DE Ponderings

by Kevin Kessler, District Executive

We live in a time when the culture measures success by numbers, primarily by how many people were involved and how much money was exchanged. I believe the following example is a case in point. The IHSA State Boys Basketball Tournament is held at Carver Arena in Peoria each year. News reports predict that when the tournament comes to town the economy will benefit by thousands upon thousands of dollars as a result of thousands more people being in the city. I always wonder, does the city benefit in any other way? I’m confident it does, but why isn’t emphasis given to the other benefits? Could it be that the other benefits which may have greater impact on the city are more difficult to analyze and so the easier route of counting, which is more tangible, is taken instead?

Have these cultural means of measurement impacted the church? My response to this question is, “Yes.” Each year congregations receive forms asking for statistical information which is published in the denominational Yearbook. These statistical numbers may be indicators of underlying currents within the church, but the numbers offer little in analyzing church vitality. Yet when we enter conversation about how well a congregation is doing, the responses we often get and expect are measurements of average attendance and financial stability. How well really do these responses inform us of congregational vitality?

The district’s Church Revitalization and Development Team in a recent meeting discussed the question of church vitality. Emerging from lively conversation was an affirmation that vitality is measured much more effectively than counting people in the pews and viewing numbers on a spreadsheet. One team member suggested that vitality is measured by the level of congregational energy. Thus, giving attention to building the energy level may have greater impact on the congregation than filling pews. Filled pews may be an end result of renewed energy but not the overarching goal.

I continued thinking about the measurement of congregational vitality. Desiring to know more, I quickly perused the internet one afternoon. I came across a couple blogs that offered some insightful thoughts on this subject. The blogs suggest measuring vitality by the manner of living out baptismal vows, the depth of theological understanding, a focus on discipleship, the gravity of our spiritual lives, the attentiveness given to prayer and study of scripture, and the relationship we have with the covenant community. United Methodist minister Dan R. Dick sums it up with this statement: “What we should be measuring is how well people have been equipped to live their faith in the world, and how our world is being transformed."

Continuing to measure church vitality by numbers allows us to easily lament church decline, which moves us into survival mode. Considering the measurement methods in the preceding paragraph, congregations have greater ability to see what they are doing, understand their identity, and realize their effectiveness. Increased awareness of ongoing vitality reveals a level of energy oft times forgotten. Thus, congregations begin to see that they are more than numbers; they are alive and functioning and vital, moving then from survival to thriving mode.

When Jesus told the disciples to feed the gathered crowd of 5,000 men plus women and children, they lamented not having available resources. They were concerned about having too little to do what was needed. Imagine Jesus sighing and responding, “What do you have? Go and see!” They went and found two small fish and a few loaves of bread. All were fed...with food leftover. Jesus calls us to bring what we have, even the smallest amounts, to be transformed. Let’s see what we have in our congregations. Let’s become aware of vitality already among us as we measure it in new ways. Let’s bring it to Jesus. Let’s expect transformation...among us...and in the world.