Off the Agenda: Conversations for Building Church Leaders

Our initial complaint, of course, was that we few folks had to build the float alone; and we just knew that although no one else showed up to help, we would nevertheless hear our share of criticism: What’s that supposed to be? Oh, I would never have guessed… More significantly, the lack of participation suggested that this years-old tradition was losing its importance in our congregation.

Many commentators argue that church programs are a thing of the past. People don’t want to be kept busy serving an institution; they want to invest in meaningful relationships. “Faithful” members feel obligated to be involved in every program, which means they have no time to truly invest in people.

I suspect that’s true. As a project on the outreach program ticket, the Independence Day parade registered little interest. But my experience suggests that while people may be burned out on program-heavy ministry, very few take the initiative to minister outside of programs. That is, most people still want to serve as part of something established and organized.

So, what do you do when participation in church programs wanes and with them goes your interaction with the broader community?

One thing our church has done is to partner with an established a youth and family services organization in town. We have a close relationship with the program director, so it’s easy for our members to get involved with their projects. Volunteering for a day to help hang shelves, prepare back-to-school bags, or tutor elementary students is a less daunting commitment than signing up for a weekly program. Besides, the results are (in many cases) immediate, and volunteers don’t have to plan the event; they simply show up and do the work. In other words, this opportunity provides all the benefits of a church program without the baggage.

Our church has also hosted a back-to-school clinic in our facility. It is run by an outside organization, but our church provides the space, and our members volunteer to translate, prepare snacks, and administrate in other ways. This event puts people in direct contact with the community, but is not labor intensive and does not require sustained participation. It’s not perceived as an “outreach program,” but as an authentic way to meet a genuine need in the community.

I’m interested to hear your thoughts. Have you noticed waning interest in programs? What have you done to counter the lack of participation?