At a PCC meeting last Autumn a question was raised about why the numbers of people coming to our services seems not to be growing in quite the way diocesan statistics show that other churches in the area are growing. One of the answers which was briefly given at that meeting was a claim that it is harder to grow large churches than small ones. At a study morning for the PCC last weekend we looked at this issue in greater depths, with the help of a book by Canon Bob Jackson published in 2002 and entitled ‘Hope for the Church’. Canon Jackson is currently advising the diocese on the subject of growth so our PCC discussion was timely.
Larger churches tend to have an average weekly attendance of at least 150. Overall the average Anglican church attendance throughout the country when this book was written was 50 adults and 10 children. Most larger churches are found in towns and suburbs, and across the country decline seems to be more pronounced in churches normally considered to be strong and successful. It should be noted that very large churches (ie over 400) tend to hold their own.
Across the country and denominations small churches are more likely to grow – smaller seems to be healthier. Why? Small churches are often found in the country where they form the centre of the community as other communal facilities close down. They often attract financial support from non- attenders who still feel that the church’s presence is of value. Often they have to share a priest with several other parishes and there is a lot of evidence from all over the world to show that lay led community ministry helps to grow churches without paid ministers in places where ministry is seen to be ‘up to us.’ Small numbers often help people discover a sense of fellowship and belonging; their loyalty levels are high; most people have jobs to do and are noticed if they don’t turn up on Sunday. If these are the reasons why small churches don’t close and often grow, why is decline led by larger churches in most dioceses?
In some ways the answers reveal the other side of the coin to the successes of smaller churches. In larger churches people are often less regular and frequent in their attendance. In a large group of people there is less sense of mutual obligation. It becomes harder to integrate into a group or to find a role which gives you a sense of satisfaction and achievement. There also seems to have been a cultural change in the reasons why people go to church. In the past they might have gone out of a sense of duty or social obligation; they went to find teaching and inspiration. Nowadays it seems that people often go to church looking for a sense of belonging, which perhaps makes sense in a more fragmented society where feelings of loneliness are more often voiced. So now fewer people prefer a large church to a small one because what they aspire to get out of a church has changed. People also now come to church feeling more exhausted, more stressed, and needing to receive than give. For example in the past Sunday Schools were often led by Primary School teachers, whereas now teaching has become such a pressurised occupation that people don’t want to have to do it at weekends as well! In larger churches lay leadership is also more demanding and time consuming so it can be more difficult to find volunteers able to give time and organizational effort to keep going all that needs to be done. In larger churches newcomers are often harder to spot and integrate into the community, which can give the impression that the new comer is not noticed or needed. Larger churches often have attractive front doors but wide open back doors! It is also the case that larger churches in urban settings can be affected by the mobility of the modern job market which results in a transient element in the congregation.
It can also be difficult to find Vicars suited to the demands of larger churches for which very often they have not been trained. Larger churches tend to appoint more experienced vicars who when they were trained twenty to thirty years ago were unlikely to have acquired skills needed for larger churches, being more adapted to the hands on pastoral care and teaching possible in smaller communities. As a result many clergy in larger churches feel under prepared and under supported by the diocese which puts its efforts into supporting smaller or failing churches. In a larger church the Vicar’s job is not to do the ministry but ensure that the ministry happens. He or she has to lead a team of paid employees and the most active volunteers, even though the expectations of the longer established members of the congregation may not have taken into account the modern changes in his or her role . More vicars of larger churches leave early or experience burn out. It is not surprising that larger churches can find it difficult to find an incumbent especially as pay and conditions for a large job are the same as for a small one.
What solutions offer themselves to the larger church dilemma? To begin with it is important to face facts and admit the reality of the situation as it approximates to the description provided here. Recognising that other churches face similar problems can also be very encouraging. Next it can be important to admit the problem to the diocese and look for help. Thus it could be helpful to have meetings arranged and enabled by the diocese between churches of a similar culture suffering from these problems. A consultant might also be provided to help such a parish look at its patterns of leadership. Having taken such measures a church might then be in a position to identify a clear and realizable aim which will at least prevent decline and also put it in a position to grow not only in what it does well but also in its ability to welcome, hold onto and sustain new members. In some ways this can be done by imitating the strengths of small churches. In larger churches people need to be integrated into smaller groups of various kinds which strengthen relationships and provide the organisational glue for the wider community. In this way it is possible to develop ‘a church that is a coalition of small interlocking communities, each with its own identity but finding unity through shared vision, ethos and leadership.’
There are other things that can be done and which the PCC will explore but in the meantime it is important to see that such solutions are related to and can be inspired by the character of Jesus’ relationship with his disciples. We looked last Sunday at the first call of those disciples where Jesus started out with a small group of followers who were to become his friends and mutual companions. Jesus only had three years of ministry; he depended on his disciples to take the gospel to the gentiles, to go further and to more varied places than he was able to do. And in their turn the disciples depended on companions – Jesus sets them right from the beginning a model of companionable living which will enable them to sustain the conditions of a strenuous, persistent work, involving long hours, requiring a lot of patience often without success, always with something new to learn as they draw people into the kingdom. And that also is necessary for a church that wants to grow; small companionable groups of people needing each other if the necessary tasks are to be accomplished.
And what brought those disciples together in the first place was a vision – a vision that in the company of Jesus they would become citizens of the kingdom of God – they would learn strong and radical values, they would find peace for their souls and courage for their hearts, they would discover their true worth in the eyes of God. And what was true of Jesus’ disciples then can be true for us his disciples here and now as Jesus calls us to follow him in small or large churches.
With my love and prayers,
The Vicar Writes
Stephen Tucker