Evansville Church Relocates . . .

. . . As Revitalization Efforts Wane

For background, read this story — Evansville Church Relocating After Nearly 130 Years of Service — https://www.14news.com/2022/01/31/evansville-church-relocating-after-nearly-130-years-service/

More than a decade ago I (George) had the opportunity to consult with three United Churches of Christ in Evansville, IN. One was St. Paul’s UCC. St. Paul’s earnestly wanted to redevelop as a congregation in their current location.

The senior pastor, staff, and visionary leaders worked diligently on this effort with great passion. They had a willingness to engage in disruptive innovation for a new journey for the congregation. Certain barriers hindered them. These included their declining numbers, aging membership, heavy load of pastoral care to homebound and institutionalized members, the desire to recover the past by not giving permission for change (which was a position held by several board members), and a community context with which they no longer connected.

One of the greatest barriers was their lack of being a praying congregation that sought the presence of God and the spiritual direction that only God could provide. They were conversant with strategies, but unsure about the spiritual power of God to help them move forward.

The process I used was a Spiritual Strategic Journey – a process I created and used with dozens of churches. It is also used by hundreds of churches with their other leadership I mentored.

The first of three seasons of this process involved all willing active congregants forming Dialogue and Prayer Triplets. They met 10 times for up to 100 minutes over 100 days to dialogue and pray to discern God’s leading for their congregation.

One aspect of the process is that every person in the triplet is called on to pray aloud. The senior pastor of St Paul’s believed in this, but said the congregants would never do it. However, we took the risk and laid out the challenge – with a few suggestions for helpful approaches to praying.

A month into the process I received a telephone call from the pastor. Against all odds and expectations, the pastor reported that everyone was praying. They found it to be an exhilarating spiritual experience.

At the end of the 100 days the congregation was motivated to move forward with the next two seasons. They developed a modestly challenging Future Story of Missional Ministry. It led them to engage in the transitions and changes they would need.

Two things later happened. First, as the changes took place, resistance from long-term members made the impact limited. They found ways to bring up issues that led to conflict in the congregation. Second, as they made small progress, they did not update their future story annually to keep proper pressure on the congregation to continue the transitions and changes, and to celebrate what God was doing.

It is important for a congregation to rewrite their story at least every seven years. This did not happen. Now they have sold their facilities and the remnant congregation is moving in the facilities of another church.

It is a story that repeats itself in many congregations. It is the common story. Churches need, however, to be examples of the uncommon. Examples where – with God’s leadership – they take risks necessary to continue the great mission and vision which embraced them at their founding.

Copyright 2022 by George W. Bullard Jr.