A Tale of Two Churches
by Dr. Roger Swanson, Director of Operation Evangelization, Florida Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church. He is the co-author of The Faith-Sharing Congregation.

This is a story of two churches. One has sat proudly on the same corner for the past 50 years; the other congregation worships in a school cafeteria while down the street its first building is under construction. For both, worship attendance on Sunday mornings is at approximately 200. Both are United Methodist and share the same mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ.

That is where the similarity ends. Although approximately the same number of persons worship on Sundays, one church is growing while the other is in decline. The older congregation has been larger. They will not be the same size for very long.

Pastors who focus on God's dream for their particular congregation also lead both congregations. Yet, one is growing and the other is not. I once thought the sky was the limit when a congregation owned its mission and listened for God's vision. I know differently now.

What's different in these congregations becomes obvious when visiting. One has greeters in the parking lot (with umbrellas on rainy days). There are greeters at the door, as well, and ushers who not only escort worshipers to a pew but also to the nursery or Sunday school room, if necessary. When I was there on a recent Sunday, several members approached me before worship began and welcomed me. During the service, visitors were welcomed and given a "get-acquainted" packet. Coffee was available in the back of the sanctuary.

In the other church there are no greeters in the parking lot or at the door. They tried it once but weren't able to sustain the program. "After all," someone said to me, "everyone knows everyone who comes." Ushers do no more than hand out bulletins and collect the offering. This church has tried to be friendlier to newcomers, but every time it starts a hospitality program, it fizzles after a few weeks.

What's the difference between these two churches? It is not so much in the stated mission and vision. The difference is, in fact, what each congregation values.

Values have been part and parcel of the national debate in recent years — family values, cultural values, and so on. Congregations also have values. For the most part they are invisible — an integral part of a congregation's climate . . . their assumptions and basic beliefs. For instance, a congregation that includes a number of older people who were influenced by the Great Depression may value paying as they go. They see no reason to incur debt. In fact, if the truth were known, they fear debt. They are often more willing to face higher building costs in the future than to undertake a mortgage.

In the two churches described above, the first one values long-standing relationships. Members have known one another for many years. They recognize when members reach 25 and 50 years of membership. They take pride in the many professional people in their midst. The second church has different values. It targets unchurched people. It focuses on discipleship rather than membership. Its operating value is that lost people matter to God. Church members believe that the church exists for those who are not members of it.

When you attend these churches, you'll notice an obvious difference. One has a "rogues' gallery" of portraits of former pastors; the other has an attractive display of photographs of new members. Both have a stated mission and vision. What is driving them, however, are their core values.

In established churches, the issue is often how to go about changing values so that discipleship growth can occur. Churches turn around when they recover those values that arise out of an encounter with the apostolic witness and mission of the church. In other words, churches can be born again. Just as people can experience profound and saving change in their lives (once called conversion), so can congregations. Usually it happens in one or two ways: either they face a crisis in which they encounter that apostolic witness or they learn something new that changes their hearts and minds. We have all known people who changed their basic values through an encounter with a life-threatening disease. Change has also been the result of learning something profoundly true; for example, understanding the earth as a global village, or the missionary situation of contemporary America, or an encounter through Bible study of the apostolic witness. Whatever it is, we are not the same ever again!

In a word, when we pray for renewal of congregational life, we are praying for a change in congregational values to be more in alignment with the spirit of Jesus. Growing churches know the business they are in (mission) and where God is leading them (vision). They also pay attention to their core values. Without them, they are powerless to effect long-lasting, systemic change.

Special Issue 2001