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Note #8340 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

Churches are like snowflakes
GA04048
June 29, 2004

Churches are like snowflakes

Author-researchers say no two are the same, all sorts can thrive

by Corey Schlosser-Hall

RICHMOND, June 29 - Researchers Cynthia Woolever and Deborah Bruce, who have
looked closely at American Christian congregations of all descriptions, spoke
to a slightly sleepy one of about 200 people at Tuesday's Presbyterian
Publishing Corporation (PPC) breakfast.

Woolever and Bruce are the authors of the Congregational Life Survey (2002)
and Beyond the Ordinary: 10 Strengths of  U.S. Congregations (2004), books
based on insights gleaned from the landmark Congregational Life Survey of
300,000 worshippers in 2,000 congregations across the United States.

"Many churches have a tendency to focus on weakness, and want to fix things
that are wrong instead of focusing on what's strong and building on that,"
Woolever said.

So what makes a church strong?

Vital churches usually exhibited three to five of the 10 strengths identified
in the 2004 book, Woolever said, "but they are not necessarily the same
strengths. ... Churches are like snowflakes. I thought we'd see patterns, but
churches were all over the map."

The authors said they were surprised in some cases by what researchers didn't
find.

"Congregational vitality does not depend on size," Bruce said. "Small
congregations excel in many of these areas." She said small churches are
especially good at helping people "grow spiritually, ... participate in
congregational life, ... and encourage a sense of belonging." The
congregations included in the survey had an average worship attendance of 90.

"Mega-churches (those with worship attendance above 2,000) get a huge amount
of press," Bruce said, "but there are 350,000 churches in the United States,
and only 800 are mega-churches."

Despite the Presbyterian chorus of "We're losing members!", the authors said,
lots of churches in all denominations are growing - and not for the reasons
you might expect.

"The three factors that do predict growth in almost every case are the
percentage of new people in the congregation ... caring for children and
young people ... and participation in the life and leadership of the
congregation," Bruce said. "Growing churches are place where lots of people
are involved in lots of activity; where lots of people lead different aspects
of the church."

What is the most important strength?

"There's not one magic answer that if you knew it you could fix it," Bruce
said. "Congregations need multiple strengths, and each needs to ask what are
their unique strengths and what is God calling them to be and do."

	The books - and sometimes the authors as well - are available at the
PPC booth in the Assembly exhibit hall.

This story and many others may have photos, media, video clips that can be
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