At the Emmaus gathering, I sat next to Bill Easum at lunch. I asked him if he thought that effective ministry always made a congregation grow, since every example he gave in his talks included descriptions like, “that church qualdruplied in size”or “they grew to be over a thousand strong”. After a long conversation he said that no, not every thriving church would or needed to grow into a giant congregation. “Some churches are strong and stable without much numnerical growth” he said. 

And yet, numbers are the first place we start to assess struggling congregations. When the worshipers have dwindled and membership has declined, presbyteries are often called on to assess its ‘viability’. In my presbytery, that might include a program like Natural Church Development. Or, as was the case with a report last week, it might involve a series of indicators tied to money and worship attendance. There does not seem to be any national standard or common practice. 

Michael Kooiman from the United Church of Canada wrote a blog postcalled “A New Measure of Viability” suggesting a very different way of deciding whether a congregation should continue in its current form. They include:  

Environmental Footprint: How much gas do you burn? Is your building insulated? Have you upgraded windows or doors? Are you heating the neighbourhood or operating as a good steward of the environment? 

Social Capital: How much social capital does your congregation generate? Are you feeding the hungry in your area, are you significant contributors to local causes? Do you have actual congregational volunteers actively engaged in bettering the community? 

Rental Decisions: Is your congregation engaged in cost recovery through renting space? Who do you choose to rent to, and what criteria have you set? Related to the above, are you strengthening the community or selling your soul? 

Congregational Vitality: This is the most subjective measure, but an important one, nonetheless. Does your congregation reflect the neighbourhood? Do you have enough volunteers to manage the administration of your congregation? Do you offer programs that enhance the discipleship of your members? Are your people happy? 

Articulate Christian identity: Do your members share a common vision of the Christian life (at least a common continuum of belief)? Do they have the ability to articulate their faith, and have they found ways to share their faith with those within the congregation as well as those outside it? Would renters/neighbours identify the congregation as a community of faith? How is the mission of Jesus Christ alive in this congregation? 

You can read the whole post here: www.emergingspirit.ca/a_new_measure_of_viability 

These measures appeal to me becuase they look at more than simply financial reports, but they do present challenges in their application. Building rentals, for example, are quite common and may represent good stewardship–but who decides what qualifies as ‘selling your soul’? And a question like, “Are your people happy” is a complex and subjective one that depends on who is asking and in what forum.

I think that our denomination would be wise to spend some significant time and prayer considering this, given the decline of many congregations across the country. Our presbyteries are going to need more and more help discerning and making decisions about closing churches in the years to come. Perhaps those presbyteries that have been creative and courageous and have found some kind of viability criteria would share, with the hope of helping others facing the same questions. Anyone?