Congregations

Gene Wilson Aulenbach

As we minister in the local church, we are constantly faced with its challenges. Meetings, counseling, “oiling,” sermon preparation are an ever-present drain on time and talent. But to add to the challenge, membership roles and interest in the church seem to lessen as the “job of the ministry” demands another day in the “eight day” week. How do we spark enthusiasm? How do we overcome the apathy that surrounds the church? In the past two and a half years we at Bausman Memorial United Church of Christ have been involved in a process of “revitalizing congregational life.” As a result, our participation in worship over the past year has increased over 30%. Our program of Christian Education has experienced the same growth. In fact, there is a whole new attitude toward the church evolving as a result of this process. It is the purpose of this paper to explain the model we used in this revitalization in the hopes that other churches might experience a similar spark… the same excitement. Chapter 2 looks at its organizational design. Chapter 3 explains the attitudinal survey which receives its correction in chapter 4, the demographic survey. Chapter 5 describes a congregational survey which is designed to elicit the ideas of the people, and chapter 6, goal setting, follows directly from those ideas. Chapter 7 reviews the validation of this project by a trained interviewer to determine whether or not the process has been the major cause of growth and revitalization in the congregation.

Lisa K. Martin

Visual Art has a rich heritage in the Christian Church and provides an alternative epistemology to one that depends upon the written and spoken word. There exists a connection between attention to beauty and a commitment to justice, which both focus on God’s doxa. Yet for a variety of historical and practical reasons, visual art is sidelined in most Protestant congregations. Perhaps the solution to this lack of attention to visuality comes not from placing art in churches, but in creating art within congregations. Advocating for creating visual art in congregations requires asking whether or not visual, creative activity could meet the criteria that define and describe essential Christian practices. Using examples from seven congregations, including her own, the author explains that not only does creating visual art meet the criteria for a Christian practice, but that in the act of creating art together other Christian practices are revitalized.

Celestine Fields

This research study seeks to gain more knowledge from the experiences of Black clergy who are serving in predominantly White congregations and learn from their experiences. This research will assist Black clergy and the congregations that call us to understand what is involved when calling Black clergy to serve in a predominately White congregation. In addition, this study will investigate how positive psychology can be used when a predominately White congregation calls or desires to call a Black clergy to achieve a mission of creating a diverse multicultural congregation. [This is the complete abstract from the original work. This project includes bibliographical references.]

Andrew Missiras

The problem to be explored in this project report is the sequential aspects of establishing, developing and maintaining parish libraries as a means of creating effective networks of communication between the constituent members of a parish church. To understand the nature of the sequential aspects of establishing, developing and maintaining parish libraries, it is necessary to clarify the presuppositions which underlie the statement of the problem and its solution. The term ‘library’, as will be described in Chapter II, is understood to have a conceptual meaning that transcends any definition. ‘Library’ as a concept refers to the function of a learning resource center in a parish church. To call a church library a ‘learning’ center is predicated on the concept that the library is a place where learning happens rather than one in which learning materials are stored. Its function, then, is to advance the cause of learning by providing materials (documents, books, filmstrips, etc.) and services (answering ready reference questions, circulation of materials, etc.) to parish constituents. The emphasis here implies that the bringing of knowledge or information to the parishioner is important, not the collecting or processing of knowledge or information. The character of the parish library changes from collecting library materials to fostering learning so that the parishioner learns how to acquire information. If a parish library is understood to be a ‘learning resource’ center, the focus is on the parishioner and how he can best use the collection of books, magazines, etc. to facilitate his learning process. This is why it is important to clarify the use of the terms used in this project report.

Karin E. Pejack

This project explores how the practice of two or more Christian congregations sharing a single facility impacts the participating congregations' understanding of mission and ministry. How has the sharing experience, perhaps in surprising ways, affected the faith journeys of the congregations involved in facility-sharing? Through interviews, pastors and lay leaders of congregations involved in facility-sharing outline mission priorities of the participating congregations before and after beginning facility-sharing. Other data, such as details of preliminary agreements, interaction between/among groups, shared events and/or outreach, as well as financial benefits and liabilities for congregations sharing a facility, are collected and analyzed with an eye toward how this information reflects mission priorities and shifts in understanding of mission and ministry. This study is a qualitative accounting of congregations involved in facility-sharing in the region of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, based on a compilation of stories about their current experiences with facility-sharing.

Mack Dale Roller Jr. D.Min.

There are very few subjects in the church growth arena attracting more controversy than the subject of Multi-Site Churches (MSC). On one hand, MSCs have been touted as being successful in “reaching” more people with fewer resources, making it a very efficient and effective strategy for church growth. On the other hand, the structure of MSCs have been called into question. Some claim this movement runs wide of Baptist ecclesiology, resulting in a deluded and distorted representation of the NT teaching concerning the doctrine of the church. Southern Baptist opponents claim MSCs are a breach of Article VI of the Baptist Faith & Message 2000. The question at hand: Is it possible for one church to maintain Southern Baptist ecclesiology, particularly adhering to the BFM2000 Article VI, and adopt the MSC strategy? The research will address Southern Baptist ecclesiology from a biblical and historical perspective. An evaluation of the definition and history of the MSC movement as well as an evaluation of the various structures of MSC strategies will provide essential for a solid conclusion. A review of the critics, as well as a response to their prominent objections, is necessary to achieve thorough evaluation. It is the claim of this research project that it is possible for an MSC to adhere to Article VI of the BFM2000. It is the prayer of this researcher that this work will serve Southern Baptist churches as they seek to obey the Great Commission.

Leon W White

This study reports findings based upon reading, Part I, and research, Part II, which describe how the experiences of aging can affect the attitudes older church members have about their congregations.

The opening chapter of Part I examines how the theology, leadership style, and training of clergy can influence attitudes of the elderly. This is followed by an examination of personal and social forces capable of affecting how older persons feel about life and themselves as well as their congregations. Also discussed is the discovery and the stewardship of those special gifts God gives the Christian in later life.

Part II describes a research project conducted among 451 active church members fifty-five years of age or older. Using a 103-item questionnaire distributed among members willing to participate from a number of churches, the study sought to determine, define, and measure the religiosity of these members using factor analysis. The items loaded into five factors named Orthodoxy, Personal Faith, Treatment, Satisfaction with Life, and Dissatisfaction with Life. By comparison and correlation of these factors, and of items within and between the factors, it was found that this population of older church members has a positive attitude about life and more so about their congregations. The attitudes of men and women were similar regarding life, but regarding their congregations women felt more positive. Men want to feel more useful to their congregations. Retirement in the past year appears to have a more negative influence upon attitudes than any other loss mentioned.

Josiah Hoagland D.Min.

Throughout the United States, many Baptist churches have been following a recent trend of dropping “Baptist” from the church title. Research has shown that with the rise of post-denominationalism, there is a loss of identity in Baptist churches. This study explores the effects of dropping the name Baptist from a church’s title and its perceived impact on the theological identity of the church. This study includes a literature review analyzing the current body of literature on Baptist identity. Six Converge North Central Baptist churches were studied, three with a Baptist name and three without, using church surveys and interviews with church leaders to determine what theological differences exist between the two categories. The results of the study showed theological differences between the two categories; however, further research, including a quantitative analysis of Baptist churches spanning a broader region of the United States, would be helpful in determining catalysts for Baptist churches dropping the Baptist name.

Malcolm R. Stranathan

Upon returning to two-hundred-year-old, county-seat church, the new lead pastor and a diverse group of twelve members worked to discern God's vision for the congregation. Two years on, this project was implemented to evaluate and refocus ownership of God's vision by the congregation. Using congregation behavioral surveys, a worship series based on Joel, and a balcony team (congregation's leaders and the lead pastor-- who served as consultant) planned, implemented and evaluated the congregational members' ownership of God's mission, vision and core values. A VisionWork tool evaluated the vitality and fruitfulness of existing ministries and created a refocused passion and revitalized mission to serve the community beyond the church's walls.

[Note about entry: Abstract submitted to the Atla RIM database on behalf of the author. The text appears in its entirety as it does in the original abstract page of the author’s project paper. Neither words nor content have been edited.]

Loletuth Kalz

The author researched using an intergenerational leadership structure for the purpose of addressing a missional opportunity in the life of a local church congregation. She studied the biblical support for intergenerational leadership and how this kind of leadership supports the missional work of the church. Analysis suggests that cultivating an intergenerational leadership team can be an effective means of cultivating relationships between people from different generations while at the same time developing more diverse voices of leadership that encourages and expands the missional impact of a worshipping community.

[Note about entry: Abstract submitted to the Atla RIM database on behalf of the author. The text appears in its entirety as it does in the original abstract page of the author’s project paper. Neither words nor content have been edited.]