Changes in Church Dynamics

Bethlehem Baptist, Jefferson County, Missouri

When my ancestors attended church in southeast Missouri, they had to travel by horse and wagon
which sometimes took hours.  When they got to their meeting place, they didn't stay for an hour and go home, but camped out attending a month of church services and meetings in a weekend.  Sometimes they met in a field, but sometimes they would hold worship on one another's farms.  To have an ordained pastor to marry them or baptize them, they often had to wait for several months.  But they loved these gatherings which were more like family reunions since they were all related "one way or another."

As civilization caught up to them and there were more permanent pastors, worship was held every week, with Sunday School and good attendance pins.  As permanent structures were built, my families' members started attending the church that was closest to their homes.  They no longer had those family reunions, but now were attending three different churches.  That had to have been hard for them   That had to be a cultural shift that made some uncomfortable. And yet permanent neighborhood churches are the churches many of us remember.

Think of how life has changed since the 1950's and 1960's.  In my case, my cousins lived in the same subdivision in North County.  We no longer attended the same church---one aunt had married a Catholic, another aunt's family attended the Evangelical and Reformed.  So, we didn't all attend the same church like my ancestors did with their cousins, but I could ride my bike to their houses.  We visited my grandparents every Friday night in South St. Louis.  My softball team played other Khoury League teams in North County.  We rarely vacationed outside of Missouri.  I recall a cousin saying before he went to Viet Nam that he'd never been out of Missouri.  Life was different then:  my world was still in about a 20 mile radius.

The church dynamics many of us grew up with have changed since the 1960's just as our personal lives have changed.  Our daughters live in Kansas City and Texas.  My siblings and many cousins are from one coast to another. Our church lives have also changed as a result of changes in our personal lives.  click here to read how one person has outlined the changes and how it impacts Sunday morning worship.

Briefly, here are some of the changes  he addresses:

-Greater affluence means people have the money for technology, the money to travel often, living one place in the summer and another in the winter
-Higher focus on children's activities which often travel out of town
-More travel visiting relatives who live somewhere else
-Blended and single parent families

At St. Mark Presbyterian we have addressed many of these issues  for those traveling on Sundays, by having Saturday night worship and often Wednesday night worship and educational opportunities.

We keep our members engaged through various social media:  Facebook, Twitter and the Blog, which encourage our members to engage in conversations with church members even though they may be out of town.

Our church web-site is available with sermons and announcements if individuals cannot attend worship.

But, I think these changes go much deeper than just Sunday worship attendance:  they impact our giving and our leadership roles as well.  For those who are out of town a lot, it is sometimes hard to remember that the church depends on our fulfilling our pledges to pay the bills.  Many pre-pay for a month or a year, so the church has the income to operate.  Others are using an automatic payment plan available through some financial services.

It is often difficult for small groups to continue over the winter with members on cruises, in Florida or in Arizona.  One small group used Skype to stay connected with their Florida members.  But, it is difficult to serve as a Deacon or an Elder while living out of town part-time.  Some committees have an elder chair person but a "lieutenant" who can take over, lead meetings, or work with the chair person on the agenda.

What are some other ways St. Mark can stay "in touch" and relative during this cultural shift?  We welcome your suggestions.  Please contact one of the pastors, C. Weber (clerk of session), or V. Sherman (chair of communications) if you have suggestions. Or, you can comment below!

Printed with permission of Jaclyn Morgan for St. Mark Presbyterian Church.