by Dr. Steve McMullin
Flourishing Congregations in Atlantic Canada — Illusion and Reality When examining the health of our churches, some of us may believe it’s important to be successful and success is having a balanced budget or keeping our buildings well-maintained. Perhaps we think that having investment funds providing good financial returns means we are healthy, or that having people getting along and feeling like family is the mark of achievement. Others of us may believe our church is healthy if it is filled with “good” people, including respected professionals. There can be a tendency to measure a church’s health using worldly standards and, in my years of researching churches, I have witnessed this form of measurement often. Today, I am thankful to be a member of a flourishing congregation. However, it wasn’t always that way. When I became the pastor in the summer of 1997, many things looked good. The mortar had just been repointed and the stained-class windows were being repaired. Proceeds from the recently sold parsonage had been invested. There were talented members and there was a wonderful sense of camaraderie in the congregation. However, the leaders recognized that the congregation was in trouble. Despite how well the organization was operating, the church did not believe they were carrying out their mission. The baptistery had seen little use, few from the local neighbourhood attended the church, and the budget had been balanced by reducing ministry and outreach programs. With an aging congregation, the church knew they would eventually have to close.
Three months after I began my ministry, the invested money had been spent and money was tight. However, members voted to increase the annual budget by almost 20% so that the church could focus on outreach initiatives, believing God would provide. People began to meet for concerted prayer that the church would reach others. By year’s end, nine new believers had been baptized and welcomed as church members. During the next ten years, we never had a balanced budget and we lost many members (137 members died in those years). Yet, we fed the hungry and cared for those who needed friendship. We welcomed people with addictions and mental health challenges and dysfunctional families. We added a Community Outreach Pastor even though we didn’t know where we would get the funds to do so. There was a renewed focus on reading and studying the Bible. Nearly 200 new believers were baptized as we reached new people with the gospel, and our congregation outgrew its historic church building. During those years, we saw lives transformed, and many new families began attending. But, to do what we believed God was calling us to do, we had to trust Him to a greater extent than we had before.
Too often, I think we believe that a healthy congregation is the one that has lots of money and well-maintained buildings, as well as emotionallyhealthy members who all agree with one another. From my research, I have found that congregations like this can easily fall into patterns that lead to decline. When we feel self-sufficient and talented, there is a danger of ceasing our dependence on God and, instead, focusing inwardly. We begin to focus on what members want instead of looking at those who are in great need all around our neighbourhoods. Instead of considering what God wants (which requires faith, confidence in ... continued on page 4 Winter 2019
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