A Good Crew of Volunteers
19/01/14 05:11
The church that I serve continues to amaze me. We put out the word that we needed a few volunteers on Saturday morning to help us remove the slate fem the entryway of the church. The slate had been set in a cement grout and the the grout needed to be chipped away before it could be stacked for storage. It is unclear how the removed slate will be used in the future. It is possible that it could be used for a church project or sold, but for now it is being stored. The slate is heavy and the process of removing the grout and cleaning it is dusty work.
16 volunteers showed up and made short work of the process. The slate was stacked on wooden pallets in two trailers and a pickup and within a couple of hours the crew was drinking coffee, munching on donuts and cookies and congratulating itself for a job well done.
There could be a delay in the project at this point. We had rushed to get things done because the concrete contractor will soon be ready to tackle our work. However, there are repairs that need to be made to the steel posts in the area and the metal contractor is reportedly working a bit behind schedule. At any rate, things need to be done in the right order. First remove the slate, then weld in new metal to replace rusted steel, then remove the old concrete, make sure the base is proper and pour new concrete.
Of course all of this work is being done in South Dakota in a season with less than predictable weather.
We, however, are not the reason for delay.
Our volunteers turned out in force and got the work done.
It was very windy in the morning, and the wind made things chilly. Some of our volunteers were wearing insulated coveralls. But the work warmed us and the wind began to die down and by the time we were finished, we were down to sweatshirts.
The camaraderie and good natured joking of the group made the work fun for everyone involved.
I read a fair amount of articles about the church and religion in general. There have been major shifts in religion in America in my lifetime. Participation in churches is declining and established churches are growing older and older. I hear lots of complaining about the fact that our churches don’t have the number of children and youth that they once had, but there aren’t many solutions. Churches of all sizes and theological perspectives are experiencing the same phenomena. While the age profile is slightly younger in some of the more fundamentalist churches, they too are experiencing a similar aging of their congregations. A church with a rock band instead of a traditional choir is not likely to be filled with youth. Its membership is more likely to be primarily people in their ’40’s and ’50’s.
There are many complex dynamics at work.
In the case of our congregation, family size is a factor. The average number of children per family is lower than was the case when our congregation was at its height of membership in the 1950’s. This is complicated by the simple fact that the congregation has aged. People got together in the church, formed strong bonds, and stuck together as they grew older. It happens to all of us. I myself am 18 years older than when I was called to be the pastor of the congregation. As much as we describe ourselves as a congregation that wants to be a place for all generations and all ages, there is a tendency for friendships to form within one’s age cohort. People our age are likely to invite other people our age to become involved in the church.
All of this is taking place in the context of a community with an increasing number of churches and a decreasing number of people who attend church regularly. Say what you want about free market and supply and demand, something else is operating in the arena of churches. While Rapid City’s population is growing modestly, the number of people who are active in church life is declining. The fastest growing religious group in our city is “no religious preference.” People claim the title of Christian, but do not feel a need to participate in a church to hold beliefs that are Christian. More and more frequently I hear people speak of religion as a private matter. Those who do participate in churches spend less time engaged with church activities than was the case in previous generations. So not only is the number of people in church declining, but the number of hours they spend at church in a month is declining.
Instead of the number of churches declining to reflect this social trend, however, the number of congregations in our town is expanding. There are nearly double the number of churches and para-church organizations in the Black Hills than was the case when I moved here and more than 4 times the number of churches than was the case when our congregation built the building that is its current home.
In that environment, there are occasionally congregations that experience growth, even rapid growth, in short bursts. The largest Lutheran congregation in town, for example was about the same size as several other Lutheran congregations 20 years ago. Its dramatic growth as it moved into a new multi-million dollar building was impressive - almost as impressive as the decline in a couple of other Lutheran congregations. The size of the congregation nearly tripled while the number of total members of Lutheran congregations in the city declined.
Three different non-denominational congregations have held the title of the fastest-growing church in the city in the years I have lived here. All but the current record-holder hit the ceiling in therms of membership and stopped growing. One of those congregations experienced a split and is significantly smaller than it was a decade ago. Another seems to be experiencing a slow and steady decline.
There is plenty of volatility in church membership in our community.
In the midst of all of this, it is comforting to be involved in a congregation that has been the same size, plus or minus 15 members, for 60 years. And we are riding near the plus size of that range at the moment. We’re big enough to raise the volunteers we need to do our work. We’re big enough to pay our bills. And, fortunately, we are small enough to form close relationships and build community that lasts.
There could be a delay in the project at this point. We had rushed to get things done because the concrete contractor will soon be ready to tackle our work. However, there are repairs that need to be made to the steel posts in the area and the metal contractor is reportedly working a bit behind schedule. At any rate, things need to be done in the right order. First remove the slate, then weld in new metal to replace rusted steel, then remove the old concrete, make sure the base is proper and pour new concrete.
Of course all of this work is being done in South Dakota in a season with less than predictable weather.
We, however, are not the reason for delay.
Our volunteers turned out in force and got the work done.
It was very windy in the morning, and the wind made things chilly. Some of our volunteers were wearing insulated coveralls. But the work warmed us and the wind began to die down and by the time we were finished, we were down to sweatshirts.
The camaraderie and good natured joking of the group made the work fun for everyone involved.
I read a fair amount of articles about the church and religion in general. There have been major shifts in religion in America in my lifetime. Participation in churches is declining and established churches are growing older and older. I hear lots of complaining about the fact that our churches don’t have the number of children and youth that they once had, but there aren’t many solutions. Churches of all sizes and theological perspectives are experiencing the same phenomena. While the age profile is slightly younger in some of the more fundamentalist churches, they too are experiencing a similar aging of their congregations. A church with a rock band instead of a traditional choir is not likely to be filled with youth. Its membership is more likely to be primarily people in their ’40’s and ’50’s.
There are many complex dynamics at work.
In the case of our congregation, family size is a factor. The average number of children per family is lower than was the case when our congregation was at its height of membership in the 1950’s. This is complicated by the simple fact that the congregation has aged. People got together in the church, formed strong bonds, and stuck together as they grew older. It happens to all of us. I myself am 18 years older than when I was called to be the pastor of the congregation. As much as we describe ourselves as a congregation that wants to be a place for all generations and all ages, there is a tendency for friendships to form within one’s age cohort. People our age are likely to invite other people our age to become involved in the church.
All of this is taking place in the context of a community with an increasing number of churches and a decreasing number of people who attend church regularly. Say what you want about free market and supply and demand, something else is operating in the arena of churches. While Rapid City’s population is growing modestly, the number of people who are active in church life is declining. The fastest growing religious group in our city is “no religious preference.” People claim the title of Christian, but do not feel a need to participate in a church to hold beliefs that are Christian. More and more frequently I hear people speak of religion as a private matter. Those who do participate in churches spend less time engaged with church activities than was the case in previous generations. So not only is the number of people in church declining, but the number of hours they spend at church in a month is declining.
Instead of the number of churches declining to reflect this social trend, however, the number of congregations in our town is expanding. There are nearly double the number of churches and para-church organizations in the Black Hills than was the case when I moved here and more than 4 times the number of churches than was the case when our congregation built the building that is its current home.
In that environment, there are occasionally congregations that experience growth, even rapid growth, in short bursts. The largest Lutheran congregation in town, for example was about the same size as several other Lutheran congregations 20 years ago. Its dramatic growth as it moved into a new multi-million dollar building was impressive - almost as impressive as the decline in a couple of other Lutheran congregations. The size of the congregation nearly tripled while the number of total members of Lutheran congregations in the city declined.
Three different non-denominational congregations have held the title of the fastest-growing church in the city in the years I have lived here. All but the current record-holder hit the ceiling in therms of membership and stopped growing. One of those congregations experienced a split and is significantly smaller than it was a decade ago. Another seems to be experiencing a slow and steady decline.
There is plenty of volatility in church membership in our community.
In the midst of all of this, it is comforting to be involved in a congregation that has been the same size, plus or minus 15 members, for 60 years. And we are riding near the plus size of that range at the moment. We’re big enough to raise the volunteers we need to do our work. We’re big enough to pay our bills. And, fortunately, we are small enough to form close relationships and build community that lasts.