Title: ELCA Ministry and Membership Growth
ELCA NEWS SERVICE
May 1, 1996
MINISTRY AND MEMBERSHIP GROWTH (94 lines)
96-10-029-LC
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- New research on congregations of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America identifies aspects of
congregational life that are associated with congregational
growth. A questionnaire sent to 400 ELCA congregations asked
pastors and two council members in each their views on their
congregation's effectiveness, leadership, and practices, said Dr.
Kenneth W. Inskeep, ELCA director for research and evaluation.
"Effective Ministry and Membership Growth" is the second
profile of ELCA congregations. The goal, in asking questions of
how well we are doing and the attempt to provide answers with
questionnaires and statistics, is not to dispute the strength of
the church but to strengthen it further, said Inskeep. He
presented the research to the ELCA Church Council when it met
here April 13-15.
MINISTRY
The survey asked respondents to indicate how effectively
their congregations carry out 24 different activities. Council
members ranked worship as the activity done most effectively,
while the clergy selected serving and supporting members in need.
Other activities rated effectively by both were: maintaining
church facilities, creating a hospitable environment for visitors
and providing spiritual care.
Both the clergy and the council members ranked providing
ministry with younger members, proclaiming the Gospel to the
unchurched, and discussing social justice issues as areas in
which they are the least effective.
"These rankings confirm the impression that a significant
number of ELCA congregations have difficulty ministering to those
who are different from their `typical' members -- younger adults
and those with little or no church background," says the
commentary.
CONGREGATIONAL IMAGES
Every congregation develops an identity that its members
widely share, said Inskeep. The questionnaire asked the pastors
and council members to indicate which of the identities best
"fit" their congregation.
Respondents said their congregation was like a "family" and
"a partner in the community." About 5 percent said their church
was "an immigrant church" and less than 1 percent said it was a
"peace and justice church."
GROWING CONGREGATIONS
Of the 11,000 ELCA congregations, 2,764 congregations grew 5
percent or more in average worship attendance from 1990 to 1994.
Of these 24 percent are congregations with less than 175 baptized
membership, 26 percent have 176-350 members, 12 percent have 501-
700 baptized members and 4 percent have over 1,500 baptized
members.
Where are these growing locations located?
21 percent are in rural farming areas
19 percent are in small towns under 10,000 people
11 percent are in medium-sized cities of 50,000 to 250,000
9 percent are in large cities over 250,000
10 percent are in suburbs within 10 miles of a large city
MEMBERSHIP CHANGE
Growing congregations are more likely to: take a deliberate
approach to planning, remain largely unaffected by the past in
determining designs for the future, and design many of their
programs around the needs of people in the local community.
Congregations that considered themselves to be effective in
Sunday school and cross-cultural evangelism were more likely to
grow in worship attendance.
Alternative Worship
Congregations with "very effective" alternative worship
styles gained 3 percent between 1990 and 1994 compared to a 2
percent loss in those congregations that indicated that they are
very effective at worship but do not offer an alternative worship
style.
In ELCA congregations, 30 percent offer alternative worship
services, 42 percent of the congregations have significantly
changed the way they worship in the past year, and 47 percent of
ELCA membership belongs to congregations offering alternative
worship services
The report also stated that: prolonged conflict can
accelerate membership loss, but the absence of significant
conflict does not mean growth, and congregations that encourage
lay learning opportunities were more likely to grow in worship
attendance.
The research was supported by a grant from Aid Association
for Lutherans through the Congregational Membership Initiative.
[Reporters: Copies of "Effective Ministry and
Membership Growth," are available from Brenda Williams
at (312) 380-2963.]
For information contact: Ann Hafften, Dir., ELCA News Service, (312) 380-2958; Frank
Imhoff, Assoc. Dir., (312) 380-2955; Lia Christiansen, Asst. Dir., (312) 380-2956
