“Empowering congregations to enhance the mission through the creative use of their buildings”
Sally O’Brien, Episcopal Church Building Fund
Sally emphasized this presentation would go from “Good Friday” to the “Resurrection.”
She asked 3 questions at the beginning:
1. How many Episcopalians are in a church on a typical Sunday?
2. What is the average Sunday attendance of a church?
3. What is the growth rate for new churches?
There are fewer people in church – they don’t like what we are offering, don’t like how we are offering. Church is not resonating with people. They don’t want what we are selling
1/5 of the people have no church affiliation (either never introduced to it or have left) and 80% of those are not looking for one
The peak in church affiliation was 1962 based on attendance and mission.
All mainline denominations are seeing this trend. Episcopalian are ahead in doing something about it and addressing it more deeply
Why the decline?
1 Culture shifted. We now have two income families. They are doing something else with Sundays.
2. Increasing divorce rate. Single parent tend to avoid church
3. Birth rate down.
4. Multimedia culture. Ours is too stationery, text based. Many of the young are used to a multimedia experience
5. Marriage occurring outside the church. Weddings are a way to expand the church, particularly accepting non-Episcopalians. It provides a reason to come to church
Answers to introductory questions
1. 1991-840,000 Episcopalians in church on Sunday. Now 660,000
2. 70
3. Negative growth rate
The decline is causing many churches to employ part time clergy rather than full time. 43% of the churches have part time or no clergy. It is easier to get rid of staff and keep the building.
Those parishioners age 65 and over provide most of the financial support. In 15 to 20 years they won’t be there. What then?
We are at a crossroads in doing less business. We need to look at how we connect and communicate. We are having to maintain our buildings with fewer contributions
4 Episcopal churches a month are closing- 50 a year. The low estimate is that 750 churches will be gone in 15 years
Those churches that grow do so because
1. Articulate a clear purpose
2. Way to measure they are reaching their goals
3. Offer special programs. 41% offer something per month. It could be a “non-religious” topic – something important or relevant in parishioners life style – how to deal with aging, debt
4. Willing to change
Would people care if the church went away?
Clarence reported that 84 hours are available weekly for activities. Mostly Sunday, Wednesday and the rest of time the church not used except for some regular monthly activities. We are utilizing only about 8% of the potential hours available. We have 92% opportunity
Author Michael Hammer reports a church needs restructuring when they talk about how everything was good in the past. When memories exceed the dream, the end is near.
Churches need to abandon things that made them a success in the past for new directions.
Phyllis Tickle reports that churches go through shakeups every 500 years which is affecting us.
The Episcopal Church Building fund took their own medicine – originally started 150 years ago to provide building loans. Loans became a declining product. They moved into the area of recasting old buildings, abandoned staff, abandoned headquarter in NY and moved to Richmond.
We need to figure out how to deal with buildings in decay and smaller congregations
We should ask people – “if you had an hour a week to have faith in your life, what would it be.”
When people asked what did they get out of church, it is never the pews. Pews eliminate the flexibility in use of buildings.
Bright spots
1. Financial stability
2. Becoming relevant
3. Sell unstainable property
4. Activities that help us thrive as church
We need to know our public profile. We need to go into the community and ask what they know of St. Peter’s. We need to find our reputation
One key is developing your niche. What are you best known for ? What is your natural connection to the community? We need to figure out what we already have and exploit it.
Illustrations of what other churches have done:
1. Some churches open thrift stores. Non-members volunteered. It became the first stop toward next big thing.
2. Church started a worship service for special need children. It made them cross denominational and a family friendly church
3. Church received a grant for a community garden and a grant greenhouse. Food was their niche. They began networking and found the Baptists sold peanut brittle and made $35K. They decided to make toffee and made $20K year.
4. Church applied for a grant to feed children in the summer. They ended up raising money to help feed the grandparents.
5. Church gave each member a business card of the church to hand out. On the card it had a map to the church.
6. Churches talk to their community- offered ashes to go on Ash Wednesday. They talked to everyone about their abundance of space- 100 member music class needed a place to practice.
7. Another church used their church for a therapist. Ideal space since there were two exits
8. Churches market their space for concerts, weddings
9. Churches rent to a Montessori school.
10. “St. Tumbleweeds” – sewed vestments. They had a commercial kitchen and rented it. They opened their Parish hall for family game night. They started a pet columbarium
11. Church with Tiffany windows. Started a “high tea” and docent led tour. They also did the food pantry directly from the church
12. Church paved their parking lot and put a donations box.
13. Trinity Memorial – Warren, PA – stored kayaks
14. Church used property for soccer.
15. Church in Ohio used property to house college students on big weekends. The swim team needed a place for meals. Hospitality became their niche. For 3 weeks they did meals and relationships formed.
16 St. Francis, Stamford started a 4pm Sunday pet service which was written about in the NY Times
17. Church provided a day care for 3rd shift workers
You can get too comfortable when you are doing well. Membership can be a problem. You should publish your membership data on line.
We need to reintroduce ourselves to the community. We have to make sure we are really public and that we are relevant.
Conclusion
Web site – www.ecbf.org/
Email – sobrien@ecbr.org
Takeaway from this session
1. Need to develop niche
2. Figure how to best fit into the community
3. Foster creativity
We should make a list of possible directions and evaluate according to need. Who else is offering them?
Don’t begin an investment in a new building until you are productive at what you are doing. Use what you already have in your building since you have used all of the space.
Publish your successes. Step out of church and attract others to your network
We have to remember solutions are not static – we must be nimble
If we have a new product – it is a foundation product that is who we are or is it less than that- man made?