The Growth Potential from Social Networking the Church

Social Media Report: Spending Time, Money and Going Mobile

This Social Media Report was released recently by Nielsen.  It provides a fresh look at the growing power of social networking and its potential to bring together groups of many types. 

A key consideration in the the Church Growth Program is how to use social networking to link together church members, give the unchurched access to information and programs that could attract them to the Episcopal Church, and how to use this new disruptive technology to improve collaboration and involvement of church members not just in the Diocese of California but around the world.

I have included linked to the Nielsen study so you can read it yourselves.

Gary Hunt

http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/social-media-report-spending-time-money-and-going-mobile/

Social media not only connects consumers with each other, but also with just about every place they go and everything they watch and buy. Nielsen’s new Social Media Report looks at trends and consumption patterns across social media platforms in the U.S. and other major markets, exploring the rising influence of social media on consumer behavior.

Highlights of Nielsen’s “State of the Media: The Social Media Report”

• Social networks and blogs continue to dominate Americans’ time online, now accounting for nearly a quarter of total time spent on the Internet
• At over 53 billion total minutes during May 2011, Americans spend more time on Facebook than they do on any other website
• Tumblr is an emerging player in social media, nearly tripling its audience from a year ago
• Nearly 40 percent of social media users access social media content from their mobile phone
• Internet users over the age of 55 are driving the growth of social networking through the Mobile Internet
• 70 percent of active online adult social networkers shop online, 12 percent more likely than the average adult Internet user
• Across a sample of 10 global markets, social networks and blogs are the top online destination in each country, accounting for the majority of time spent online and reaching at least 60 percent of active Internet users

For a more in-depth look at the social media landscape and audience, view the complete State of the Media: The Social Media Report.

Related articles

• Nielsen Releases Their “State of the Media: The Social Media Report” (blogworld.com)
• Social media use increasing mobile (cyberjournalist.net)
• Social networking top online activity in U.S. (canada.com)
• 6 Compelling Social Media Stats Marketers Should Know [Data] (hubspot.com)
• Report: Americans can’t get enough of social networking sites (digitaltrends.com)
• The Foursquare potential: Why I think this could reinvent social (theblogconsultancy.typepad.com)
• Social Networks and Blogs Take Up Most of Our Internet Time (marketingpilgrim.com)
• Social media use around the world (stuartbruce.biz)
• Nielsen report documents dominance of social media (stiel.org)

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Church Attendance, Economics & Social Marginalization

How often do you attend religious services?

41% Every week (183 responses)

7%   Semi-regularly (29 responses)

16% Rarely (70 responses)

36% Never (160 responses)

442 total responses (Results not scientific)

That was the quick unscientific poll the South Florida Sun Sentinel newspaper readers.  What provoked the poll was a story about a research paper delivered at the American Sociological Association entitled “No Money, No Honey, No Church: The Deinstitutionalization of Religious Life Among the White Working Class,” by Professor W. Bradford Wilcox, Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Virginia and his colleagues.

The study used data drawn from the General Social Survey and the National Survey of Family Growth.  The study focused narrowly on changes in patterns of church attendance between the 1970’s and the 2000’s for white people 25 to 44 years old in three categories to assess their propensity to attend church.  This study focused on whites only because the professors said their research found black and Latino churchgoing is less affected by income and education in those groups.

The bottom line of the study results is that attendance has fallen for all white Americans over the last generation, but it has fallen twice as fast for the less-educated.

Here are findings:

• 46% vs 51%: college educated white Americans attended church in the 2000s but vs 1970’s

• 37% vs 50%: moderately educated people surveyed attending church regularly 2000s vs 1970s.

• 23% vs 38%: church attendance drops for the least educated in 2000s vs 1970s.

The research authors say economics and a feeling of social marginalization among the least educated may be the factors explaining the survey results. Lower-income and less-educated people are also less likely to embrace the work ethics and “familial values” such as marriage promoted by churches, the study says.

The links to related stories and resources below provide different perspectives on this presentation and study findings.  Click on the link in my post above to reach the full report yourself.

If the church is to grow by attracting the unchurched and disaffected we must better understand the factors that bring people to attend or not attend.  Some factors we may be able to influence.  Some changes might be warranted at church to make attendance more welcoming, friendly and helpful for those seeking renewal and spiritual growth in   their lives.  We’re also learning that there is no one reason or answer to the question of why people go to church.  So it follows that one solution or one strategy also is not likely to be effective for all.

Intuitively we understand that individual choices are driven by individual reasons and factors but it is good to see research results that offer clues to how church can be more effective, more receptive, more hopeful.

Related articles

• Who the unchurched actually are (geneveith.com)
• Church Attendance Dropping Among Less-Educated White Americans (huffingtonpost.com)
• “Who the unchurched really are” via Gene Veith (heidelberg26.wordpress.com)
• Working-Class Americans Retreating from Church (livescience.com)
• Who is going to church? Not who you think (msnbc.msn.com)
• Americans Have Lost Faith In Religious Leaders And Church Attendance, New Book Says (huffingtonpost.com)
• Flotsam and jetsam (8/25) (westernthm.wordpress.com)

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Economics, Social Marginalization and Church Attendance

Chapel at University of Virginia via Wikipedia

How often do you attend religious services?

41% Every week (183 responses)

7%   Semi-regularly (29 responses)

16% Rarely (70 responses)

36% Never (160 responses)

442 total responses (Results not scientific)

That was the quick unscientific poll the South Florida Sun Sentinel newspaper readers.  What provoked the poll was a story about a research paper delivered at the American Sociological Association entitled “No Money, No Honey, No Church: The Deinstitutionalization of Religious Life Among the White Working Class,” by Professor W. Bradford Wilcox, Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Virginia and his colleagues.

The study used data drawn from the General Social Survey and the National Survey of Family Growth.  The study focused narrowly on changes in patterns of church attendance between the 1970’s and the 2000’s for white people 25 to 44 years old in three categories to assess their propensity to attend church.  This study focused on whites only because the professors said their research found black and Latino churchgoing is less affected by income and education in those groups.

The bottom line of the study results is that attendance has fallen for all white Americans over the last generation, but it has fallen twice as fast for the less-educated.

Here are findings:

• 46% vs 51%: college educated white Americans attended church in the 2000s but vs 1970’s

• 37% vs 50%: moderately educated people surveyed attending church regularly 2000s vs 1970s.

• 23% vs 38%: church attendance drops for the least educated in 2000s vs 1970s.

The research authors say economics and a feeling of social marginalization among the least educated may be the factors explaining the survey results. Lower-income and less-educated people are also less likely to embrace the work ethics and “familial values” such as marriage promoted by churches, the study says.

The links to related stories and resources below provide different perspectives on this presentation and study findings.  Click on the link in my post above to reach the full report yourself.

If the church is to grow by attracting the unchurched and disaffected we must better understand the factors that bring people to attend or not attend.  Some factors we may be able to influence.  Some changes might be warranted at church to make attendance more welcoming, friendly and helpful for those seeking renewal and spiritual growth in   their lives.  We’re also learning that there is no one reason or answer to the question of why people go to church.  So it follows that one solution or one strategy also is not likely to be effective for all.

Intuitively we understand that individual choices are driven by individual reasons and factors but it is good to see research results that offer clues to how church can be more effective, more receptive, more hopeful.

Related articles

• Who the unchurched actually are (geneveith.com)
• Church Attendance Dropping Among Less-Educated White Americans (huffingtonpost.com)
• “Who the unchurched really are” via Gene Veith (heidelberg26.wordpress.com)
• Working-Class Americans Retreating from Church (livescience.com)
• Who is going to church? Not who you think (msnbc.msn.com)
• Americans Have Lost Faith In Religious Leaders And Church Attendance, New Book Says (huffingtonpost.com)
• Flotsam and jetsam (8/25) (westernthm.wordpress.com)

Read Full Post »

Farmers Market Casual Evangelism

Life at the foot of Mt Diablo

Showing up is often one of the most important things we can do for the church.  Showing up is also part of the casual evangelism strategy at St. Timothy’s so others can discover us on their own terms.

That is Steve Mason’s idea behind the St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, Danville, CA card table in the free speech section of the Danville Farmer’s Market each Saturday from 9am to 1pm.  Steve is a member of the Vestry and chair of its Evangelism and Church Growth Ministry.

From my experience at the Saturday Market table it is a great and non-threatening way for unchurched to get to know your church.  I am always surprised at the power of a smile and ‘good morning’—and the questions I get asked:

• Can I come to your church during the day to pray alone?
• Do you still allow birds to be buried in your Redwood grove?

Thanks for letting me park my car at your church while I bike up Mt Diablo—your church is such a friendly place one woman said as she handed me a check to put in the plate at church.

That made my day!

I asked Steve Mason to share his thoughts about this comfortable evangelism approach.  Here is what he offered:

Evangelism and Church Growth From an Episcopalian Perspective

What follows are my opinions, experiences and learning’s from three years of service on the Vestry of St Timothy’s Episcopal Church, Danville CA. in a capacity to head evangelism and church growth for that parish.

Steve Mason

Prerequisites

• A Parish that is welcoming, open and affirming and that is desirous of growth.

• A belief that evangelism is primarily the following of the path Jesus demonstrated for us to follow and not a method to balance the parish budget.

• A Clergy that is supportive of “Spreading the Good News” and provides leadership towards that end.

• A Parish that encourages congregants to actively work on their faith life.

Methods

• Encourage parishioners to talk about their own faith life with others when asked, rather than attempt to “convert” the questioner.

• Attend public events such as the Danville Farmer’s Market in the “free speech area”

• Identify who you are, such as the banner that states Saint Timothy’s Episcopal Church, Danville.

• If available wear logo wear clothing or the parish name badge.

• Have printed material that includes the address of the parish, service times, types of ministries, youth activities and a brief profile of the parish.

• Establish eye contact and greet the public with a friendly, “Good Morning” those that are interested will engage you in conversation.

• Do not wear sunglasses, your eyes are the most expressive part of your face and will transmit your sincerity as you describe your faith journey and why your parish is an important part of your life.

• Be genuinely curious about what the person you are talking with is looking for in a faith community.

• Be honest with your answers.

• Remember this is NOT a sales pitch!  In fact it is “not about me”, our job is only to describe our faith journey and how we value our parish.  We have a silent partner; the Holy Spirit that will motivate action if the person is ready to act.

• Because of our silent partner do not internalize your responsibility to bring in new members, or get wrapped up in numbers.  The analogy I like is that our job is to set the table, cook and serve the meal.  It is up to the person you are talking with to join us at the feast

• Have an active Greeters program so that if someone does try you out they are recognized and made to feel welcome.

• Find something for the new seeker to do to integrate them into parish live as soon as possible.

Needed help from DioCal

• Training online and presenter led for Episcopalian Evangelism

• On going research on what the un-churched are looking for and how we can meet those needs.

• Become an on-line place where parishes can share ideas on different worship styles that appeal to the un-churched.

• Provide leadership in getting the word out that the God Episcopalians find every Sunday in their parishes is a loving accepting inclusive God.

Recent Learning’s

• It takes time to make Evangelism an acceptable word in Episcopalian Parishes

• With Clergy and Lay leadership, and when the parish begins to see new people in church, enthusiasm will build and this will help in all areas of parish life.

Related articles

• Signposts of St. Timothy’s Future (discernablefutures.wordpress.com)
• Turning Our Stewardship Fears into Easter’s Sunrise (discernablefutures.wordpress.com)
• Episcopal Realities: Getting Back to Growth (discernablefutures.wordpress.com)
• CHURCH2GO: Connecting the Body of Christ in an Episcopal Social Network (discernablefutures.wordpress.com)
• Introducing our new Church Growth Program (churchgrowthprogram.com)
• Census 2010 clues for Growing the Church (discernablefutures.wordpress.com)

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State of the Plate

2010 State of the Plate Survey Overview

That is the name of a nationwide survey of giving to religious institutions now in its third year.  State of the Plate is a collaborative effort by Brian Kluth of Maximum Generosity ministry, Christianity Today International, publisher of Church Finance Today and Leadership journal, and the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) and there are plenty of corporate sponsors on board as well.

State of the Plate got responses from 1,507 churches of all sizes, theological leanings, and every region of the country.

Headlines from the State of the Plate Survey

• 43% of churches saw increases in giving this past year, up from 36 percent in 2009.
• 39% of churches reporting a decline in giving this past year compared with 38 percent last year.
• Smaller churches (< 250 people ASA) saw more declines in giving than larger churches.
• The West Coast and Southeast lead the nation in declining giving with 46% of churches reporting decrease in donations in 2010.

Remember this State of the Plate survey is focused mostly on evangelical churches while there was some mainline participation.  But if the faster growing evangelical churches have been hit as hard or harder by the recession as the larger mainline denominations—we have even more evidence of how brutal this recession has been on churches.

It was interesting that the commentary on this survey in the media often went beyond the facts of changing giving patterns to discuss the potential long term impact on churches from changes in US tax policy concerning tax deductions for charitable giving as recommended by the US Deficit Commission.  It is obvious that the evangelicals fear a permanent drop in charitable giving if here is such as change and, I supposed, the Episcopal Church might also add that to our worry list.

The Episcopal Church Stewardship Experience

Until the recession hit hard, giving increased in the Episcopal Church faster than the rate of inflation. While membership in the Episcopal Church and Average Sunday Attendance (ASA) decreased each year since 2002, stewardship giving trends were positive.

Kirk Hadaway, director of research for the Episcopal Church, said last Fall that plate and pledge giving increased steadily from 1991 to 2008, when it dropped for the first time since good records were available because of the depths of the recession. The average pledge among US parishes increased from $1,791 in 2003 to $2,302 in 2008, and plate and pledge giving per attendee increased from $1,496 to $1,883 during the same period.

What Does This Mean to Our Parish?

The Episcopal Church website offers a free online database research tool which charts 11-year trends called Studying Your Congregation and Community to assist Episcopal congregations and dioceses with stewardship, short- and long-term planning, and strategic development.

Any congregation can access this research data at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/research.htm and by clicking Studying Your Congregation and Community, the data are easily accessed with pull-down menus for selecting dioceses and congregations.  All of this information is from the parochial reports–the official annual ‘census data’ collected from every congregation each year.

Self Study Resources for the Rector Search Process

This national church research service is also a VERY USEFUL tool for any search committee and you can bet the candidates will check out any parish they feel called to in order to get the facts on membership, average Sunday attendance, and plate & pledge giving by diocese and congregation from 1999 to 2009 including community profile, which updates the former zip code report.

So if you are preparing a parish profile you better check this out and make sure what you are saying about your congregation is consistent with what the national church is reporting.  But you still need to answer the basic question of what happened to giving in 2010 and what trends or expectations does the congregation have for the future.

I’m tempted to say that if the Evangelicals are worried about future giving then we should be too—and we are.  But growing average Sunday attendance and broadening the pledge base is part of a much broader strategy every congregation needs.

The lessons:

Changing demographics will profoundly impact every denomination. Our strategies for parish life and stewardship need to reflect these demographic realities. It also means we cannot build a parish strategic vision, capital plan or search process by just focusing on our history—we must learn to live into our vision of the future and test that vision against these demographic trends.

The recession was as bad as we felt, but the economy is recovering slowly. Expecting a miraculous turnaround in pledge levels is unrealistic given the slow pace of recovery.  But the State of the Plate survey told us that more congregations are seeing giving grow again that before.  that is good news but not sufficient to turn the corner.  The lesson in this for the Diocese of California, St. Timothy’s Danville and other congregations is that we cannot coast or wimp out in addressing our structural problems in congregational vitality, the assessment formula, and the budget levels at both the Diocese and parish level.

Both the ‘best of times’ and ‘worst of times’ are still ahead of us. Change is always difficult even when the change is good–or good for us.  God is revealing to us a glimpse of our faith future by opening our eyes to the need to welcome, incorporate and serve our richly diverse communities.  He is not promising us that the changes needed to reach out to the unchurched, underserved and multicultural diversity we see ahead will be easy—-only that He is with us every step of the way.  The question is ‘what is our response?’

There is something Darwinian to all of this change process underway in the church, in our nation and the world.  It is forcing all of us to open our eyes, to pray more, to see more of the world beyond our small corner, and to both give thanks for the blessings in our lives and reach out to serve those less fortunate to live into the mission work of the church.

Related Articles

• Report on church funding (religion.blogs.cnn.com)
• Is church giving rebounding? (ajc.com)
• Donations rise at U.S. churches in 2010 (reuters.com)
• Mixed picture for church donations in 2010 (reuters.com)
• 20/20 Vision: Facing 40 Years of Mainline Church Decline (discernablefutures.wordpress.com)
• Evangelical Churches Still Growing, Mainline Protestantism In Decline (huffingtonpost.com)
• Evangelical Finance Probe Concluded by Senator (huffingtonpost.com)
• Zynga & the Episcopalians announces Churchyville – Social Networking Initiative (hackingchristianity.net)

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20/20 Vision: Facing 40 Years of Mainline Church Decline

Episcopal Church of the United States

One of the key issues facing the Episcopal Church in the US, the Diocese of California AND St. Timothy’s is the persistent decline in the membership of the mainline Protestant religions.  There are many reasons for this 40 year trend including:

• Aging population and changing demographics as we see anew in the 2010 Census
• Stronger evangelism, marketing and attractiveness of evangelical churches to the unchurched
• Conflicts in the church over social issues
• Changes in family structures and lifestyles that do not reinforce going to church.
• Competing demands on our time pushing church to a lower priority in busy lives.

Writing in WORLD, Timothy Dalrymple distills the headlines from the 2011 edition of the Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches, published by the National Council of Churches to summarize publicly available data on 227 churches across North America.  The Yearbook has been regard as the principal way to track the changing fortunes of organized religion including membership for at least the last forty years.

Here are the Winners and Losers:

Denomination	% Change
Jehovah’s Witnesses	+4.37%
Seventh Day Adventists	+4.31%
The Mormon Church of Ladder Day Saints	+1.42%
Roman Catholic Church	+0.57%
Assemblies of God	+0.52%
Southern Baptist Convention	-0.42%
United Methodist Church	-1.0%
Lutheran Church (ELCA)	-1.96%
Episcopal Church of the US	-2.48%
Presbyterian Church (USA)	-2.61%
United Church of Christ	-2.83%

SOURCE: National Council of Churches

The largest Christian Congregations in the US from 2010 Yearbook are:

1. The Roman Catholic Church: 68.1 million, up 1.5 percent from 2009
2. Southern Baptist Convention: 16.2 million, no significant change
3. The United Methodist Church: 7.8 million, down 1 percent from 2009
4. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: 5.9 million, up 1.7 percent from 2009
5. The Church of God in Christ: 5.5 million, no significant change
6. National Baptist Convention: 5 million, no significant change
7. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: 4.6 million, down 1.6 percent
8. National Baptist Convention of America: 3.5 million, no significant change
9. Assemblies of God: 2.9 million, up 1.27 percent from 2009
10. The Presbyterian Church; 2.8 million, down 3.28 percent from 2009

15. The Episcopal Church of the US: 2 million members, down 3% or 50,000 members from 2008 to 2009.

Want more information?

• Episcopal Church Research Services provides statistical information and reports on the Episcopal Church.
• Episcopal Congregations Overview is based on responses from 837 Episcopal parishes and missions that completed the 2010 Faith Communities Today Survey (76% response rate). The data were weighted by size and region to be representative of all Episcopal congregations. A more detailed report of findings will be published and posted on the Episcopal Church web site later in 2011.
• Compare Congregations Using Episcopal Research Service Online Data.  For search committees preparing profiles this is a very useful tool for comparing congregations and gathering information easily from the parochial reports filed with the National church.  This is your access point to the official parochial report database.

What about St. Timothy’s?

Below are three standardized reports I was able to pull from the ECRS database using the parochial report information for St. Timothy’s in Danville as examples of what is available:

• Diocese of California Participation and Giving Trends from the Parochial Report
• St. Timothy’s Danville Community Profile taken from the Parochial Report
• St. Timothy’s Participation and Giving Trends from the Parochial Report

For St. Timothy’s to Grow We Must Change the Trend Lines

So the 20/20 Vision strategies and the work of the Search Committee must take into account these changes in demographics and the implications of the trends in church membership and participation.  The long slow decline of mainline Protestant religions is affecting the Episcopal Church materially and substantially.

Our 20/20 Vision goals to be a welcoming parish open to all and to live into the mission work of the church by doubling the parish pledge base and participation by the year 2020 are seriously challenged by these long term membership trends.  To change the course of the church requires that St. Timothy’s and other congregations step up and take concerted action to reach out to the unchurched and underserved, collaborate with the Diocese on area ministry strategies and work with other congregations on mission and ministry programs to attract the faithful.

Unless we do so achieving the 20/20 Vision goals will be unrealistic.

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20/20 Vision Goals and our Changing Parish Future

CENSUS 2010 Population % Change

As we think about what St. Timothy’s will be like and whom will we serve in the year 2020, we have a lot to consider with change and uncertainty the only two constants in our calculus.

Forecasting our parish future is not a simple straight line projection with a few more people in the pews each year.

The early results of the 2010 Census are out and they offer insight and uncertainty for St. Timothy’s 20/20 Vision process, our parish profile being developed by the selection committee to help call a new rector, and they challenge the mission work of the church from the national church level to the Diocese of California to our parish here in Danville.

What do I mean challenge?

Census data across the nation tell a story of a nation on the move. The populations of the Southern and Southwestern states are growing faster and at the expense of the Northeast and Midwest states.

The great American melting pot is alive and well with a rich diversity widespread across the nation. Both Hispanic and Asian segments of the population are growing and in some states including California the traditional “minorities” are in the aggregate now he majority of the population.

The largest California counties have continued to grow since the last 2000 Census with Los Angeles growing by 2.6 percent, San Diego by 6.9 percent, San Jose by 5.7 percent, San Francisco by 3.7 percent, and Fresno by 15.7 percent.  Our own Contra Costa County grew by 10.6% faster than any of the other nine Bay Area counties and is the ninth largest county in California with a little over 1 million people out of a total Bay Area nine county population of 7.15 million for a 5.4 percent growth since 2000.

But growth has slowed dramatically and not just because of the recession. This 5.4 percent Bay Area growth is the smallest net growth since the 1930’s. Oakland lost 2.2 percent of its population since 2000 as people voted with their feet in search of better, more affordable housing, safer streets, better schools and a desire to live closer to where they work.  Business sometimes pulled them but just as often followed its employees to the suburbs according for the disproportionate growth in Contra Costa County.

The Good, Bad and Different in the 2010 Census

The good news is our parish “market area” here in Danville is in the heart of the fastest growing county in the Bay Area.  For that reason we should continue to be attractive as a place to live, work and—we hope—worship.  The bad news is growth has slowed to a trickle, job creation in this weak recovery is an agonizing long slog and housing prices are weakened by the high foreclosure rates in East Contra Costa County leaving many locked into underwater mortgages or without the equity to refinance or move. The uncertainties of the job market will surely bear down hard on the parish goals of growing the pledge basis and restoring pledge income to pre-recession levels.

The other factor that is different is the continued change in the demographic make-up of our market service area. The characteristics will sound familiar in many communities as he population gets older, has fewer kids, is more Hispanic or Latino, more Asian with more spread in income levels from lower to higher reflecting the trends in many suburban communities of rounding out the community diversification profile.

What does this mean for the church?

St. Timothy’s is well positioned for growth. Our parish is in the “sweet spot” of growth in the nine county Bay Area and we have a solid, thriving parish foundation from which to grow for the future.
But we must have a clear, persistent, effective strategy of living into our goals (Welcoming all to worship, investing in our kids faith foundation and living into the mission work of the church) that speaks to the unchurched and underserved in our community and is attractive to the increasingly diverse ethnic and cultural make-up of our population.
The 20/20 Vision goal of doubling the parish pledge base is achievable but not assured. To get there we must reach out to introduce new people to the parish, to sell our programs and ministries and be a welcoming place that attracts people across the age cohorts from youth to seniors, singles to young married with kids to empty nesters.  We must offer ministry and support across a wide range of spiritual formation, transforming lives and offering sustenance and renewal in times of need that span the range of life experiences of our congregation and community.
The lesson of 20/20 vision is that we are a community with ever widening horizons. We must have a capacity to serve the whole church, but we do not have to do it all ourselves.  St. Timothy’s is neither an isolated island nor self-sufficient.  We do not have the resources to meet every need well, but we have every need that still cries out for help.  We have learned from our work in the Contra Costa Deanery that other parishes have the same needs, same goals, and same uncertainties. We have learned that in Outreach we often share support for the same programs and ministries yet we almost never talk to each other about coordinated efforts.  At St. Timothy’s we are learning how to collaborate with others to meet our 20/20 vision goals and really do the mission work of the church.
The Diocese of California faces an area ministry trinity of challenges requiring our active participation.  Collaboration starts with more active participation by people from St. Timothy’s in the work of the Diocese of California and the Contra Costa Deanery.  The diocese just as its parishes faces stark realities difficult to accept including the need to focus the congregational development work of the Diocese on both the alpha and omega of the parish lifecycle to address the decline of congregations whose demographics are conspiring against them while simultaneously investing in the congregational growth in the fastest growing parts of the Diocese (East Contra Costa County) and still support the work of the thriving congregations (including St. Timothy’s) in reaching out to an ever more diverse community of faithful to grow the church by doing the mission and ministry work of the church.

How Can we help St. Timothy’s?

Encourage the Search Committee to reflect these changing census realities in the parish profile along with the opportunities and risks they present so that candidates for rector can understand them, pray about them and help us identify ways to address them that empower us to live into our 20/20 Vision goals.

We can be actively involved in the work of the broader church through outreach, through the contra Costa Deanery programs and ministry and the work of the Diocese and its committees.

We can each live into our parish family goals of being that welcoming parish open to all, investing in our kids’ faith foundation, and volunteering to do the mission and ministry work of the church in our parish lives.

God has given us everything including this rainbow of good fortune and plentiful opportunities to love and serve Him—what is our response?

Related Articles

• Contra Costa County Remains California’s 9th Most Populous County (prweb.com)
• E Pluribus Unum (discernablefutures.wordpress.com)
• My Duty of Care (discernablefutures.wordpress.com)
• Census 2010 Data Released (romickinoakley.wordpress.com)

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Hurt, Hate and the 1st Amendment

Image via Wikipedia

The US Supreme Court found 8-1 in favor of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas upholding an appeals court ruling that threw out a $5 million defamation judgment against the church by the parents of a soldier slain who alleged the church had exceeded their free speech rights by pursuing them.

Soldiers killed in combat are not the only thing the Westboro Baptist Church hates.  They are an equal opportunity protest group for a wide range of views and behaviors they find sinful.

Chief justice John Roberts spoke for the court in the ruling: “Speech is powerful. It can stir people to action, move them to tears of both joy and sorrow, and — as it did here — inflict great pain. On the facts before us, we cannot react to that pain by punishing the speaker.  As a nation we have chosen a different course — to protect even hurtful speech on public issues to ensure that we do not stifle public debate.”

Margie Phelps, the lawyer who argued the case before the Supreme Court and the daughter of the minister said:

“We read the law. We follow the law. The only way for a different ruling is to shred the First Amendment.  I think it’s pretty self-explanatory, but here’s the core point: The wrath of God is pouring onto this land. Rather than trying to shut us up, use your platforms to tell this nation to mourn for your sins.”

As Americans we believe in the First Amendment and part of us supports this ruling even though the speech which gave rise to this case is disgusting, hurtful and hardly what any Christian should expect from a Christian church.

We pray for the Snyder Family whose loss of their son Matthew is pain enough without this torment.  But we also need to pray for the Westboro Baptist Church asking God to fill them with His Holy Spirit that they might love for the Snyder Family and others they protest as He has loved them.

My guess is that may be too much to expect from a group so consumed by rage that they must keep finding new targets to keep the fires of hate burning.

Compare this ‘act of faith’ by the Westboro Baptist Church to the act of faith by the Amish who showed up on the doorstep of the widow of the shooter to tell her they did not blame her for her husband’s actions in killing their children.

Free speech is still free speech even when it is hateful.  But God is love not hate and the Westboro Baptist church minister and members will have to explain to Jesus on their own judgment day how they got the message so wrong.

Related Articles

• Westboro Baptist Church Wins At Supreme Court: 8-1 Decision Upholds Their Right To Be Vile (queerty.com)
• Westboro Baptist Church Wins Supreme Court Appeal Over Funeral Protests (huffingtonpost.com)
• Supremes rule in favor of Westboro Baptist Church in military funeral case (inquisitr.com)
• U.S. Supreme Court rules antigay Westboro Baptist Church funeral protests protected by First Amendment (miamiherald.typepad.com)

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Revolutionary Thinking and the American Church

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The debate provoked by the Episcopal Church now playing out in the Anglican Covenant might end up being overshadowed by an even more disruptive change brought on by prayerful reflection.

What could be more disruptive than that, you ask?

I’m talking about the decision by the Board of Trustees of the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee to CUT tuition and fees for the next school year by 10% to reflect the “new economic realities” facing its students and their families.

While virtually every other college and university is raising its tuition and fees, Sewanee’s action is a direct challenge to each of them to do a little prayerful reflection on their own.  The University of the South is owned by 28 dioceses of the Episcopal Church.

“Higher education is on the verge of pricing itself beyond the reach of more and more families.”-–Sewanee President John McCardell Jr.

Every parent of a college age kid knows exactly what he is talking about.  It does not matter whether the school is public or private, sectarian or church affiliated, higher education has lived in its ivory Tower seemingly insulated from the economic realities around it.  It spends money as if it could print its own by merely demanding it of students, alumni or the public.

The Federal Government is also provoking some disruptive change of its own with the challenge by the Department of Education to private, for profit, colleges whose business model is to enroll students eligible for federal student aid or loans and charge tuition and fees disproportionate to the earning power of the students graduating.  While this is a shot at the private technical schools and the University of Phoenix—the same logic applies to public universities and private colleges including the Ivy Leagues to get their costs under control.

Thanks be to Sewanee for leading the way.

Related Articles

• University of the South Slashes Tuition (online.wsj.com)
• The US higher education mess | Michael Tomasky (guardian.co.uk)

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Our Parish DNA

“At St. Timothy’s, anyone and everyone seeking to experience God’s love, mercy and power to heal is welcome, and all who love God and seek Christ are invited to share at the Lord’s Table where we celebrate our unity and find sustenance, consolation, and hope.” —-Mission Statement of St. Timothy’s Danville

These simple words express the mission that is part of our parish DNA.  Don’t take my word for it—ask anyone “why did you become a member of St. Timothy’s?”

If you have been at St. Timothy’s for a while you know what I mean.  At every newcomers meeting this question gets asked of old and new alike.  More often than not the answer is a variation on the theme:

• I felt comfortable here from my first day.
• The priest remembered my name on my second visit!
• People were friendly and made me feel at home.

We want everyone who crosses our door to feel God’s presence in their life.  We want them to feel at home—the first time and every time, to feel God’s love, to feel wanted —just where they belong.

I have called it the ‘Virginia Woy Effect” to honor the woman whose skill as a greeter is indelibly stamped in our parish DNA.  Almost everyone who read that post told me they knew exactly what I meant.  If we could bottle it we’d have a endowment full of riches.  But Jesus taught us to give it all away–and so we do.

And that has made all the difference!

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