as Director of Connectional Ministries (don't ask what that job description is). From the little I know of Dan from what he's written and from a workshop he led in Wisconsin, this will be a good addition to our Conference staff. That's the introduction.
Here's the quote from an essay on 'Megachurch Myths' in his Bursting the Bubble: Rethinking Conventional Wisdom about Church Leadership.
"When Christian men and women who do not attend church are asked what kind of church might attract them, they overwhelmingly state that they would prefer a small, intimate, and deeply engaged congregation. Most will say that they want to know the people ther are talking to and learning with in a significant way. But size is not the only issue. If size were the dominant issue, people would have plenty to choose from, since about 85 percent of mainline and evangelical Protestant churches have fewer than one hundred members/participants. People really want healthy small churches, and these are harder to find. People want safe, respectful, open, and talerant environments. They want inclusive and diverse settings that are not rife with conflict, tension, and gossip. They want balance between personal development and meaningful service. They want to integrate acts of spiritual devotion with acts of mercy and compassion. They want to work, play, study, pray, eat, fast, and share with others who become true family and friends."
Dan notes that in a research study he did about these matters, most of the healthiest churches in the study shared the metaphor of becoming the body of Christ. They found it important to think of themselves this way.
He ends the essay with these questions:
'What is the church? What is it for? Is it a building, an organization, or an institution, or is it a people of God, empowered and equipped to be the hands and heart and voice of Christ for the world? Is the church the place where we go to worship and learn about God, or is the place we go to worship and learn about God where we are transformed from individual Christian believers into the church?"
In a Bible study last night (advertisement: Thursdays 6:30 pm in church social room) the conversation turned to what our church has going for it, and it was interesting to hear someone name our inclusiveness, a spirit of welcome and mercy and nonjudgementalism. The group also talked about the importance of meeting for worship and hearing God's word preached. One person expressed mild surprise that our Bible study focuses closely on the text of the Scriptures (we're currently reading through 1 Corinthians), as the non-mainline, more evangelical or charismatic churches often see mainline churches as rather lukewarm when it comes to lively faith and interest in the Bible--a perception which we mainliners have earned through past decades, I think. I found this conversation about who we are as a church refreshing.
Dan Dick's question, 'What is the church? What is it for?' is a good one to ask ourselves in groups so we can hear what each other is thinking. What would our visitors say the church is after an experience of worshiping with us? What's the difference between being a collection of individual Christian believers and being the body of Christ?
Food for thought.