Congregational Renewal: NOT for Sissies! Internal / External Balance

The Rev. Dr. Bishop Will Willimon blessed us with wisdom at our last Ignite the Spark! A robust gathering of Presbyterians listened, reflected and discussed a variety of topics together, and the meta-narrative of Bishop Willimon’s message to us was this: Congregational renewal is not for sissies! It takes devotion and conviction, creativity and sensitivity, a willingness to risk and a tolerance to fail (but try, try again):

We are better at creating stability, consistency and seniority more than creativity, innovation and ministry." What are the risks we are willing to take? What adventure are we willing to seek? Start small, don't wait for everyone to agree, and don't be afraid to fail.

Beginning with Jesus’ Great Commission to the Church in Matthew 28:16-20, Bishop Willimon challenged us to look in the mirror of our own practice to answer the question: What is our internal / external balance?
As an itinerant worship in Presbyterian churches in Arizona and New Mexico, I was particularly moved by this question. Almost everyone believes their church is a friendly church but the question must be answered, “Friendly to whom?” To those we already know? To our friends we sit near every week and with whom we share coffee after worship or regularly attend lunch together? More pointedly, are we friendly to those who look and sound like the majority of the congregation? My experience is that virtually every, single, congregation conveys warmth and care to one another, just not always to the stranger in your midst.

To be certain, there are plenty of churches where, when I show up among congregants who do not subscribe to this newsletter and so don’t know what I look like, I am greeted, welcomed and, occasionally, engaged in conversation or invited to share a cup of coffee. But there are too many weeks when I am utterly anonymous until I find the pastor or lay leader who will show me where I am to sit or help get me mic’ed up. Now, after worship folks are quite warm and welcoming because we have connected through my leading worship, but all this makes me wonder about our guests who are attending our services – what is their experience?

Readers of this newsletter know I am a proponent of getting beyond our church walls to engage in our communities. However, for churches seeking new vitality and increased energy, not to mention new members, there is no better opportunity than to be intentional in creating “radical hospitality” for those whom God is bringing to our front door. In discussion as small groups, my three favorite ideas for being intentional in our hospitality were these:

·         Recruit extroverts to roam around the parking lot, fellowship hall and sanctuary as shepherd-greeters to offer welcome: use extroverts’ God given talents as a spiritual gift and keep your introverts at the door to hand out the bulletins.

·         Make sure there are folks in the parking lot prepared to help the elderly and parents of young children, especially single parents, as they make their way to the church. Such encounters are also a great time to engage folks in friendly conversation.

·         Look at your church through a guest’s eyes: is it clear where to go and what to do? If you have been at your church for too long to see it with new eyes, try visiting a couple of other churches to experience what being the “newbie” feels like!

So many ideas, so much opportunity,

Brad Munroe