| Editor’s
note: These reflections by the Rev. David Hawbecker,
an acknowledged leader in the field of congregational transformation,
were consistently reaffirmed by participants in the 2004 Churchwide
Transformation Conference, Jan. 22-25 in Charlotte. — Jerry
L. Van Marter
CONCORD, CA — For the second time, I am serving
a congregation undergoing what formerly was known as “redevelopment,”
but now is called “transformation.” I’ve found
this form of ministry to be rewarding and challenging.
To keep it “fun,” I try to view it as a game involving
vision and strategy. In playing this game, I have encountered
a number of realities that I believe will be familiar to many
others involved in similar ministries.
Time often is a crucial issue, to the congregation as well as
to governing bodies. The usual assumption is that, with an infusion
of money and a new pastor, a turnaround should take no more than
a few years. What people forget is that we don’t begin with
a clean slate; there is a congregation in place when we arrive.
The members may be few, and those few may lack vision and be out
of touch with their neighborhood, but they are still a force.
When growth and financial stability fail to come in the first
few years, the doubts, questions and blame begin to fly.
In reality, real transformation, a changing of the culture of
a congregation, a re-engaging of the community, can take 10 years
or more.
Members of the remnant congregation, those who have stayed through
the period of decline, often are discouraged and depressed and
have poor self-esteem. They may feel personally responsible for
the losses. I have seen remnant members in tears when someone
who has left returns for a funeral or other special event.
We live in a culture that worships success. When congregants
see fellow members and friends leave, and attendance wane, it
affects their attitudes about their church and themselves. In
such an atmosphere, the pastor often must become a “cheerleader”
— a role that quickly drains one’s energy and can
dampen one’s spirit.
Any congregation that looks back over its history sees that there
have been good times and some that were not so good. It is important
to celebrate the good times. It is also important to come to terms
with the not-so-good. In the congregation I now serve, the leadership
wanted to avoid dealing with the congregation’s recent history
because it was painful. I gave in to this corporate denial —
and three years later, aspects of the past continue haunting us.
Unless we confront some of the ghosts of the past, they will at
best slow us down, and at worst stand in the way of our efforts
to move into the future.
Leaders are few in a congregation that has gone through years
of decline. Many people inclined to be leaders, if not most, will
have sought out churches with more energy and more active programs.
For that reason, the pastor may have to assume more up-front leadership
at the start of the transformation process than he or she would
like.
Even though long-time members are good people, and have been
important to the church through the years, pastors tend to cater
to them in a way that hinders the process of change. A congregation
I work with now holds a second service for fewer than 20 “older”
members, because the primary service is scheduled too early. This
is a serious drain on the staff, and may be a sign of poor prioritizing.
Transformation ministry is especially draining, physically and
emotionally. Urgency to keep the process moving and to keep energy
levels high is a critical dynamic in successful transformation,
but it’s one that ebbs and flows. It’s essential to
anticipate these cycles and to try to catch the downward spirals
before they hit rock-bottom. |
