing in their faith and feel the congregation meets their spiritual needs.
• Meaningful worship—more worshipers in growing churches experience God’s presence, joy, inspiration, and awe in worship services and feel worship helps them with everyday life.
• Sense of belonging—more worshipers in growing churches feel a strong sense of belonging and say most of their closest friends attend the congregation.
• Caring for children and youth—more worshipers in growing churches report satisfaction with the children and youth program and more have children living at home who also attend there.
• Welcoming new people—more worshipers in growing churches began attending in the past five years.
• Empowering leadership—more worshipers in growing churches feel the congregation’s leaders inspire others to action and take into account worshipers’ ideas.
• Looking to the future—more worshipers in growing churches feel committed to the congregation’s future vision and are excited about the congregation’s future.

 

Other aspects of church vitality. Growing Presbyterian churches are indistinguishable from other churches in the denomination in two other areas of church life:

• Focusing on the community—similar percentages of worshipers are involved in social service or advocacy activities and work to make their community a better place to live.
• Sharing faith—similar percentages of worshipers are involved in evangelism activities and invite friends or relatives to worship.

The typical Presbyterian church actually scores higher than growing churches in one dimension of church life—participating in the congregation. Attending worship, participating in other church activities, and giving to the church are part of what it means to be Presbyterian! Churches with many new worshipers need to spend time helping these newcomers learn what it means to be fully part of a faith community.

Presbyterian congregations of all sizes and shapes show great strength and vitality! When congregations identify and build on their strengths, they become more vital in the present and more focused on the future. In turn, new worshipers want to be part of that present and embrace that future, and long-time members renew their commitment to the congregation’s mission.     

What are your congregation’s strengths? Compare your congregation to the national average, to the Presbyterian average, or to the average of growing or new Presbyterian churches by taking a snapshot of your worshipers. Your congregation can take part in the U.S. Congregational Life Survey to learn more about who worships there and what they value, to identify your congregation’s strengths, to deal with change whether your congregation is growing or declining, to get ready to call a new pastor, or to renew or update your strategic plan.

Call 800-728-7228, ext. 2040 to get information about using the U.S. Congregational Life Survey in your congregation, or see the section titled “Survey Your Congregation” on our website (www.USCongregations.org).

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[i] The initial sample identified the 345 fastest-growing congregations within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Those 345 congregations represent about 3% of the more than 11,000 Presbyterian churches across the country.

² Higher scores indicate greater congregational strength in that area. Strength scores are calculated using the combined responses of all worshipers in each congregation. With the exception of “welcoming new people,” strength scores combine responses to several related questions. Questions with different response scales make up each overall strength score, so it is inappropriate to compare scores from one strength to another.

Back to Church Sunday: Six New Strategies Announced

By Cynthia Woolever

Fewer worshipers today say they attend worship services on a weekly basis than did just a decade ago. In our 2001 research of worshipers attending congregations in a national random sample, we found that 83% came to worship services “usually every week” or “more than once a week.” That number dropped to 76% in our most recent national study.[i] Much of that decline is among Catholic worshipers. However, these percentages reflect people who were attending a worship service on the day of the survey. In reality, less than 22% of the U.S. population report attending worship services any given week.[ii]  

Over the course of an average month, the percentage of worshipers in attendance at all weekend services is less than the percentage a decade ago. The average church in the United States now has fewer than 100 people attending worship services. 

So, how can pastors and members address this trend in declining church attendance? One answer comes from information about how people find a new congregation. The U.S. Congregational Life Survey asked worshipers who began attending their congregation in the past five years how they first found out about the church before they visited. The biggest draw? A personal invitation! Almost half of visitors came for the first time because someone invited them.
One way your congregation can be effective in inviting others is by participating in National Back to Church Sunday. National Back to Church Sunday is a tool your congregation can use to join with thousands of other churches across the country to invite visitors to church on September 16, 2012. The Back to Church website provides numerous resources and tools to help you get started. Over 14,000 congregations are expected to participate!

How many visitors will your congregation have that day? That depends. Look at ways of using Facebook, Twitter, your website, sending news releases to your local paper, posting announcements in local grocery stores and hair salons. You might even issue an old-fashioned printed invitation – unless that’s too retro for your church. Of course, as our research shows, the best way of is all—invite a friend!

National Back to Church Sunday is sponsored by LifeWay Research.

Other resources:

• Myths and Facts About Evangelism and Church Growth
• How to Attract First-Time Worship Visitors

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[i] Mark Chaves, “The Decline of American Religion?” Guiding Paper Series, Association of Religion Data Archives (http://www.thearda.com/rrh/papers/guidingpapers/Chaves.asp). Also, see Cynthia Woolever and Deborah Bruce, A Field Guide to U.S. Congregations (second edition; Louisville, KY: Westminister John Knox Press), 115.  

[ii] C. Kirk Hadaway and Penny Long Marler, “How Many Americans Attend Worship Each Week? An Alternative Approach to Measurement,” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 44, no. 3 (2005): 307-22.

How Much Do Growing Presbyterian Churches Reach Out? Let Us Count the Ways!

By Cynthia Woolever

The fastest-growing Presbyterian churches exhibit an outstanding ability to reach out to their members, potential worshipers, and people in need. Think of these churches as having more tentacles than the most gregarious octopus! Comparing growing PC(USA) congregations to a random sample of PC(USA) churches reveals the reach of their tentacles.

More growing churches than others reach out to, communicate with, and involve members in these ways:

• Use a church website to communicate with worshipers
• Use email to communicate with worshipers
• Invite new members to serve in the church (help in worship, for example)
• Invite new members to join a group (fellowship group, Sunday school, or others)
• Invite new members to serve in the community
• Offer a group or course for new members

 
More growing churches than others reach out to potential new members in these ways:

• Offer more than one worship service weekly
• Started a new worship service in past year
• Send letter to recent visitors
• Send email to recent visitors
• Phone recent visitors
• Maintain a user-friendly website

 
More growing churches than others reach out to people in need by:

• Offering emergency relief
• Offering counseling or support groups
• Offering programs for children and youth
• Offering arts, music, or cultural programs
• Offering health programs
• Offering leisure activities
• Offering hobby or craft groups
• Transporting people to worship
• Sponsoring a mission trip (in the past year), sending members to help people in need
• Allowing community groups to use their facilities

 
The top 23. Growing churches multiply their impact by multiplying their methods. We’ve found 23 different strategies that expand their mission and ministries. Review the many efforts in the lists above that growing churches use to connect with worshipers and those outside their doors. Can your congregation consider undertaking one or more of these to increase your reach?