Blogs
On Robert Putnam’s Bowling Alone
In today’s blog, Church Development notes how there might be more of a need for the social aspect of the church than in years past.
I remember logging onto my email account years ago and reading the headline, “New Study Finds That Real Friends are Closer Than Online Friends.” I immediately started laughing, because we don’t really need a study to tell us that obvious truth, do we?
Well, unfortunately, as a society we do.
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Maybe it’s just the ease of technology or a number of changing social factors, but most people would agree we support an isolationist culture. You can go to school online, work online, date online—none of which requires interacting in-person. Don’t get me wrong; my smartphone is a lifesaver when I’m on the go, but if I didn’t have anyone who could literally get in my face, I’d be in big trouble.
Robert D. Putnam felt the same way. In 1995 he wrote an article called “Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital”—centered on the notion that the number of people bowling had gone up, yet the number of those bowling in leagues had gone down. Five years later, Putnam put out a 500+ page book expanding on the same topic. The bottom line:
USA Today Interactive Map: Topography of U.S. Faith
It's a little older now (2008), but USA Today released an interactive map of the topography of faith in the U.S. that's well worth a look: http://www.usatoday.com/news/graphics/pew-religion-08/flash.htm
Of note:
On Mother's Day: Kate Samperi
“Before becoming a mother I had a hundred theories on how to bring up children. Now I have seven children and only one theory: love them, especially when they least deserve to be loved.” ~Kate Samperi
List of Forums to Invite Shared Decision Making
Church Development shares some potential forums to invite your church into shared decision making.
In wrapping this series on the importance of involving your church in decision making, I wanted to share some common forums we recommend to embrace this process:
1. Town Hall Meetings
The easiest time and place to hold a town hall meeting to discuss where you’re heading as a church is in your worship space right after service. Put the event in your announcements a couple weeks ahead of time, then promote it the Sunday of, that right after church you’ll have a 15-30 minute town hall meeting on the church’s present state and future goals.
I’ll let you know now that 50% of your church will bolt for the door, but for the ones that stay, it’s important to have a basic agenda with lots of room to receive comments. I recommend that someone take notes on a notepad easel. Pass around a microphone, guide people along if need be, and, pastors, close with something along the lines of, “Thanks for staying and sharing your opinions on where you’d like to ahead as a church. This isn’t a democracy, but we value your views.”
Addressing Pastor Concerns Over Shared Decision Making
Church Development addresses pastor concerns in involving the congregation in decision making and shares a few more statistics on the giving levels of participative and non-participative churches.
I’ve been covering the importance of involving your congregation in decision making, but there’s one important aspect I haven’t addressed: Many pastors are reluctant to open up decision making without restrictions.
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And really, can you blame them? If there’s one thing we can conclude about the historical church it’s this: The church argues and divides over seemingly just about anything. Don’t believe me? A pastor once told me that someone left his church because of the lighting. It wasn’t an issue of eye sensitivity or that the church was putting evil subliminal messages in the light colors; this person just didn’t like the lighting and then left the church over the issue.
Yeah.
So if the church argues about so many things, you can see why your average pastor wouldn’t want to open up to that level of punishment. Given the demographics of this blog, you might even be that average pastor, so I’m going to spend the rest of this blog talking to you.
How Shared Decision Making Helps Your Church
Church Development shares the thinking behind involving church members in decision making.
In my last post, I shared statistics on how involving people in your church is one of the top factors that influences giving, and how the lack of engagement is the most common reason people cite for leaving the Catholic Church (and really every church). However, there are several other benefits to involving members in the decision making in your church. These include:
1. Awareness of the issues at hand
Quick Stats: More Church Programs Translate to More Giving
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In quick stats, Church Development takes a statistic and applies to the current state of church giving. Today's blog covers how programs and congregational involvement influence giving in American churches.
If you’ve got a good church, you know there’s a difference between attending church and attending your church. Somewhere along the way, you got involved and took ownership. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that congregational involvement in decision making is a key component of stewardship.
Money Matters: Personal Giving in American Churches noted that:
Success Stories: Pleasant Valley Baptist Church
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In success stories, Church Development shares how we've helped churches reach their giving goals. Today’s church—Pleasant Valley Baptist in Liberty, Missouri—turned an unfortunate bill into a memorable memento that helped increase their giving.
In the last blog I mentioned how doodads (inexpensive token reminders) increase giving by 10-20%. Pleasant Valley Baptist Church in Liberty, MO, had the unfortunate dilemma of having a large tree blow over in their parking lot. Instead of grumbling at the cost of removal, the pastor walked into church that Sunday and announced, “The Lord has provided the raw material for our capital campaign thank you gift!”
Quick Stats: Doodads/Premiums Increase Giving by 10-20%
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In quick stats, Church Development takes a statistic and applies to the current state of church giving. Today's blog covers how doodads—refrigerator magnets, pens, bookmarks, etc.—increase giving in capital campaigns.
Although I’ve mentioned before the importance of having reminders of what God has done/is doing, I wanted to share the statistics of how much giving increases when a church gives away doodads. By “doodads” I mean anything that’s an inexpensive token reminder of the church and its mission. These include pens, refrigerator magnets with the church goal tagline, bookmarks listing the church prayer, etc. The official name for doodads is "premiums" -- they're used by every industry as a thank you gift that carries the product brand (even if it's odd to think of your church that way).
An Association of Fundraising Professionals study revealed that:
Free Highlands Ranch, Colorado Workshop This Week (4/25)
These same tactics were used by Grace Presbyterian to help raise capital for the new building we're meeting in. Come and find out how to improve your annual campaign.
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