Cultivating Congregational Engagement or How to Close Your Back Door

1
Cultivating Congregational Engagementor How to
Close Your Back Door
2
Spiritual Yearning Is High in America!

• 94 say they believe in God
• 89 state a religious preference
• 63 say they are members of faith communities
• 44 report they have attended a religious service
  in the past 7 days.
• 59 say religion is very important in their lives
• 59 report that religion can answer most of
  todays problems. (Gallup)

3
When People First Come to Church
Will we be accepted? How can we experience God?
Do we have what it takes to be part of this
congregation? Will they notice how afraid and
broken we are? Is there anything we can
contribute to make a difference here? Will we be
able to make friends here? Will anyone here help
us grow spiritually?
4
Frustrating Challenges Facing Congregational
Leaders Today

• How come so many people dont
• attend regularly?
• get involved?
• commit?
• pay attention?
• join?
• serve?
• stay?

5
Missional Outcomes Congregational Fruitfulness

• Worship attendance
• Professions of faith
• Involvement in intentional discipling small
  groups
• Salty service to others
• Financial generosity

I am the true vine, and my Father is the
gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that
bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear
fruit he prunes so that it will be even more
fruitful. (John 151-2)
6
Can you really grow roses?

• No, but you can grow rose bushes . . . and they
  can grow roses.
• Likewise, leaders cant control missional
  outcomes . . . But they can manage the factors
  driving missional fruitfulness.

7
Spiritual Commitment Drives Missional Outcomes
Worship Attendance
Professions of Faith
Spiritual Commitment
Serving
Giving
8
What is Spiritual Commitment?

• Reflects a persons depth of spirituality
• Individual in nature
• Goes beyond feel good faith
• Makes a real difference in their daily living

9
How Does Gallup Measure Spiritual Commitment?

• Four Attitudes
• My faith is involved in every aspect of my life
  (40)
• Because of my faith, I have meaning and purpose
  in my life (55)
• My faith gives me an inner peace (58)
• I am a person who is spiritually committed (58)

10

• Five Behaviors
• I spend time in worship or prayer every day (38)
• Because of my faith, I have forgiven people who
  have hurt me deeply (49)
• My faith has called me to develop my given
  strengths (44)
• I will take unpopular stands to defend my faith
  (54)
• I speak words of kindness to those in need of
  encouragement (61)

11
But What Drives Spiritual Commitment?
Worship Attendance
?
Engagement
Spiritual Commitment
Professions of Faith
Serving
Giving
12
Congregational Engagement

• Engagement describes the strength of
  emotional connection or bond enabling people to
  feel that they belong in a congregation.

Blest be the tie that bindsOur hearts in
Christian loveThe fellowship of kindred
mindsIs like to that above. When we asunder
part, it gives us inward pain but we shall still
be joined in heart, and hope to meet again.
13
Congregations with Engaged Members

• Gallup research demonstrates that
  congregations with engaged members are
  spiritually healthier, are better able to carry
  out their missions, attract more new people, are
  better able to fund new ventures, and have a
  higher percentage of spiritually committed
  individuals. In short, they are more
  missionally effective . . . congregations.
• (Growing an Engaged Church, p. 12)

14
Engaged Congregations are Good Soil Congregations

• "Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.
  As he was scattering the seed, some fell along
  the path . . . Some fell on rocky places, where
  it did not have much soil. . . Other seed fell
  among thorns . . . Still other seed fell on good
  soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop,
  multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred
  times."

Mark 83-9
15
Debunking the Myths

• Myth 1
• Believing leads to belonging
• Exactly the opposite is true! Faith is caught
  more than taught. The higher their level of
  engagement, the more likely persons will be
  spiritually committed.

16
Debunking the Myths

• Myth 2
• An active member is a faithful member
• Again, not true! Involvement is what you DO.
  Engagement is how you FEEL.
• Indeed, activity that isnt the result of
  engagement leads to burnout.

17
Debunking the Myths

• Myth 3
• Personal faith leads to public action
• Yes and No. How much members give, how many
  hours they serve, and how often they invite
  others to their congregations are more dependent
  on engagement than on any other factor.

18
In An Average Congregation . . .
Regardingemotional relationships, there are
three groups of people
Engaged 29 Not-Engaged 54 Actively Disengaged
17 (National Averages)
19
The Engaged

• Loyal and have strong connections to their
  congregation
• More spiritually committed
• More likely to invite their friends to church
  events
• Serve and give more
• Their church is top-of-mind for them
• Organize their lives around their church
• Proud of cant imagine their life with out
  their church

Imagine your congregation with lots more engaged
persons!
20
The Not-Engaged

• May attend regularly
• Their connection is more social than emotional
• Give, serve and invite much less than the Engaged
• Not negative about their church
• Just as likely to be completely satisfied with
  their congregation but engagement is so much
  more than just showing up

Strategy focus on helping the Not-engaged
become Engaged
21
The Actively Disengaged

• Apathetic Chreasters
• on the rolls but only come once or twice a year
• my church but they may not know its name or
  the name of the current pastor
• CAVE Dwellers
• Physically present, but psychologically hostile
• Constantly Against Virtually Everything

Strategy Dont allow CAVE Dwellers to set the
agenda or monopolize the leaders time
22
The Difference Engagement Makes
The Engaged invite and serve 2½ times as much
as the Not-Engaged
23
The Difference Engagement Makes
The Engaged give almost twice as much as the
Not-Engaged
24
So, where are we?

• Engagement is the good soil in which God grows
  the missional fruit He desires spiritual
  commitment, inviting, serving giving.
• Pastorally support the Actively Disengaged, but
  dont allow them to control the agenda or your
  time.
• The Not-Engaged are your best source for more
  Engaged persons.

How can you help the Not-Engaged become Engaged?
25
The Congregational Engagement Pyramid
How can I grow?

• Engagement is divided by Gallup into four areas,
  each building upon the other, in a hierarchy of
  concerns summarized by four questions.
• To cultivate engagement, remember to work from
  the bottom up.

Do I belong?
What do I give?
What do I get?
26
12 Strategies ForCultivating Engagement

• What do I get?
• What do I give?
• Do I belong?
• How do I grow?

27
What do I get?

• Communicate clearly what you want for people as
  disciples
• Clarifying how you describe a mature follower of
  Jesus Christ, what you will ask of them so that
  they can grow up spiritually, and how you will
  support them during their spiritual journey
  assures people that your congregation is offering
  them what they are seeking.
• It also communicates that your congregation
  values them and is competent at doing what Christ
  calls his Church to do.
• Meet peoples spiritual needs
• Congregations exist to transform peoples lives
  spiritually. Yet only 55 of members strongly
  agree that their spiritual needs are being met.
• Ask your members how you could better meet their
  spiritual needs.

Your church is a spiritual transformation train.
Where is it going and how will it take people
there?
28
What do I give?

• 3. Help people discover their God-given gifts
  and offer them opportunities to use them blessing
  others and Gods purposes
• Everyone is called and equipped to make their
  unique contribution to Gods work. Helping
  people discover what their gifts are and giving
  them the opportunity to use them enables them to
  experience that they have a valuable role to play
  in the church family and in Gods mission.
• Most people (80) dont know what they do best.
  Yet we grow the most spiritually and make our
  best missional contributions when we operate out
  of our God-given gifts, strengths, talents and
  passions.
• 4. Cultivate a culture of genuine praise and
  appreciation.
• We hate to be ignored we are wired for
  recognition. Yet nationwide, only 4 out of 10
  members strongly agree that in their congregation
  they are regularly praised or recognized for what
  they do.

29
What do I give?

• 5. Train your spiritual leaders to develop
  caring relationships
• When people feel valued and affirmed they feel
  safe safe enough to get involved, to make
  mistakes, to care for others, to share their
  thoughts.
• Relationships are the glue that hold a
  congregation together.
• 6. Train your spiritual leaders personally to
  encourage peoples spiritual development
• When leaders help members grow spiritually, it
  affirms that they have something valuable to
  contribute and that they are worth the effort.
• Help persons to discern their calling, and to
  discover and take the next step on their
  spiritual journey.
• Those who are effectively mentored make the best
  mentors of others.

As part of their spiritual growth, engaged
persons are personally affirmed and supported in
making their unique contribution to Christs
mission.
30
Do I Belong?
Do I Belong?

• 7. Let your members know that their opinions
  really count
• Congregations function best when their members
  feel significant or heard.
• People feel their opinion matters when
• Their opinions are recognized by the right
  person.
• Leadership asks for peoples input before making
  decisions.
• 8. Help your members discover how the
  congregations mission is important to them and
  how their participation is important to
  fulfilling it.
• Agreement with the mission gives individuals a
  clear signal that they fit in the congregations
  culture and have something in common with other
  members in other words, that they do indeed
  belong.
• Likewise, knowing that they have an essential
  part to play in fulfilling the congregations
  mission also indicates that they belong.

31
Do I Belong?
Do I Belong?

• 9. Keep the leadership spotlight on becoming
  grown up disciples
• Congregations are about spiritual growth yet 50
  of members do not sense that others are committed
  to spiritual growth in their congregation .
• Are your members expected and encouraged to grow
  spiritually? Are they clear about what that
  means? Is anyone following their progress?
• 10. Give people opportunities to develop close
  relationships
• People need friendships, yet only 47 of members
  agreed that they have a close friend in their
  congregation other than a family member.
• Congregations are only as strong as the
  relationships in them.

Belonging develops as people feel listened to,
agree with and are involved in the
congregations mission, and are close friends
with others also committed to the mission
32
How Do I Grow?
How do I grow?

• 11. Train spiritual leaders to sit down to talk
  to each member about their spiritual growth at
  least every six months
• Only a third of church members say anyone mentors
  or coaches their spiritual journey progress
• Few congregations are giving regular feedback to
  people on how people they are doing fulfilling
  the congregations essential task making more
  and better disciples.
• 12. Provide meaningful and effective
  opportunities for growth.
• While most members say their congregation
  provides opportunities for growth, are these
  opportunities meaningful enough for them to
  invest their time participating? And are the
  opportunities really helping people grow as
  disciples?

Spiritual Growth is encouraged by effective
growth opportunities and someone caring enough
about us to monitor our progress
33
Because engagement is so actionable, it is the
often overlooked leverage point!
Worship Attendance
Engagement
Spiritual Commitment
Professions of Faith
Serving
Giving
34
Additional Resources

• www.gallupfaith.com
• Growing an Engaged Church How to Stop Playing
  Church and Start Being the Church Again by Albert
  L. Winseman (Gallup Press 2006)
• Living Your Strengths Discover Your God-Given
  Talents and Inspire Your Community by Albert L.
  Winseman, Donald O. Crafton Curt Liesveld
  (Gallup Press 2008)