State of the Church 2011

As we begin another new year, it is good to examine the state of the church. It has been more than 2½ years since the flood and that long since I became the pastor of Salem. This past year the big question was, where would we land as a congregation? We fasted, prayed, and read scripture together as we sought God’s guidance. Then on May 24, nearly two years after the flood destroyed Salem’s downtown buildings, the congregation voted to accept the gracious offer from New Creation UMC to receive their 8.4 acres and phase one building for the cost of their remaining mortgage (about $312,000). This was a major turning point in the life of Salem. 

We gathered for our first worship services in our new location on November 21, 2010, Christ the King Sunday. We experienced a collective sigh of relief. After twenty-nine months of destruction, stress, grief, decisions, and hard work, how wonderful to take a breath and revel in God’s peace and restoration. 

Now, in assessing the state of Salem, there are some benchmark statistics to which we want to pay attention. They include membership, worship attendance, baptisms, professions of faith and participation in connectional giving (apportionments). 

Salem’s membership includes 303 persons. Last fall I presented the Leadership Board with 129 names. These are persons on our membership list but who are not actively participating with their prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness as membership requires. The Book of Discipline (¶228) gives the Leadership Board responsibility to care for these members by reenlisting them in active participation, helping them transfer to another congregation where they are active, or helping them withdraw their membership. If none of those things occurs, Salem’s annual charge conference will be asked to officially remove them from membership in two years (Fall 2012). 

Our worship attendance has bounced back even stronger. When we moved into the former Kenwood Park Presbyterian building not long after the flood, Salem averaged a little under 170 people in worship in two services. Later, when we moved to the Kenwood Park UMC, attendance dropped to 150 in one service. When that one service moved to 11:45 am, attendance dropped again to about 125. Over the next year, attendance increased a little to 135. 

After initial attendance figures of 215 and 250 our first two Sundays, we now are averaging about 180 in two services. There are many new, wonderful people who have begun worshiping with us. Furthermore, this is an opportune time to reach out to others and invite them to “come and see” what is going on with Salem. 

Other key indicators are baptisms and professions of faith. Since the earliest times, the vows of Christian baptism have consisted first of the renunciation of all that is evil and then the profession of faith and loyalty to Jesus Christ. Last year we celebrated 2 baptisms and 6 professions of faith. We received 11 persons into membership. Baptisms and professions of faith show us how many new Christians we are reaching. Look for bigger numbers here in 2011. 

Our giving was down last year. That should be expected in our situation! For the first time in Salem’s history, we were not able to pay our apportionments in full. We did pay about 26%. We also gave about $14,000 to missions. Currently, we are just making it financially. Unfortunately, we still are not paying our apportionments. I am confident this will change. Our Leadership Board greatly desires to get back to fully supporting our connectional giving. It took a couple years to deal with the aftermath of the flood. It may take a couple more to get back fully on our feet. 

Closing on our downtown properties and receiving the voluntary buyout money will help us considerably. We have now completed all the paperwork in order to close on our properties. While we cannot guarantee this, it is possible we could finally close in the next month or two and receive the $871,000 buyout money. That will be a big step in helping us get control of our finances again. 

So how do we increase these benchmark statistics? We live as the church: a) We worship our God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. B) We practice the habits of discipleship: reading scripture, prayer and fasting, receiving holy communion, and participating in small groups (everyone at Salem should be a part of some kind of smaller group for learning, loving, serving, fellowship, and accountability). Disciples of Jesus also practice “hands on” mission: feeding the hungry, clothing those in need, caring for the sick and those in prison, and working for peace and justice in our community and in the world. c) We reach out and welcome. We reach out and welcome. We reach out and welcome. 

On a practical note, now that we are getting settled in our new location, we will continue to work on our buildings and how we use them. Obviously, space is at a premium. The Leadership Board has asked a couple of people to put together a decorating plan to be approved. We have also begun work on a Facility Use Policy. Because our buildings are primarily public space, belonging to the church, we need to be mindful of how decisions are made. If any of us on our own made decisions about the buildings or how we would use them, it would lead to chaos and conflict. Therefore, please respect the authority of the Leadership Board to make the decisions for the congregation. You are always welcome to share any ideas or concerns you have with someone on the Leadership Board. In order to keep peace and order, we need to honor our structure. If you have a request for use, please share it with our administrative assistant in the office. 

I participated in a meeting last week with school administrators and other clergy. The person next to me asked about our name. I never get tired of answering that question. “Salem” comes from the Hebrew word shalom. This is usually translated as peace. God’s peace, however, is not just the absence of conflict but the wholeness of life. Shalom means completeness, wholeness, health, peace, joy, love, friendship, well-being, justice, and salvation. Salem/Shalom is God’s will for the cosmos, for the renewal of creation, for the transformation of the world. I think that is what Jesus meant when he said he came so that we could have abundant life (John 10:10). May we embody Salem in our own lives and in the world.