We at ZELC do a survey of the congregation every few years that assesses how our members perceive the congregation and its ministry. This survey is from an organization called “Natural Church Development.” The survey is the brainchild of a German Lutheran pastor and church sociologist named Christian Schwartz. Churches all over the world use this survey to help plan ministry. The basic idea is that there are eight factors that affect congregational health and vitality. Schwartz had a barrel made with eight staves. Each stave represents one of the factors. Each stave is of a different length representing the strength or weakness of its respective health factor. If a person attempted to fill this barrel with water, the barrel could only hold as much water as the shortest stave allowed. Natural Church Development helps a congregation improve on identified weaknesses. Different factors need attention at different times.
This year, thirty randomly selected members of our congregation identified “Passionate Spirituality” as Zion’s weak point. Four years ago, we felt that “Need-oriented Evangelism” was our weakest area of ministry. Because of the results of that 2004 survey, we called an associate pastor to provide leadership in the areas of Social Outreach and Evangelism. As a direct result of adding pastoral staff, this congregation has initiate several significant programs of ministry that are impacting our world with the gospel and helping our members to grow spiritually.
Need-oriented Evangelism is now a solid part of our program of ministry. Other strengths in our program of ministry are an increase in the level in which our members report Zion being a loving and caring place. We have been able to add small group ministry to our community life. Our members rate Small Groups as strength. We have evolved an effective organizational structure. Our greatest strength right now is the way in which we empower our people to do gift-based ministry. Zion has increased its focus and activity level in four of eight areas, and stayed the same in two. We lost ground in two areas. The one with the lowest score for us at this time is “Passionate Spirituality.”
Passionate spirituality is not about a style of worship, or a method of doing things. Passionate spirituality is about people being excited about their personal walk with the Lord. The question at issue here is, ‘Am I living my life before the Lord with commitment, fire, and enthusiasm?’
What would cause a group of Christians to be emotionally flat about their life in general and their life before the Lord in particular?
I believe the circumstances of one’s life, and the expectations one holds directly affect one’s sense of passion and spirituality. The Reverend Doctor Gary Harbaugh of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Columbus, defined spirituality as the aggregate of one’s physical, emotional, social, and mental life. These factors in combination are our spirituality. If this is true, then what is going on in a person’s life will affect our “Passionate Spirituality” factor. Life is a bit difficult in the United States right now. The economy is going soft after an extraordinary eight-year run. Prices on everything are going up. School Boards are jacking up property taxes. The counter-insurgency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan are emotionally draining on the American people. The list seems to be endless. Personal problems frustrate people as well. Married life can be tough going. Children can be draining. Periodic illness and injuries weigh heavy.
I believe that the unresolved budget issue at Zion influences our fellowship. We are barely half way into a challenging effort to grow our ministry. Support for the decisions we have made about adding staff and using the endowment until giving catches up to expenses has grown softer than it was at the beginning. Some times the sheer weight of responsibility weighs heavy and drains passion. People cannot but help bring their concerns about these kinds of issues into group settings with them.
The best response to low morale is to conduct a reality check. It is time to remember that God is still our Father, Jesus our redeemer and Lord, and the Holy Spirit is still our advocate and guide. We have the promises of God himself to support and sustain us regardless of circumstance, even to the end of the age. We may be hard pressed by the world around us, by the devil, and by the weakness of our own flesh, but God’s grace is present and always sufficient for us. We know from experience that even the most daunting problems are resolved in six months or less. We have good reason for hope. Therefore, we praise and thank God, attend to his Word, and walk in the power of his Spirit. We move forward with our heads and spirits elevated because of Him whom we trust. He is able.
Bringing all people to Jesus Christ and membership in his family, nurturing them to Christ-like maturity, and equipping them for their ministry in the Church, and their life-mission in the world, all in order to magnify God's name.
called “Natural Church Development.” The survey is the brainchild of a German Lutheran pastor and church sociologist named Christian Schwartz. Churches all over the world use this survey to help plan ministry. The basic idea is that there are eight factors that affect congregational health and vitality. Schwartz had a barrel made with eight staves. Each stave represents one of the factors. Each stave is of a different length representing the strength or weakness of its respective health factor. If a person attempted to fill this barrel with water, the barrel could only hold as much water as the shortest stave allowed. Natural Church Development helps a congregation improve on identified weaknesses. Different factors need attention at different times.