This past fall, I received an unexpected email from Bishop
Sean Rowe of Northwest Pennsylvania. He
asked if I would be willing to work with St. Mark’s Church in Erie. He
described the Church as a Transitional Size congregation with an ASA between 140 and 200. Since I wrote a book on this topic, he hoped
I would be willing to help move them to the next level. He gave me some of the background on St.
Mark’s.
Located in what is called the Rust Belt, St. Mark’s is an
intentional effort at revitalization by the Bishop and the Diocese. While many congregations in the industrial
mid-west are in decline or even closing, the Bishop decided that St. Mark’s had
a very good chance and location for a strategic rebirth.
I was impressed with all that he told me and made a promise
that I would work along side them, even making a late November on site visit to
assist them. I also was impressed that
the staff and key leaders of the Parish had read my book, The Myth of the 200 Barrier, and were eager to apply the information
to their setting.
I found a vibrant, growing, and diverse congregation and
part of my agreement to visit was that I would write about what I
discovered. How was this congregation
able to go counter to the trend of so many Episcopal and mainline congregations
in the setting of declining populations and stagnant economic environment?
With this blog, I
start a series on what the Bishop, the staff, the leadership, and the
congregation are doing right and how this can be applied to many other similar
settings.
Let me start with the Bishop. What did Bishop Rowe get right!
Bishop Rowe did what few of our Bishops have either the
insight or courage to do. He took the
initiative, intervened in the congregation, and made several strategic
decisions that began the turn around for St. Mark’s. My observation is that many of our Bishops,
particularly in such settings, are resolved to let their congregations merely
continue with little direction and support from their Diocese. The Bishops seem content to accept the fate
of decline and death as inevitable. Many
times, over the years, I have heard Bishops and other Episcopal leaders say
that “of course you can plant and grow a church in a growing suburb, but there
are many places where churches will inevitable decline.”
This is because mainline leaders tend to blame growth and
decline mostly on demographics. Remember our
past Presiding Bishop who explained decline for TEC because we have older
members who aren’t having enough children?
Yet, studies of growth and decline in American churches consistently
show that we have declining churches in growing communities, and growing churches
in declining communities. The truth is
that growth and decline have much more to do with the attitudes and decisions
of current members than with mere demographics.
I am not saying that turning around a church in a declining community is
easy, but it can be done. St. Mark’s is
a wonderful example.
Strategically, what
did Bishop Rowe do?
First, he selected which of his declining congregations in Erie had
the best setting and was at the right moment for intervention.
Second, he and Diocesan leaders intervened directly both
telling the truth to current members and offering them hope.
Third, he selected the leadership. For St. Mark’s, this consisted of an able lay
administrator, a knowledgeable newcomer/ congregational development lay staff,
and a part-time clergy who handles the sacramental and pastoral aspects of the church’s
life. Note how important it is that he
placed a staff team and not just sent “another” priest with the hope of turning
it around.
Fourth, he mobilized Diocesan leaders and volunteers to help
with the project. One single handedly
provided a refurbished professional kitchen for outreach use by the
congregation.
Fifth, he added new people from another Erie congregation
that was near closure.
Lastly, he has taken an active interest in the congregation’s
development providing encouragement and assistance to the staff and lay
leaders.
I would sum all this
up with this observation. The Bishop acted like a leader rather than an
administrator!
In my next blog, I will explore what the staff team brought
to this revitalization.
