A few tips on renewing congregations

By Rachel Pritchett, communicator

OLYMPIA — A juvenile-hall resident rips up his bed sheets to force a change in the dinner menu, the Rev. Doug Knutson-Keller recalls from his days ministering to troubled youth.

But was ripping up bedsheets the most effective way to bring about a change in the dinner menu, or was there something else the angry teen could have done, like talking to someone in charge?

"Church settings are no different," Knutson-Keller told a group of 35 that attended a workshop on renewing congregations Jan. 14 at Kuntson-Keller's church, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church.

"What is it that you want, and what are you doing to get what you want?" he asked.

Knutson-Keller just finished some continuing education on renewing tired and ineffective congregations at the Alban Institute of Herden, Va. He said the first step toward renewal is for a congregation to discover its true identity. At the core of his own congregation was worship expressed through music.

"Music is an important piece of Gloria Dei's history," he said.

Once an honest and true identity is determined, all else that the congregation should do should support it. The church council has the hard job of saying no to good and honest proposals for activities that don't lift up the identity. At the same time, leadership should seek out things that can be lifted up and celebrated.

"It becomes the council's task to help focus," Knutson-Keller explained.

A similar synod-sponsored renewing-congregations workshop takes place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 4 at Silverdale Lutheran Church. There is no charge. For more information or to register, contact the synod office at (253) 535-8300 or swwsynod@plu.edu.

Some more tips in the meantime:

— Keep an eye on the size of decision-making groups in your congregations. Often the groups, including the council, are so big that not all voices can be heard. A decision-making group should have no more than seven members. If groups are too big, divide them up into subgroups that meet separately and report back. Let trust prevail.

— Don't let the myriad of decisions that it takes to run a church eclipse true leadership and visioning. Some of the ideas to keep "managing" in check so that "visioning" can flourish include 1) alternating council meetings so that they focus on either management or vision but not both; 2) creating a separate long-range strategic planning group; 3) having a retreat where nothing but visioning is on the agenda; or 4) beginning a consent agenda, where much of the management minutia can be approved without taking up the precious time of the bigger group.

Knutson-Keller suggested two books that may help congregations re-invent themselves. They include "Good to Great" by Jim Collins and "Inside the Large Congregation" by Susan Beaumont.

The Silverdale workshop will feature the Rev. Bill Crabtree and the Rev. Valinda Morse, assistant to the bishop as speakers.

Pictured: The Rev. Doug Knutson-Keller shares what he learned at the Alban Institute about renewing congregations. He suggests two books for background, "Good to Great" by Jim Collins and "Inside the Large Congregation" by Susan Beaumont.