a church in transition to growth

the need to call elders and deacons

introduction 

It has come to my attention, and this will surprise you as much as it did me, that we are almost in the category of those churches who need to be closed. Under section 29c of the Churches of Christ in NSW Incorporation Act, our Conference executive is authorized to direct the Property Trust trustees to transfer to Conference the property of congregations whose membership has been reduced to less than 20- persons. Our congregation size, by my estimate, is 30-40 persons.

Add to this the fact that, other than the initial growth associated with my installation as your new minister, our congregation has not grown in 2 years. We’ve had visitors, but almost none have visited a second time.

Of course, other congregations struggle with growth as well. Calvin Ratz, in an article published in Leadership magazine, offers the following insights:

A study by the White House Office of Consumer Affairs [in the U.S.] indicates that 96 percent of dissatisfied business customers never take their complaints to the offending company. In other words, for every complaint a company hears, twenty-four complaints are never received. The study’s most frustrating finding, however, is that each of those dissatisfied customers will tell an average of ten friends about the problem. People who attend church aren’t much different.

I know the reasons some people stick with our church. Those who’ve stayed tell me about the friendliness, the opportunities for ministry, and the sense of God’s presence in the services. But how do we find out why others never return? Moreover, those who don’t return are the worst advertisements for our church in the community.

Track records in getting first-timers back for a second visit aren’t good. One pastor of a church that works meticulously to follow up visitors and who even has a secretary assigned to help integrate newcomers, says perhaps 2 to 3 percent of first-timers ever return. Most of us think we’re doing better than that, but we probably aren’t.

Therefore, our lack of growth is not really abnormal —the fact that we have maintained our congregation size is certainly better than decline— but there is definitely a need for intentional improvement to overcome this plateau, especially since we have been on this plateau for decades. I grieve for our congregation and would like to help you to transition into a growing congregation.

The fact that this congregation has remained at this size for decades begs comment. It seems as if there was a challenge to the stability of this congregation in the past. In response, you formed an image of what you wanted this congregation to be like and have worked very hard to remain a family chapel ever since. Now, I come along, a new minister who looks younger than he really is, and who very obviously has a different image of what a Christian community should consist. My teaching and my decisions challenge your image, especially as I have not been committed to the same programs and ideas for which you have worked so hard. This fortress mentality has arisen particularly strongly in response to the recent cancellation of our evening services. Some have interpreted this decision as a ‘step backward’, as an admittance of failure, as a sign of our eventual closure. The only consolation that I can offer is that when something is allowed to die, new seeds can be planted, which, if cared for with as much dedication as the image of a family chapel has been afforded, will yield a harvest of growth. Will you trust me to plant new seeds? Of course not, unless I can convince you of a different image for this congregation towards which we can collectively aspire.

To this end, let us consider together the biblical perspective on the qualities of authentic Christian community and then consider what we need to do, or to stop doing, to help us begin to look like such a community.

ephesians 4:1-16

In our reading from the apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, we discovered that Christian unity is based on seven biblical facts:

1.     There is one body (4:1–4a): Christ’s body.

2.     There is one Spirit (4:4b): The Holy Spirit.

3.     There is one hope (4:4c): Eternal life.

4.     There is one Lord (4:5a): The triune God.

5.     There is one faith (4:5b): The Christian faith.

6.     There is one baptism (4:5c): The baptism of the Spirit into Christ’s body.

7.     There is one God and Father (4:6): The heavenly Father.

Therefore, Christians are united, worldwide and eternally, in their acceptance of and belief in and commitment to these seven biblical facts. Our beliefs, our values, and our lifestyle are shaped by and reflective of these facts.

As with any special interest club, Christians gather together to celebrate these facts; in fact, we are encouraged to gather together by the writers of the New Testament. There is a big difference, however, between a congregation that gathers together and a community that gathers together. A congregation “gathers for worship and religious instruction”, while a community is a “unified body of individuals with common interests”. In other words, a community is a united congregation, united in their celebration of these facts, but also to so much more.

It is the Spirit of God who unites a community of faith through her gifts to believers (4:7–11) and her goal for believers (4:12–16). These gifts, of which the apostle Paul writes, are apostles (:11a), prophets (:11b), evangelists (:11c), as well as pastors and teachers (4:11d). These gifts are people, they are leaders. Even though Jesus promised to “be with us always”, one way he does so is through the people he calls to perform specific ministry amongst his people, a ministry that guides us towards a goal.

What is that goal? Jesus’ goal for believers is that they be “equipped for the work of ministry” (:12), that they be mature in “the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God” (:13), and that they be settled in the same (:14–16). The journey of faith is fraught with obstacles (:14), which too easily distract us from the goal. Maturity in our faith overcomes those obstacles as we pass through them and bring glory to God. The apostle Paul is clearly indicating that maturity in faith is realised, not individually, but in community with others.

All the aspects defining a community of faith are identified here: worship (:1-6), mission (:7-12), and discipleship (:13-16). In our reading from Acts, we discovered that when communities accomplish these goals, “day by day the Lord [adds] to their number those who [will be] saved”. Is that not a vision to which we aspire?

Yes we do. We have a statement of vision which appropriately address all of these necessary areas:

Hurstville Church of Christ is a Christian community that aspires to be dynamic, transforming, and missional.

However, we will only qualify as a legitimate “Christian community” when we actually commit to these goals in equal measure. Sadly, I must admit that I do not believe that we have committed to them equally, thus I do not believe that we are achieving these goals. One hindrance has been our previous commitment to providing two public services of worship. With our small congregation size and few volunteers, committing to two services has not been successful and has prevented us from being equally committed to mission and to discipleship. We are certainly making gains towards developing a mission, but our discipleship is sorely lacking.

Despite the pain that the Ministry Team’s decision has caused to some among us, cancelling our evening public worship will create space for our congregation to unite as a community. To this end, starting in February, we will be organising a fellowship meal on the third Sunday of each month. We will also be extensively developing our spiritual formation ministries so as to facilitate greater fellowship, mutual accountability, and spiritual growth this year. As we worship, if we are inspired to unite in the mission to which God uniquely calls us and also discipline ourselves to let the Holy Spirit transform us in our holiness, we will become a magnetic community of faith —our neighbours will want to know for themselves the God who so fills us to overflowing with love and goodwill towards all.

It is one thing to have such a plan for the future, it is another thing altogether to call the right leaders who will help us to realise these dreams. In three weeks, we will meet together for our Annual General Meeting. At that meeting we will elect persons, from among our congregation, to the positions of either elder or deacon. We need such leaders to represent the congregation and to lead us into a state of growth, to commit to our stated vision and mission and values, to commit to a process through which we will become a community after God’s own heart.

response

So, let us together now pray: 1) that God will reveal who amongst us are the ones that he has prepared and shaped to be an elder or deacon, who he is giving to us, as a gift, to lead us; and, 2) that God will reveal whether he is calling you personally to step into either of these roles. There are important decisions to make and directions to discern in the year ahead. I will not promise you that either the role of elder or deacon is an easy role. They are commitments to represent this congregation faithfully and to work in and with this congregation towards united worship, mission, and discipleship. But, God equips those he calls. Do not be afraid to follow the lead of the Spirit.

Let us pray ...

sermon delivered by Ian Forest-Jones
at Hurstville Church of Christ
on Sunday, 21 January 2007 at 10am
[email]

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