I reported to the July voters' assembly about some of the main items from the Iowa District West convention last August.  In addition to those items the essayist for the convention was Rev. Dr. Robert Scudieri, Associate Executive director to our nation mission board.  He is over North American missions. A part of his presentation concerned the life of a congregation and I think this can be instructive for us at St. Paul.

 

WARNING:  This article describes what often happens NOT what must happen.

 

Typically a congregation grows for the first 20 years and at about 25 years, worship attendance plateaus.  

 

Dr. Scudieri described what is the common life cycle of a congregation.  He did this using four characteristics of

congregations.   He abbreviated these with V, R, P, and M.

V -- Vision/Leadership/Mission

· The current understanding of God's ideal future for the local congregation.   What is our goal and purpose.

R -- Relationships/Discipleship

· Informal processes whereby people of God are brought to faith in Jesus and relate together to preserve the truth of God's Word and to bring the love of God to others who do not know Him.  We are excited to visit before and after worship and when we get together during the week.

P -- Programs/Services/Activities

· Formal way congregations organize to maintain the truth of God's Word and bring God's love to each other and to those around them.  Committees, Council, Buffet Supper, Sunday School teachers and  programs, Choir.

M -- Management/Accountability

· The formal way resources in a congregation are managed and decisions are made.  Making and keeping the budget,

taking care of the physical plant, managing the sound system.

 

He went on to anthropomorphize a congregation comparing its life cycle that that of a person.   In the outline below the

capital letter indicates that characteristic is dominant.  Lower case letters indicate that characteristic is of lesser emphasis. 

 

Every congregation does not have to follow through these steps. IT TAKES A LOT OF WORK TO KEEP ALL THE ASPECTS OF CONGREGATIONAL LIFE ALIVE.  

Notice that the first thing to fall in the demise of a congregation is the Vision and leadership and the last thing to go is the management.

 

At our council meetings and congregational meetings we touch on all these aspects of our life as a congregation.   It seems like

Management and Programs pull like gravity and would dominate our every meeting and discussion if we let them. 

 

It takes special effort for us to remind our -selves about developing a Vision for the future and to stay in mission to our

community. Those who serve on the action team, call committee, evangelism committee or human services committee have

especially worked at keeping these aspects of our congregational life alive.  We thank God for those who work and struggle with Visioning and leadership. 

THANK YOU.