A Snapshot of the Church
By Rev. Nancy Muth
Recently I was visiting my Dad in Florida and he shared with me an article from the St. Petersburg Times with the headline Congregations Remain Stable in an Unstable World.
I read the article and said, “This is about the study in which The First Presbyterian Church in Germantown participated last year.” What did this newspaper story say?
First, congregations have become more technologically savvy. It was reported, ”In 2001, about four in 10 used a website. By 2008, 77 percent had websites.” First Church has had a website for more than ten years, but indeed our web presence has become more engaging and informative over the years. Be sure to check it out at www.fpcgermantown.org.
Another finding of the study was ”the typical worshiper is female, 54, employed, well-educated, married and white.” While this may be true for most churches participating in the study, the numbers from those respondents to the study from First Church show our typical worshiper is female, 65 and older, well-educated, single and black. As one who weekly looks out at our congregation I want to add that it is continually growing with young families.
The study also showed that "worshipers say their congregations are meeting their spiritual needs." Three quarters of those responding from First Church agreed. What do you think? If you have thoughts about how we might better meet your spiritual needs, please let me know.A learning from the study that truly is concerning is that weekly worship attendance is decreasing. That is true for us at First Germantown as well. Why is that so? Is it because there are more demands upon people on Sunday mornings or that people just don't believe going to church is worth their time or a combination of both? I would love to hear from you about why you believe worship attendance is decreasing. What can we do at The First Presbyterian Church in Germantown to reverse this trend?
Last spring, Leah Hood led several listening sessions to hear from folks what they liked about our worship experience and what they might want to see changed. As a follow up to those gatherings she and others have been meeting to plan how we can enhance our Celebration Sunday worship services. If you would like to be part of that group contact Leah for meeting times.
As we begin this new year together may we be the church that God intends and needs for us to be. May we be the church that spiritually feeds those who come through its doors. And may we be the church that faithfully shares the Gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed with one another and with our community.
See you in church!
Nancy