This is part of a series of interviews with pastors of churches whose attendance has grown 20% or more in 5 years. We hope this series will be a resource of ideas to help increase worship attendance at your church.

Why Great Things Happen @ Faith

In Gabe Lyon’s The Next Christians, he writes “In contrast to countercultures that separate, antagonize, or copy culture, the next Christians are a counterculture for the common good that is centered and immoveable.  They don’t concern themselves with popularity, what they can achieve for themselves, or whether the masses are following.  Instead, they boldly lead.”

I would like to think that those words describe what God is doing @ Faith United Methodist Church!

Faith has experienced ‘transformation’ in the truest sense of the word .  That transformation began when Faith made a decision to relocate.  The distance was short but the change was substantial!  Faith relocated up the road about 3 ½ miles to an area that would be developed with new homes and new homeowners.  Even in the process of relocating, Faith began to experience that transformation and growth while meeting in a school.  This was only a precursor of what was to come.

Since Faith UMC opened the doors on Rayford Road, the transformation has happened in amazing ways…from membership to attendance to ministries to the “counterculture”.   Much is said today about the UMC declining and not bringing in those in their 20’s and 30’s.  And yet @ Faith, we have ‘bucked’ that trend!  Many of those coming into Faith are those that can best be described as being “re-churched”.  They grew up within the church, were baptized and made a profession of their faith, but for many reasons lost interest or became upset with the church.  As they have come to Faith, they have discovered a community that understands where they have been and is committed to help them move forward.  That is why our worship attendance has grown, according to The Foundation of Evangelism, 185% over the past several years.

We have two distinct styles of worship each Sunday.  The Door service at 9:30 is Contemporary worship…from the music and informal style of worship to the commitment of making everyone feel welcome @ Faith.  The Traditions service at 11:00 is traditional worship with the use of hymns and liturgy.  And yet, the style is still fairly relaxed as many who are being “re-churched” still feel more comfortable with what they remember…the liturgy and the hymns but in a more relaxed atmosphere.  Worship, along with a message that definitely seeks to carry forth the relevancy of what the Biblical message is, has been part of the growth of Faith.

There has also been intentionality towards the guests that come to Faith each and every week.  From the greeting they receive that is very intentional to the “greeting” that is just part of the ‘counterculture’ of Faith…people continually express how warm and accepting this community is.  Those intentions are carried forward as people are contacted on a weekly basis by ministerial staff, program staff, and laity.  If our guests express an interest in Children’s ministry, our Children’s Director contacts them.  If they are interested in pre-school, our Faith Kid’s Director contacts them.  That is part of the reason we have had 72 new members (10% of our church membership) come into membership so far in 2010.

In our efforts to support and build community (as we believe that is part of the reason God has us here), we are finding that ministries that are offered continue to grow the church.  Some of the ministries that illustrate that are our Faith Kids pre-school program, a Mom’s and Mentors Group (M&M’s) and the Scouting program.

Our pre-school has been in existence now for 3 ½ years.  Since the time it began, we have found it meets a tremendous need with so many young families in the area.  We have been at capacity from it’s inception with waiting lists in every class. Last year, when we opened our Education building and were able to almost double the enrollment, we had some classes filled before registration opened to the general public.  And even then, we had people here by 4:00 a.m. to try to get a spot in the school.

Some of those mothers, as well as mothers throughout the church, now come together on a monthly basis for an M&M meeting (Moms and Mentors).  This ministry has created friendships for some just coming into the church and has become a wonderful outreach tool to our relationship with the school.

The Scouting program has witnessed a similar boom in the past year.  We have filled every ‘nook and cranny’ that we can and have had to refer interested scouts to other troops.  Not only has the exposure benefited both the church and the Scout Program, but there is a great relationship that has been developed.  All of this has brought the sense of community full circle.

And it has taken the community of Faith to grow and expand those ministries.  Even as we are getting ready to roll out a new Discipleship program, it is the community of Faith that is helping to shape it so we can carry it forward to continue to grow followers and believers in Christ.

To go back to the beginning, I would like to believe that Faith UMC is “boldly leading”; just as other vibrant United Methodist congregations are, to a place where we can reach those that have not had anything to do with God or the Church or those who have but did not find God or the Church to be relevant.  In a very ‘countercultural’ way, we are seeking to be ‘relevant’…not ‘relevant’ to mimic or blend into today’s culture, but to be relevant in the sense that God has given us a message through Christ that has always been timeless and relevant!  May we continue to proclaim and live out the gospel in such a way that calls people to live differently in relationship and community through the One that has modeled that for us all…Jesus Christ.

Pastor Harry Vein – harry@faithumcspring.org

Faith UMC website: http://www.faithumcspring.org