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.

Margaret Kutz

(Although portions of this article were included in an earlier posting we want to share the entire article from Rev. Margaret Kutz )

Recently I was asked to share some of the elements that went into our 65% increase in worship attendance over a five year period.  When I came to Chester UMC in 2003, there was one worship service:  traditional, 11:00 am Sunday.  The congregation had expressed interest in a contemporary service and they had allowed the youth to have a try at it a couple of times but it just never got off the ground.  We did nothing with a contemporary service the first year I was here; rather we worked on making the traditional service as excellent as we possibly could.  (Excellent worship is not a defined entity but is the best a congregation can do at that point.)  The attendance at that service grew about 10%.

With the resignation of the Music Director we had an opportunity to hire somebody who could do both traditional and contemporary music, a rare breed.  But we found that in Joshua Wortham, a recent college graduate with training and experience in both classical and contemporary Christian music.  With him on board we could move forward.  A team of people worked our way through all the steps outlined in the book “How To Start A New Service” by Richard Arn.  In the fall of 2004 we began a contemporary service in our fellowship hall (8:45 am).  That service averaged about 150 from the very first Sunday.  It drew down the traditional service slightly for a few months.  We served a light breakfast before the service which was very attractive to young families.  That service grew to nearly 200.

Then in the spring of 2008, using Arn’s book again, we started a third service, southern Gospel.  It was held Sunday evening at 6:00.  That service is extremely informal with tables, popcorn, soft drinks, etc.  It now averages 70 in attendance. This service includes adults with cognitive disabilities, mentally ill, de-churched, and a couple of our Sunday morning attendees who simply like southern gospel.  The same music director leads music at all three services.

Much of what has made these services successful is this congregation, their leaders and their prayers.   The same three people coordinated breakfast for nearly four years!  The people involved with creating and running the power point for the contemporary and southern gospel have done this from the very first Sunday!  The people in the bands come every week for practice and then to lead worship.  Ushers and greeters have expanded their numbers and schedules to include the new services.  The congregation has extended their hospitality to all in the community and we have received our first African American members, the first in our 137 year history.  The cognitively impaired adults have transformed our southern gospel worship with their spontaneity and genuineness.  A church known for its proper southern etiquette is now known for its Christian hospitality.

I mentioned “excellence” above.  As the attendance has grown what defines excellent has changed so we continue to fine-tune, expand, create, and delete.  The choir of 17 in 2003 has grown to 70 on cantata Sundays.  The chancel area was enlarged to allow space for the choir, drama, a grand piano, dance, and a new organ.  The balcony was completed to allow for more people in worship.  State of the art audio visual systems were installed in both the sanctuary and the fellowship hall.  A worship planning team meets every week to review the previous Sunday and plan for the next Sunday.

Our most recent effort in moving toward excellence has required me to write the outline of sermons six months out so we will have adequate time to plan for series visuals, drama, small groups, etc.  The worship planning team has expanded to include people focused on the visual arts, drama, connecting scripture to culture, and dance as well as music and preaching.

Rev. Margaret Kutz:  mailto:pastor@chesterumc.org

Church website:  http://www.chesterumc.org