Engaging Culture and Being Church in Tough Times

David SchoenCongregational Vitality and

Discipleship

Including material used with permission from Rick Morse, V.P. New Church Ministry, Christian Church (DOC)Church Extension © 2007All rights reserved

Holy Toll: Impact of 2008 Recession on Congregations

05

1015202530354045

Per

cent

Incomedeclined a

lot

Declined alittle

Declinedbut

rebounded

Nosignificant

change

Income hasgrown

Change in Financial Health, 2005-2010

05

101520253035404550

Per

cent

Seriousdifficulty

Somedifficulty

Tight, butwe

manage

Good Excellent

20052010

Ways the Economic Crisis Impacted Congregations

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Percent Reporting Some Impact

$ from investments

$ for mission

Salary freeze

$ for building

Hiring freeze

Staff layoffs

Major Moderate Minor

Ways the Economic Crisis Impacted Congregations

0 20 40 60 80 100

Percent Reporting Some Impact

Members unemployed

Cash requests

Counseling requests

Housing requests

Major Moderate Minor

http://www.ucc.org/news/new-report-examines-impact-of.html 

Churches are stressed today by: Financial

Difficulties Generational

Challenges Birth Rates Cultural Factors Church Changes

What does it allmean to the Church?

More generations today than ever…

Gen Z (0-11) Millennials (12-30)

Survivors (31-48) Boomers (49-65) Silents (66-83) Builders (84+)

Each generation has unique events that formed it, and a different view of life.

Dominant values and behaviors of older boomers and older groups

Whatever is right for the group is right for me Appreciate sameness (i.e. Traditional liturgy) Committee structures that are tried and true Deferred pleasure until you have what you need

to make the purchase Spirituality of place Organize as a group to form a block (tenacious

about position) Circle the wagons; get people on your team to

protect what’s important Get it done! 35% of the US

Population

Dominant behaviors of young boomers and younger groups:

Ask first, what is good for the individual Individualized style and differentiation Appreciate Difference/multiple choices Trained to look for segments of population so

that one size never fits all See themselves as the correctors of the previous

generations Spirituality of journey…find spiritual insight

wherever they are and in relationship, not primarily place

Tribal65% of the US Population

Churches didn’t use to worry about generations…

Founders

Their children

Grandchildren & families

A few transplants

Stephen Compton

Many Churches have Lost a generation or 2:

Churches do not anticipate loosing youth…(even though that has been the pattern for 40 years)

Young adults report: Relocation after college or school Difficulty in assimilation because

church style IF they visit—little generational

affinity Most mainline youth become

unchurched

Roof and McKinney

Another part of the issue is “membership orientation”

Pay dues…sign line EXPECT care, access, privilege,

control, service by staff…etc. Loses vision for a mission that

can be characterized by God’s love in Christ for the world.

It is Exclusive The post-modern world has little

interest in membership organizations

POWER SURGE, Michael Foss

The result is aging congregations

While the younger cohort equals 65% of the population, they are only on average about 30% of existing congregations

Growing Gaps in understanding

Age of Protestant Populations 18-29 30–49 50-64 65+

Total Population 20 39 25 16Total Protestants 17 38 26 20Nondenom Charismatic Churches 18 54 22 6Nondenom Evangelical Churches 19 51 22 8 Church of God in Christ 29 33 28 10Assemblies of God 14 41 33 12 American Baptist Churches 18 36 23 23 Southern Baptist Convention 13 37 27 22 African Methodist Episcopal 14 31 30 25 United Methodist Church 11 34 29 26 Ev. Lutheran Church of America 8 36 29 27 Disciples of Christ 10 33 21 35 Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod 11 32 31 26 Presbyterian Church in America 12 29 32 27 Episcopal Church in the USA 11 29 34 25 Presbyterian Church USA 8 31 30 32 United Church of Christ 11 27 34 28 Anglican Church 7 26 33 35

Another cultural factor is Population Shift:

The majority of housing in the US was built since 1970.

Population has moved to metropolitan areas

Migration to South and coasts

Population has moved away from existing congregations!

Birth Rates: Since “the pill” Anglo birth rates dropping

1960 24/1000 2000 13/1000 2002 11.7

Mainline Anglos have a very low birth-rate due to aging populations VERY Little Biological Growth!

There has been significant change in our racial-ethnic population

Racial ethnic composition of most neighborhoods has changed since 1960

Many congregations have little or no affinity with their neighbors

Racial ethnic growth must be recognized

Ethnic growth: In the next 50 years the

US Pop. Will grow by 50%. 90% of that growth will be people of color

In 2000, Hispanics became the largest racial ethnic minority

The US has the 3rd largest Spanish speaking population

By 2050 there will be no majority racial group

By 2100 Hispanics will be the largest group

Racial Ethnic Birth Rates:

African Am. 16.1 Native Am. 13.8 Asian Pac. I. 16.5 Hispanic 22.6 (Anglo 11.7)

Per 1000

Most future growth will be in Racial Ethnic congregations

Who are they, and where do they come from?(Revelation 7:14)

MissionInsite Demographics http://missioninsite.com/

flexible web based information system comprehensive socioeconomic and lifestyle data interactive mapping platform strategic information resource for ministry

Who are your Neighbors

Family Convenience

8.2 %

Family Convenience

Ministry Applications for Mosaic Lifestyle Portraits

Ministry Applications for Mosaic Lifestyle Portraits

Getting MissionInsite Info

UCC has national contract with MissionInsite 11 Conferences part of national contract Your OCWM at work.

Participants in this Webinar Go to

http://www.ucc.org/newchurch/gallup/MI-How-to-Register-UCC-National-8-09.pdf

There is also a shifting attitude towards “organized” religion

65% of the US population cannot remember a time when clergy were respected.

Denominational loyalty means nothing to most people.

The average person believes that no particular religion has claim to truth.

Shifting attitudes towards faith

9.2% 9.1% 9.0%

3.9%3.4% 3.1%

7.2%6.2%

5.5%

20.4%

18.7%17.7%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

Evangelical Mainline Catholic Total

1990, 2000 & 2004 Percentage of the Population Attending a Christian Church on Any Given Weekend

1990

2000

2004

•Since 1991 adult population in the US grew by 15%.•During that same period the unchurched population grew by 92%! 75 million US adults do not attend church 'Unchurched' Americans say church is 'full of hypocrites'  consider Christianity to be more about organized religion than about loving God and people, …“unchristian”.

Unchurched USA

New Generations – Outsiders to Christian Faith

Age % Outsiders Populationto Christianity

61+ 23% 12 Million 42-60 27% 21 Million 18-41 37% 34 Million 16-29 40% 24 Million

44 percent -- agreed that "Christians get on my nerves.“

Vast majority of young non-Christians view Christianity as anti-gay, judgmental hypocritical, unwelcoming, too political, out of touch.

But 78 percent said they would be willing to listen to someone who wanted to tell them about his or her Christian beliefs.Almost three-quarters -- 72 percent -- agreed that God "actually exists“ and an even larger percentage -- 86 percent -- said they believed they could have a good relationship with God without church involvement.

Religious beliefs

LGBT Concerns

Community Service

The urgency of our times should not be driven by our decline in the United Church of Christ.

The urgency of our times should be a new generation and population attuned to the values of our message and witness.

See Millenials reportPew Research

Urgency of our times

21st Century Culture and Church Change from Modern to Postmodern World “It’s a Whole New World” – Anthony Robinson Reason

Where moderns wanted their preachers to explain mystery, post-moderns want to experience mystery.

Optimism & Objectivity Post-moderns are not so sure that salvation is

around the corner or that ‘objective’ science and technology are our saviors. What some call ‘objective truth,’ is the interest of the powerful and privileged.”

21st Century Culture and Church Change from Modern to Postmodern World Universality & The Grand Story

Post-moderns revel in the local, indigenous and the particular. Post-moderns tend to be skeptics about this big story. Small stories, particular stories, and different versions of reality appeal to the post-modern mind. For Post-moderns Make it spiritual and experiential. Make it personal, real and authentic Make it about mission & ministry not committees Make it fit and reflect their lives

Postmodern Culture and Church

Christianity in North America has moved (or been moved) away from its position of dominance loss not only of numbers but of power and influence within society.

Rather than occupying a central and influential place, North American Christian churches are increasingly marginalized, in our urban areas they represent a minority movement It is now a truism to speak of North America as a mission

field. Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America, Edited by Darrell

Guder, the Gospel and Our Culture Network

What does it allmean to the Church?

We are all at a threshold, a ‘kairos’ moment.

It means CHANGE!It means CHANGE!

It means CHANGE!It means CHANGE!

PHYLLIS TICKLE’S basis thesis is that every 500 years, the Church goes through a rummage sale, and cleans out the old forms of spirituality and replaces it with

new ones.

Play Video

Change = OpportunityChange = Opportunity

Missional Church

“The Church exists to serve God’s Mission” Mission as Missio Dei, UCC Committee on Structure, 1992

The church of Jesus Christ is the instrument and sign of God’s mission and realm.

God’s mission is calling and sending us, the church of Jesus Christ, to be a missionary church in our own societies, in the cultures in which we find ourselves.

Being Church in the 21st Century

Missional in Purpose Get the church outside of itself

Relational in Outreach It’s all about relationships

Conversational in Witness Everyday talk of god

Web/Social Network Based

Culture & Technology

It’s all free and at your fingertipsIt’s all free and at your fingertips

Engaging Online Audiences

Connecting new audiences online Church Website

Invitational Interactive Messaging E.newsletter Links

Facebook Church fanpage Your own Links Advertising

Engaging new Technology

E-mail Blasts Daily Devotional

Twitter You Tube Webinars Go To Meetings Apps

Resources for Missional Congregations

Vitality Resources on www.ucc.org/vitality “It’s a Whole New World” Anthony Robertson http://www.ucc.org/vitality/ready-set-grow/kn

ow-community-culture/its-a-whole-new-world.html

Vitality Interviews Vitality Powerpoint - Retreat Resources

www.ucc.org/vitality/retreat-resources/ MissionInsite demographics http://www.ucc.org/newchurch/gallup/MI-How

-to-Register-UCC-National-8-09.pdf

Being Church in the 21st Century

Missional in Purpose Get the church outside of itself

Relational in Outreach It’s all about relationships

Conversational in Witness Everyday talk of god

Web/Social Network Based

What have you learned today?How does it impact your ministry?How will you use this information?

Thank You! Thank you for your vital leadership and

stillspeaking voice Thank you! Your financial support is

Changing Lives: That’s Our Churches’ Wider Mission