Becoming a Great Church

Without a vision, the people perish.

-Proverbs 29: 18

Recently, our Administrator John Mercer and our Finance Committee Chairman Bill Heenehan attended a meeting of mid-sized churches in the Massachusetts Bay District to discuss financial matters related to fundraising. One of the representatives of the Bedford Unitarian Universalist congregation made the statement that while he felt he belonged to a pretty darn good church, he was hoping before he died to belong to "a great church."

This morning I would like us to begin thinking about what a great church might look like, and about how we might get there. As you may or may not know, our congregation is about to embark on a visioning process that we hope will set the course for our church for at least the next several years. The last time that we undertook such a process, one of the results was the new space that we have created beneath this lovely old meeting house. I think most of us would agree that this has been a wonderful enhancement to our overall program here at the First Religious Society and, further, that it has probably changed our image of ourselves as a congregation for the better.

That’s a pretty tangible result of vision work! We’re not sure where this next round of visioning will take us, but I think that those of us who have been in on the initial conversation about the process all have a sense that there is a great untapped potential in our congregation. That great untapped potential, I should not forget to add, is you! What would you like to see our church become in the next five years? What are the issues most important to you? What is most sacred?

Over the last ten years our congregation has increased from around 240 members to 350, not counting children. Sunday attendance is up dramatically. Our Young Church school has seen a corresponding increase in participation. Our staff has grown. But the question which has been on my mind for the last several years during this remarkable period of growth has been, "How shall we assimilate all of these new people?" How do we bring them--how do we bring you--from the fringes of our community, into full participation in our church?

Because now that you are here, we don’t want to lose you! As I have said on many occasions, we need your time, talent, and treasure if we are to become a truly "great church." We want to get to know you. We also know that we sometimes don’t do such a great job of that. Often people come and go before we have really had a chance to get meet them. What would it take for us to bring you in? What would it take for us to become a great church?

Several years ago, the Alban Institute, a church "think tank," published a little book entitled "The Inviting Church." It was one of the first books which looked directly at the issue of new member assimilation in religious institutions. The authors, well known church consultants Roy M. Oswald and Speed B. Lees, concluded that,

. . .the factors . . . that helped most with the attraction, introduction, and inclusion of new members into the life of the congregation were a positive identity, congregational harmony, the pastor’s ability to generate enthusiasm, the congregation’s involvement in social action or social service, [and] small group programming.

The first factor which Oswald and Lees identify is having a positive identity. It is my sense, based on our growth during the last several years, that the First Religious Society has a pretty positive identity in Newburyport and the surrounding communities. I think that we are positively identified as a theologically liberal religious alternative, both in our adult and children’s programming. I think that we are also positively identified as a congregation whose members are active in the community, and I suspect that our work in such as areas as gay and lesbian rights has contributed to a sense that our church is "out front" on at least some of the most pressing contemporary social issues. I have heard, and am gratified by it, that we are perceived by the community to be a very "generous" church.

All of that is good, but I must confess that I really don’t know what the basis of our positive identity--assuming that I am correct about that--actually is. One possible outcome of a visioning process will be to learn more about our identity: not only the positive aspects, but also the negative. Are we perceived as a warm congregation, or a cold one? A family congregation, or a congregation of individuals? I’m not sure we know for sure, though our recent success leads me to believe that many find us to be at least tolerably warm and welcoming. We could always do better.

The second factor which Oswald and Lees identify is "congregational harmony." One of the things that I have been most proud of during my over ten years as minister of this church has been the relatively small amount of conflict we have experienced. Very few folks have left the church in anger since I have been here. I am grateful to my predecessor, Bert Steeves, for bequeathing me such a harmonious congregation! I have always believed that folks don’t come to church to fight.

But I also recognize the truth that some conflict is probably a good thing. It means that something is happening, and if managed correctly it can often be a catalyst for positive change. Any healthy institution ought to be able to weather a certain amount of conflict, and even to grow from it.

I confess, though, that I personally don’t like conflict. It is one of my shortcomings, perhaps, that I generally prefer to avoid it. I tend to be a peacemaker rather than an instigator, and sometimes instigation is what is needed to get people moving in a positive direction.

In spite of my recognition that some conflict is ok, I guess that I still prefer harmony, and from what I have observed about our congregation, most of you do, too.

The third factor necessary in creating an "inviting church" is the minister’s ability to generate enthusiasm. I can’t vouch for that, but until folks start staying away I will assume that I am, for the most part, at least not inhibiting enthusiasm. Of course, I know that I could always be doing more, but I also recognize that I cannot be all things to all people or do it all myself. So far, I don’t seem to be getting in the way.

It’s up to you to generate some enthusiasm in those areas in which I am weak! Which is to say that I need you, that I cannot do it alone. Important though the minister of a congregation is, the minister is only part of the picture of an inviting church.

The fourth factor identified by Oswald and Lees is "the congregation’s involvement in social action or social service." While I think we have done some pretty good things over the years, and perhaps even a few great ones, I also think that this is an area in which we could always be doing, and ought to be doing, even more. In order to avoid practicing what James Luther Adams once called a "sham spirituality," we need to be actively involved in the world. We can’t simply turn inward, much as we would sometimes like to. The world desperately needs us, and the religious life is about more than just our personal needs. Indeed, our religious tradition demands that we be engaged in helping to change the world for the better.

My hope is that our visioning process will help us to identify our strengths and weaknesses so that we might begin to have a clearer picture of what it is we need to do as a congregation. As the Book of Proverbs says with truth, "Without a vision, the people perish." In order to be a truly great congregation, we need to be as actively involved in the world as we can possibly be. But we need first to know who we are, and to have a sense of what it is we are trying to accomplish. I’m not sure that we know the answer to those questions, at least not yet, at least not for our time.

Finally, an inviting church is identified as one which offers a lot of small group programming. This has been a thrust of our congregation and my ministry in recent years, as demonstrated by our much expanded adult programming and the creation of our shared ministry groups program. For a long time now, we have recognized the importance of having many small groups to which people can belong. We have recognized that as we have grown larger, it has become more difficult for folks to get to know one another, and to find a way in. We also recognize that we could be doing a much better job of this and, indeed, we must do a better job of it if we are to continue to grow and thrive and assimilate those of you who have already made the initial decision to at least check us out. What do we need to do to encourage your active participation in what we have to offer?

Lest I forget the most important factor in all of this: we need you to be involved in this process. We invite you to be a participant in helping us to create a new vision of who we are and what we are about. In fact, the only way for the process to be successful is that we have the buy-in of the most people we possibly can. There will be opportunities along the way for you to be involved and offer your input. Please take advantage of them, and help us to move closer to being the church of our dreams!

Of course, right now we have no idea where this process will take us. We hope that it will lead us toward a comprehensive strategic plan for, say, the next five years at least. We hope that once we have established what our vision is, our mission in the world will be come clearer: in what ways will our vision lead us in service toward others in the broader community?

My hope is that this process, and your participation in it, will lead us at least a few steps closer to becoming the beloved community of our dreams.

Paul Wilke, author of the book Excellent Protestant Congregations, writes of excellent congregations that

They share a vibrancy and excitement. Church is not a leisurely pastime, but rather a high adventure activity.

They give away a larger than average share to outreach efforts that serve the [wider] community.

They are not bound by tradition, but view what they are doing as part of a continuum.

They constantly look for better ways to reach out and serve people.

They constantly re-evaluate themselves by asking hard questions like, "Are we performing in a holy and honorable way?"

They do not try to be all things to all people.

They don’t try to do everything themselves, but willingly enter into partnerships that allow them to work more effectively.

They are very deliberate about taking their members to new levels, in both their spiritual journeys and their effectiveness at church.

At the Unitarian Church in Scarborough, England there is a plaque which reads:

This is my church. It is composed of people like me. We make it what it is. I want it to be a church that is a lamp to the path of pilgrims, leading them to Goodness, Truth, and Beauty. It will be if I am.

It will make generous gifts to many causes, if I am a generous giver. It will bring other people into its worship and community, if I bring them. It will be friendly, if I am. . . . It will be a church of loyalty and love, of fearlessness and faith, if I who make it what it is am filled with these.

Therefore I shall dedicate myself to the task of being all of these things I want my church to be.

May we dedicate ourselves to that task in the days to come, and may we find ourselves growing in goodness, truth, and beauty on this day, and always. Amen.

The Rev. Harold E. Babcock