Diocese Of Newark Report States Membership Losses “No Big Surprise”

from Stand Firm by Jackie

Interesting reading from the Diocese of Newark. Helps explain why they have lost 18% of their ASA over the last ten years.

LISTENING CAMPAIGN REPORT

The Rev. Laurie Wurm provided a preliminary report on the results of the Listening Campaign. The first round was completed with the ten districts having kitchen table meetings and had an opportunity to hear the report outs at four different meetings at which the listeners reported on the table conversations. Fifty to sixty churches participated in the kitchen table meetings. (A draft of initial findings was distributed.)

-No big surprise that there was significant membership and financial declines being reported.
-Churches were unable to articulate a vision five years out because of the declines; made future projections difficult with attention on the present.
-One-third of the diocese had part-time clergy and this trend would continue. Because of that, we need to begin looking at the model of ministry within our church. Is full time clergy the only viable model for healthy ministry? Some congregations would answer that question as "no." One congregation had part time clergy and the strong laity made a vibrant congregation. The churches felt they were more than the reflection of the parochial report.
-Whether it was reasonable to say a $100,000 package for a clergy was needed for a viable or desirable ministry when the local community income was much lower.
-There were a number of churches in interim periods. This was becoming a waiting period.
-Determine new ways to reach out to young people. What does that mean for the future of the church if youth not involved? Creating resources outside the church membership was one way to address the situation.
-Towns as they once were had been disappearing with new communities moving in changing the demographics of the area. Churches that had been town centers have lost that position and feel alienated.
-The model of a parish is not one that the future church will reflect. Parish meaning we are connected to our geography. Moving from local geography making the decision for your church membership to destination churches when people drive distances to belong to a church that meets their needs.
-Congregations feel a need to mourn what's being lost. Those in decline need to grieve the end of a culture and understanding of how it had been. The Midland Park/Allendale unification was noted as an example of not recognizing the loss of the Midland Park congregation and concentrated on the birth of the new congregation.
-Significant number of churches within past five years that either feel they "lost" something or "found" something. Lost members, lost community standing, lost income - these were the churches most lost spiritually. Found new identity and emerging from a loss - this occurred through engaging the community and world becoming healthy in spirit. Several churches started to ask themselves "What is God calling us to be as community?"
-While engaging the outside world in a new way is recognized, some are struggling on how to do that.
-There's a distinction between being a church and a social service agency. Often responses that sacrament and Christian Formation remained a cornerstone of understanding who we are - it's the core of who we are.
-Relationship with the diocese - some regularity of a sense of fear overriding the relationship with the diocese and the fear of being merged. When go deeper into this, there is a fear of loss of identity and loss of home.
-Stronger churches financially and membership voiced the Alleluia Fund was poor stewardship with the diocese cutting its own outreach efforts; poor modeling for the congregations.
-Communications seemed weak despite the various avenues available - web, digest, emails, Voice, mailings. The communications not getting from the office into the congregation.

The results of the listening campaign will help us determine how to proceed. The churches were suspicious initially at the table conversations, but were appreciative of the opportunity to share and be heard about their struggles.