 |
| |
Above photo: A mid-sized community in Oslo, Norway gathers for "fellesskapet"--known in the U.S. as fellowship. |
|
Churches across Europe are finding that the development of mid-size communities is a successful tool in church planting in post-Christian European society, and the groups may also translate to U.S. churches.
For example, the main church auditorium at St Andrew's (Chorleywood, UK) holds around 350 people. But less than five years since planting mid-size communities alongside their services and small groups, the number of actively participating members has grown from around 400 to 1,500.
Five years ago, the church had a diminishing attendance and less than 12% of the congregation was in small groups, says Andrew Williams, associate vicar at St. Andrews. "People were asking, 'What does the church have to offer me?' and not contributing to the life of the church, rather than saying, 'We are here to serve a lost and broken world,'" he says.
Today, 72% of the church members belong to one of 32 mid-size, missional communities, engaging in mission-focused activities such as serving neighborhoods or working with the deaf community, the elderly and homeless.
On some Sundays, the groups meet on a rotating basis in large celebration-style gatherings in the main church building. Other Sundays, the |
 |
groups gather in the community, using coffee shops, community halls, libraries, and schools as their meeting place.
Andrew believes mid-size communities release the potential of ordinary believers to get involved in the outward dimension of church life. While many leaders in the groups are not able to plant attractional churches, they can use their gifts to establish a missional community.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
| |
Scientific Study of Why Churches Grow
The Faith Community Today (FACT) project involves the largest national study of congregations ever conducted in the United States. Its most recent study has been summarized in three well-illustrated reports that are free to download.
Cohabitation Becomes Mainstream Around the World
An analysis of cohabitation, marriage, and divorce data from 13 countries, including the United States, shows living together has become mainstream, USA Today reported.
|
Healing Place Experience
The Healing Place Church Experience is an opportunity for churches to visit the Healing Place and experience total access to everything: opportunities to participate in staff meetings, creative meetings, roundtable luncheons with the lead team, ministry specific breakout sessions and one-on-one time with Lead Pastor Dino Rizzo.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| |
Encore Generation Resources Available
More than half of the senior adults in the six churches comprising Leadership Network's second Encore Generation Leadership Community Group serve in external or in-house ministries. Collectively, these individuals give nearly 10,300 volunteer hours each month!
| In this month's Audio Advance, Leadership Network's Dave Travis talks with Linda Stanley, director of the Next Generation Pastors leadership community, about this diverse group and some interesting observations she has made. |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
 |
 |
| |
Every church has a brand, whether they've planned it or not. Effective branding requires that you present your church--its purpose and mission--to the congregation and the community accurately and with excellence.
This paper discusses the process of creating an excellent brand, maintaining the integrity of the brand and handling crises well so that your church may present itself well to a lost world.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
