The Re-Sorting of Church Congregations

TEASER

Hey, I've got something to talk about today that's going to change the complexion of a lot of churches over the next little while, and if you give me a few minutes to explain, I think you're going to find yourself thinking about for a while. 

 Generally speaking, there are two types of people that will visit and/or eventually join your church. Some people are seeking Jesus for the first time, and some people are seeking a new place to worship. In church circles, we often talk about this in terms of new growth and transfer growth. And as I'm sure you already know, people choose a church for many different reasons.  

When established Christians look for somewhere new to worship, they're seeking some combination of programming and theology that fits with what they already believe.

When a new Christian or someone seeking faith starts going to church, it's usually with a friend, so what they're looking for is a safe place to consider their spiritual life, and they're not as worried about the other stuff quite yet. 

And churches are used to these groups and generally know how to handle them. But, there's another group that's emerging. And that's a group of Christians that will be re-sorting themselves throughout churches based on recent events.

You might have noticed already that some Christians have started moving from congregation to congregation fueled by the pandemic. That's going to mean a lot of moves that come with big feelings and strong opinions. And churches will be on both ends of this. People might leave their church because they are upset, leaving you sad. But others may join your church because they were upset, leaving you with expectations. 

And I think church staffs and elders need to be talking about this and preparing for it now. 

 So in this episode, we're going to discuss congregation members moving from place to place and how that will affect the dynamics and leadership of your church. Let's get started right now. 

INTRO

Hey there, and welcome. My name is Mike, and I'm a Church Helper. And my goal today is to help your church make every decision on purpose. If you like what you hear today and think it can help someone else, please share this episode with someone and make sure you like and subscribe to the Podcast and our Youtube Channel. 

CONTENT 

In this episode, we'll talk about something happening in the church right now. It's not likely something you've named, or you're talking too much about, but I think you should be. It's the resorting of Christians among churches based on the outcomes and cultural shifts of the pandemic. And it's fascinating.  

Recently, Ed Stetzer, a pastor and cultural commentator, talked about how this is happening, and it hit a chord for me. Here's what he said 

(in regards to re-gathering the church)

 "And the question is, who's coming back and how many people are coming back? And I think some of that question is there's a great resorting going on…."

"So people have left this church because they required masks and went to this church that didn't, but then this church over here did mention the name George Floyd or … or wherever else may be in that city or context. And those people were attracted to that church because of that, other people left th  at church. So we're in this great resort that's going on right now. And it's mainly driven by cultural currents rather than gospel fidelity. And I think ultimately this is new for leaders." 

Church leaders are used to people coming and going from churches for various reasons. I'm sure that every leader has had a conversation with someone about why they left here to go there. What's different this time is that a series of shared experiences that everyone views differently is causing these moved to happen simultaneously. I've seen this happen before on a denominational level, where maybe a whole denomination changes their theology and people come or go - but we're talking about all churches - and what's so fascinating. 

As Stetzer says, you'll likely have people who were part of your church for years but are now disgruntled or leaving because of your stance on vaccines or a social issue. And now you as a leader feel rejected and hurt, and they felt hurt, and nobody is quite sure how to respond. 

On the flip side, you're going to have people who join your church in the next 12 months for that exact reason. They got upset about something their church did or didn't do and left to come to you. And because of that, whether you asked for it or not, they've put expectations on what they think your church is. And you know it's going to come up right away because when someone asks "what made you come here," you're going to hear the whole story. And in the same way that before you felt hurt that someone left, now you're going to feel like you want those new folks to have a great experience.     

And all this, whether you talk about it or not, will affect your ministry.

 Three Questions Your Team Should Ask 

So how do you start the conversation about this topic? I'm going to give you three questions, to begin with, but we've made a ten-question conversation guide specifically for you to download and bring to your team. Find the link in the descriptions below to access that guide, and have a great conversation with your leadership group.  

1) WHAT'S OUR APPROACH TO FOLKS WHO TELL US THEY LEFT THEIR OLD CHURCH BECAUSE OF A PARTICULAR SOCIAL STANCE OR VACCINE? 

 I'm not saying you should come up with a company line, but you should all be talking about the same thing. You don't want multiple staff or elders sharing different views and confusing people out of the gate. 

2) HOW ARE WE EXPLAINING OUR MISSION AND METHODS TO VISITORS OR POTENTIAL NEW MEMBERS?  

Maybe it's time to develop a "top 3 things" to mention in a new conversation. 

 3) HOW WILL WE EXPRESS EMPATHY AND STAND FIRM WHEN PEOPLE TELL US TO CHANGE WHAT WE'RE DOING OR ELSE THEY'RE GOING TO LEAVE? 

This question might be the most important of the three. Preparing for confrontation is the best way to ensure that everyone has the best chance to come out of the conversation feeling heard, and nobody says something they'll regret later. 

In closing, I'll say this. Church attendance is going to be down in the next few months, or maybe years. It's almost unavoidable. Don't be tempted to throw out your church's mission for a few more butts in seats in the short term. It's not going to be worth it and will cause you way more harm than good. Be prepared for the tough conversations, and trust that God has ordained your church to do the ministry it feels called to do.