Photo via UNSPLASH
Over the next few weeks I’ll be posting some thoughts on my new book Church Together, co-written with Dave Csinos, PhD. I’ll be sharing some thoughts on why we wrote it, what we want it to accomplish, and what we hope you’ll report back to us as you’re trying the ideas out in the world. I’m calling this series “Backstage with Church Together.”
One Sunday afternoon after worship, Jamie (not his real name) one of the elders on the search committee that hired me, bounded into my office with a wide smile and said, “I just love how our church is growing with young families. Just like we wanted! We knew that if we hired you, it would happen!”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Well. You’re young. You have young children. Now all of the families with young children are joining, too.”
“Jamie, hiring a young pastor with young children isn’t exactly a strategy for church growth.”
He shrugged. “Maybe not. But it’s working.”
I think about that conversation a lot. Was it true that the church I was pastoring was growing specifically in the demographic of young families simply because the pastor had children of her own who were prominent in the life and ministry of the church? I think that had something to do with it. When my younger son, Samuel, tugged at the paraments and almost toppled over the communion elements, other parents in the pews saw that children were welcomed with their full wiggly selves.
Later, all the children came to the communion table with laughter and giggles, and the phrase “Joyful feast of the people of God” had new resonance among us.
And while it certainly helped that I understood, from a personal perspective, what it meant to want a vibrant, interactive, and engaging worship service for all ages, I’m not sure Jamie’s comment was entirely true. In fact, I have evidence now, more than a decade later, that some of the things I was doing to create all-age community in the congregation could have been done even better.
All of the churches I’ve served have been mini all-age ministry laboratories. I’ve been blessed to serve churches that all had a “sure, why not?” attitude to trying new things, and they willingly went along with bubble machines, circle mosaics, and envelope challenges, pitcher prayers, candles, flower prayers, and other ideas. Leaders in the church came up to me after service with tears in their eyes when something went well. They were also the ones who dive-bombed to the front of the sanctuary to put out literal fires. (To this point: don’t ever make a candle arrangement by putting candles in sand and inside a plastic pot. No. Doesn’t work. Ask me how I know.) There have been other disasters, too. Every single one taught me what not to do. You may read Church Together and think, “How did they come up with so many lovely ideas?” Please know that the answer includes a number of failed experiments and congregations who willingly went along with some wild ideas. Church Together represents the successful experiments, ones that have been replicated in some of the many congregations Dave and I consult with and coach.
In some of our early lectures on Church Together, Dave and I have heard the same questions: “Does this stuff work? Will the congregations grow? Will all-age relationships be strengthened? How do you know?”
Our answer may not be as satisfying as our readers hope. “Come and see.” We have seen remarkable things happen in dozens of congregations, but we don’t pretend that what happened in those congregations will necessarily happen in yours. What works in one congregation may not work in another. What we’re presenting here are our very best ideas, drawn from our own experience and from the many contributors around the world who generously shared theirs. Does it work? We’ve seen that it can. How will you know what it does in your congregation? You’ll try it yourself.
This is not a book for spectators. This is a cookbook and a roadmap. It’s “give this a try and let us know.” If you’re ready to try something new and understand some of the theory and principles behind why you might, Church Together is for you. You might discover something remarkable.
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Note: If you try one of the ideas in Church Together and are willing to provide feedback on it, please use THIS FORM. Your experiences help us make future resources better.
Church Together is available now at Chalice Press, Amazon, and anywhere else you buy books. If you’re interested in consulting or speaking around this topic, please fill out THIS FORM.