Chapter Ten

  Jeff's experiment

What does “Breaking the 150/200 Barrier” look like in practice?

How do you find those who have “Broken the 150/200 Barrier”?

Yearbooks, that's how.

Good news and bad news . . .

•Between 1990 & 2000, almost 20% of Disciples churches showed meaningful growth. Looking specifically at churches already bigger than 85 average worship attendance (AWA) which grew to 150 AWA or larger, I found about half a dozen each in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and a few other regions.

•Between 2000 & the present, I found . . . None. Zero.

•“The In-Between Church” was written in 1997; Alice Mann’s work was valid.

Good news within the bad news

•There ARE growing churches out there . . . However.

•Since 2000, if a church has shown any amount of significant growth, one of three things (or two, or all three) are true:
  + It’s a New Church Plant
  + They built a new worship center/sanctuary
  + They are entirely contemporary worship style

•Greatest growth area: Hispanic congregations (not just among Disciples)

Very bad news

•I could find, among Disciples, only three congregations that have grown to or past the 150 barrier that

•A) Didn’t have one of those three factors going for it, and

•B) Wasn’t once MUCH bigger (so, a church that reported 800 AWA in 1972 which had gone to 110 AWA in 2000 and is currently 180 AWA is a different kettle of fish)

•All of them are located in Powell/Orange type areas; growth came to them.

The dilemma

Our options

•Encourage developers to radically invest in and transform the neighborhood in which we sit, displacing current residents and bringing in large numbers of families and children.

•Moving the physical plant to a more growth-friendly location.

•Figure out what God has put us here to do, and prayerfully look at whether and how much longer God wants us here for.

•We were on Sixth St. for ten years; Fourth St. for 52; here for 68 thus far.

Pastoral leadership options

•Since George Crites, there’ve been 20 senior ministers at this church.

•The average tenure of a senior minister here is 6.6 years.

•Of those, four of the first six got married while serving here;

•Of the middle nine, six went directly or after another pastorate into regional/general work;

•The last serving minister whose wife had a child during their time here was John Updegraff; that child is planning her retirement . . .

•Of the last six, four concluded their ministry from this pulpit, and the other two served only one other church before retirement.

•Over the last 75 years, the average age of departing senior ministers has been 58 years old.

So . . .

If demographics & statistics are destiny . . .

•The senior minister should retire, and the congregation have a two/two and a half year interim period, during which savings will accrue (cf. 2014 board report), and the entire church goes through a re-set of expectations.

AND/OR

•The congregation should start planning now to close out our operations as a church on or around 2035.

IF, that is, demographics & statistics are destiny.

What if God has a reason for us to be here.

•Medical Loan Closet

•Ramp Ministry

•Mission Team

•Salvation Army partnerships

•Housing Coalition, Jail Ministry, Coalition of Care . . .

ALMOST ALL OF THOSE DID NOT EXIST BEFORE 1990, OR EVEN 2000.

Which means in 2035 . . .

•Medical Loan Closet

•Ramp Ministry

•Mission Team

•Salvation Army partnerships

•Housing Coalition, Jail Ministry, Coalition of Care . . .

By 2035, they all may not exist, but so what? We did it before, we can do it again.

"To glorify God & better humanity"

"Serving God's transformation of Licking County"

“Look to the fruit”

~ Beth Moore

~ Luke 6:43-45 (NKJV)

A strategic plan on seven pillars for looking to 2070.