?>

Newcomers: Changes Congregations Are Facing Today

adam_hamilton

Lovett H. Weems, Jr.

A paradigm shift has been taking place in the way people enter church communities. In the old paradigm, most were already believers. They entered a church because they moved, they had come of age, or they had married and started a family. They “visited” for a short period and then joined. After becoming members, they were expected to blend into the culture of the congregation and “plug in” where needed.

What has changed?

In the new paradigm, there is no one pattern for the way people enter, engage, and join congregations. The new paradigm is characterized by a series of shifts in who are most likely to be newcomers.

Denomination. In the past, a child born into a congregation would one day likely join that church or another church of the same denomination. Someone from your denomination moving near your church would likely attend your church. Today most new members will come from other denominations or, increasingly, with no church background. Denomination matters much less today, while a church’s vision, ministries, and relationships count for far more.

Married. In the past, a key decision when a couple married was, “What church will we join?” Married couples now make up just under 50 percent of households in the U.S. for the first time since Census records have been kept. The age of marriage continues to go up. The idea that young adults are married in their 20s and early 30s and return to church no longer holds. Married people are still more likely to attend church; but of young adults between 25 and 35, just over half are single.

Married with children. In the past, even those who left church as youth and young adults would return once they had children. That pattern still occurs, but there are many fewer such families. Married couples with children under 18 living at home represented 50% of households in the 1950s; today, only 21 percent.

Neighborhood. In the past, newcomers were most likely to come from your church’s immediate neighborhood. Today, the distance people travel to church is growing greater. It is not unusual for persons to pass by several churches on the way to the place where they worship, and sometimes the churches passed by are of the same denomination as the one where they worship.

Demographics. In the past, new people coming to your church were likely to reflect the demographic profile of the members already there. Today, new people are much more likely to be different in some way from church members. The demographics of those not attending church is different in numerous ways from current church attenders in terms of age, race and ethnicity, finances, education, and marital status.

Not only is there a shift in who the newcomers are; there are changes in how they enter congregations.

In the past, people came to us. For many Protestant churches, the point of entry in the first half of the twentieth century was the Sunday school. In the second half of the century, the worship service became the first point of entry for most newcomers. The church’s goal for newcomers was membership, with the hope that giving and serving would follow for most. This process often moved fairly quickly since most new people already had church experience, frequently in the same denomination. New people understood how churches work and shared their beliefs.

Today the sequence for many is the opposite, especially for the young. Serving may be their entry point, followed by a small group and then worship. Also today, some will participate actively without joining, at least for a long while. Some may never join. They will probably not come based on thorough knowledge of our beliefs and values. That does not mean beliefs are unimportant, but rather that decisions about choosing a church are based far more on relationships and belonging.

What congregations are doing?

What does all this mean for churches as they seek to welcome newcomers? Here are some ways churches are responding to this new context.

Provide multiple entry points since fewer people come through the portal of worship. I recently asked a group of clergy to think of someone who entered their congregation in the past year. Then I asked the pastors to name the first contact that person had with their congregation. Attending a worship service was a distinct minority. More common first contacts were the church’s website, mission opportunities, small groups, and community involvement. The worship service itself will continue to be an entry point, of course, but churches that only wait for people to come will find fewer newcomers.

Treat newcomers as “guests” and not “visitors.” When newcomers are seen as guests, your focus is with them and not with you and your church. You try to look at everything from their perspective. Churches can no longer assume guests have a church or religious background, so it is important to monitor everything you do, say, and write from the perspective of guests there for the first time.

Move from church-focused to discipleship-focused. The main goal is no longer membership but discipleship. Therefore, the beginning point is always the people and their gifts, needs, and passions. This approach means a movement away from church-focused language to discipleship-focused language. Instead of conversations that begin, “Let me tell you about our church,” they are more likely to start with, “Tell me about yourself and how your spiritual journey brought you here.” Membership is more about an opportunity; discipleship is the goal. The question is not how the new people can fit in but how they can grow as disciples through your congregation. Churches that approach new people on behalf of their church instead of attending to the needs and passions of the people will find fewer interested.

Always ask, “Who is missing?” All of us like to think we know our communities well, but often we do not. We are more likely to know a part of the community. Look around. Whom do you see at the park or shopping? In what ways are these community members different from those attending your church? These are the people God has given us. No church is right for everyone, but make very sure that there are not unnecessary barriers for some to begin or continue their discipleship journey through your congregation.

Belonging is critical

In all these efforts, churches that are reaching newcomers today understand the importance of quality relationships. People are more interested in what you believe once they feel they belong. Churches are moving away from the concept of “assimilation” to engagement and relationship. Assimilation suggests new people should simply “fit in.” Such an approach deprives a congregation of the rich diversity of gifts newer people bring. If churches remember that today belonging tends to come before believing, they will not only welcome newcomers but will treat them with the dignity they deserve as children of God seeking to take their next step of discipleship.

Dr. Lovett H. Weems, Jr., is distinguished professor of church leadership and director of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC.  He came to this position in 2003 after eighteen years as president of Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Missouri.  Previously he was a local church pastor in Mississippi for many years.

Courtesy of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership. Article also available here: http://www.churchleadership.com/leadingideas/updates/131211.html