Did you know that Yahoo has a “buzz index”? That the reading patterns of your neighbors (and potential church-goers) are just a few clicks away? That considerable (and free) information about your communities is easily available?
Never has it been more important to understand the environment in which we minister. Fortunately, never has so much useful information been so readily available. Here are a few, and perhaps unusual, Congregational Development resources for you to explore:
Buzz
I talk so much about the importance of creating “buzz” about the church that one congregation gave me a baseball cap embroidered with the word! While this site won’t create buzz for you, it will tell you what is creating buzz in the cyber world – especially among the under 40s. Spend some time with it; this is what is occupying the free time of a lot of people:
Books
Even in the digital age, people are reading books, and the largest bookseller in the world is Amazon.com. Knowing what books are being purchased in your city, at the university nearby, or even at the company where parishioners (and potential parishioners) work may be suggestive for your congregational ministries. Take a look at the following website, and click on “Purchase Circles,” found on the lower left hand side:
The Economist magazine has just posted (from its print edition of December 20, 2005) an article it calls "Jesus CEO: America's most successful churches are modelling themselves on businesses."
The article is about so-called megachurches, what they owe to business models, and what businesses are learning from them: "The corporate theme is not just a matter of appearances. Willow Creek has a mission statement (“to turn irreligious people into fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ”) and a management team, a seven-step strategy and a set of ten core values. The church employs two MBAs—one from Harvard and one from Stanford—and boasts a consulting arm. It has even been given the ultimate business accolade: it is the subject of a Harvard Business School case-study."
Don't expect a roadmap to church growth, but you might be interested in the article's comments about the cultural trends megachurches understand. To read more: click here.
Hartford Seminary’s Hartford Institute for Religion Research and the Leadership Network, two respected congregational research organizations, have released the findings of a new study about megachurches that say, among other things, that “megachurches have blossomed, at least in part, because they have responded creatively to the new needs and interests of people in a new cultural reality. There is much to learn from megachurches—and it isn’t all about being big.”
Here's the press release about the study:
New Research Debunks 11 Myths About Megachurches
2/3/06
DALLAS, TX (February 3, 2006)—According to a groundbreaking research study just released by Leadership Network (www.leadnet.org) and Hartford Seminary’s Hartford Institute for Religion Research (http//hirr.hartsem.edu), many of the most widely held beliefs about megachurches couldn’t be farther from the truth.
The Megachurches Today 2005 survey is the most thoroughly researched study ever made of the Protestant megachurch movement in the United States. Since June 2005, more than 1,800 churches have been contacted by e-mail, phone and mail, with complete data for more than 400 qualifying congregations received, tabulated and analyzed.
According to Warren Bird, Leadership Network’s Director of Research, “Based on the results of this survey, we are able to conclude that there are at least 1,210 Protestant churches in the United States today with average weekly attendance of over 2,000. That is nearly double the number of megachurches that existed five years ago.”
While tremendously significant as a cultural study and as a how-to guide for large churches, the survey also is instructive for churches that are anything but “mega.” Scott Thumma, Professor of Sociology of Religion at Hartford Seminary and primary architect of the survey, said, “I am absolutely convinced that megachurches have blossomed, at least in part, because they have responded creatively to the new needs and interests of people in a new cultural reality. There is much to learn from megachurches—and it isn’t all about being big.”
As Dave Travis, Executive Vice President of Leadership Network, also noted, “Not a week passes without megachurches figuring prominently in one or more national news stories. During 2005 alone, four megachurch pastors had books on The New York Times bestseller lists. And megachurch pastors always dominate the lists of the most influential religious leaders in the country. The Megachurches Today 2005 survey provides the perspective that to date has been missing from most reporting on this movement.”
The wide-ranging survey includes data on the many attributes that together define the nature and impact of megachurches in our society. Collectively, the results debunk 11 of the most common beliefs about megachurches, namely:
MYTH #1: All megachurches are alike.
REALITY: They differ in growth rates, size and emphasis.
MYTH #2: All megachurches are equally good at being big.
REALITY: Some clearly understand how to function as a large institution, but others flounder.
MYTH #3: There is an over-emphasis on money in the megachurches.
REALITY: The data disputes this.
MYTH #4: Megachurches exist for spectator worship and are not serious about Christianity.
REALITY: Megachurches generally have high spiritual expectations and serious orthodox beliefs.
MYTH #5: Megachurches are not deeply involved in social ministry.
REALITY: Considerable ministry is taking place at and through these churches.
MYTH #6: All megachurches are pawns of or powerbrokers to George Bush and the Republican Party.
REALITY: The vast majority of megachurches are not politically active.
MYTH #7: All megachurches have huge sanctuaries and enormous campuses.
REALITY: Megachurches make widespread use of multiple worship services over several days, multiple venues and even multiple campuses.
MYTH #8: All megachurches are nondenominational.
REALITY: The vast majority belong to some denomination.
MYTH #9: All megachurches are homogeneous congregations with little diversity.
REALITY: A large and growing number are multi-ethnic and intentionally so.
MYTH #10: Megachurches grow primarily because of great programming.
REALITY: Megachurches grow because excited attendees tell their friends.
MYTH #11: The megachurch phenomenon is on the decline.
REALITY: The data suggests that many more megachurches are on the way.
Downloadable copies of the complete Megachurches Today 2005 survey (in both html and PDF versions) are available on the two organizations’ Web sites:
Leadership Network: www.leadnet.org/links/MegachurchesToday2005
Hartford Seminary: http://hirr.hartsem.edu/org/faith_megachurches.html
There's still time to register for "Vestry Day"
Contact diohouse by phone or email (mattw@diocal.org) and we'll get you registered!
Reminder: "Groundwork II: Digging Deeper for Change and Growth," a book of study guides and lesson plans for Lent 2006, is posted on the Episcopal church's website at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/groundwork. One printed copy of "Groundwork II" was mailed to each congregation in December."
"Based on the Year B readings for the five Sundays in Lent, the 2006 edition invites congregations to reflect on how they invite people into their midst and into the Episcopal Church.
Each chapter of "Groundwork II" begins by setting the theme of the Sunday's readings and then offers reflections from various voices on those readings. Activities based in three tracks round out each chapter. The tracks can either be used continuously or mixed and matched week by week as seems appropriate to the congregation and its context."