by Phil Andrews
In meeting after meeting we deliberate over how we can reverse the natural decline in the size of our congregations, and of our membership. I say “natural”, because people leave us for all sorts of reasons – moving home, immobility and (sadly but inevitably) even death. And the simple fact is that unless those people are replaced in at least equal number, the Church gets smaller and smaller each time. This is not an opinion, it is a simple and demonstrable fact. As our friends across the pond say – do the math!
Recruiting new people to the Church becomes ever more difficult as our numbers become fewer. When new visitors do come to a service, the presence of such a small number of worshippers can be awkward and intimidating. So, politely, they slip away, never to be seen again, and we are back to square one.
It is clear that just hoping for a change in our fortunes is not going to help the situation. We need to do something drastic and proactive or else within a generation the Church will simply cease to function. Of course prayer is an important part of this process, and we should always be praying for new people to come along, to stay committed and to carry the baton forward after we have gone. But I rather think God expects more of us than that.
So it is down to us, Church members and other regulars from the congregation, to put our heads together and come up with some fresh ideas – dare I say radical ideas?
To that end, we will be holding a special meeting at the Church on Saturday, 6th April, solely to discuss ways of breathing new life into our fellowship. This means Church services but also all those other activities which are, or maybe ought to be, a regular feature of Church life. There will be one and only one item on the agenda, and everyone is welcome – whether or not they are currently a Church Member. Generous refreshments will be served and the meeting will be light-hearted and informal, but the subject could not be more serious and the stakes could not be higher. Please come along and share your thoughts and ideas – please don’t rely on others to work it out for you. The future of our Church is worth a morning of anybody’s time. We very much look forward to seeing you all at 10.30 a.m. on April 6th.