State of the Church 2016

How are we doing
at making disciples of Jesus Christ
who transform the world?

2015 was a momentous year for us! Each year, in assessing the state of Salem, we take a look at some benchmark statistics. Our membership now includes 235 professing adults. We also have 38 baptized infants and children— so 273 total. This past year 7 members died while we received 15 new members. That means we have received 81 new members since arriving at our current location a little over five years ago! We will be receiving more new members come Easter.

Our worship attendance increased again. We averaged 209 this past year, up from 185 in 2014 and 177 in 2013. That’s close to 20% growth in the last two years! Salem’s attendance, at its lowest point after the flood in 2008, was 126. We’ve grown more than 65% since then. One of our goals for this year is to continue holding “bridge events” outside our building to reach our community. We’ll keep doing things like the Easter Egg Hunt and Trunk-or-Treat. And all of us need to keep inviting those we know who aren’t active in another church to “come and see” what God is doing.

Baptisms and professions of faith are also key indicators. Last year we celebrated 5 baptisms, including 4 infants and 1 adult. Of our 15 new members, 1 (the adult baptism) was by profession of faith. Baptisms and professions of faith show us how many new Christians we are reaching.

Our giving continues to increase, including the use of electronic giving through our website. We received $253,000 for giving income while our expenses were $251,000, ending the year in the black! Our giving for the building fund continues to be on pace with pledges from the Salem Rising capital campaign. We paid 40% of our apportionments, including 100% of our general church apportionments. Our stewardship goal for 2016 is to increase this by paying 50% of our apportionments this year and then another 10% or more each year thereafter until we are back to paying our apportionments in full, supporting the ministry and mission of The United Methodist Church around the world. Furthermore, we also gave $20,000 for mission!

Besides these statistical benchmarks, some truly pivotal things happened this past year. We entered our new building in February and wrote prayers and blessings on the cement floor. Covered by the new carpeting, they were weaved into the fabric of our new facility. We moved into our new building the middle of March and held our Grand Opening on Easter Sunday, April 5. Bishop Trimble dedicated the facility on May 17. Besides a handful of smaller details, we have four big projects to complete: the new kitchen renovation (ending in a couple weeks), the plan for the bell from downtown, the interior decorating, and tuning the audio system in the sanctuary.

We brought on new Staff. They and our Ministry Teams (Prayer, Mission, Discipleship, Outreach, Youth) have done a great job leading us in ministry and mission, everything from connecting with new people to reaching out with community events to doing good in the world.

We now have a new Participation Ministry Team to help us all engage in ministry and mission within and beyond the walls of Salem. Rick Warren from Saddleback Church says that a church’s true health is measured by its sending capacity rather than its seating capacity. He says, “Napoleon once pointed to a map of China and said, ‘There lies a sleeping giant. If it ever wakes up, it will be unstoppable.’ I believe the church is a sleeping giant. Each Sunday, church pews are filled with members who are doing nothing with their faith except ‘keeping’ it.” (The Purpose Driven Church, p. 365)

This year our Participation Team will help us discover our spiritual gifts and unleash us to serve in the church and in the world for the glory of God.

Thank you for being a part of Salem. This is a wonderful adventure!