Around the Neighborhood
Recently a friend of mine helped start a new Episcopal congregation near Birmingham, Alabama. For the first few Sundays that they met for worship, we at St. Paul’s included Riverside Church in our prayers. I try to touch base with him every week to hear how Riverside is doing and what he has learned as a church planter. Sometimes the report I receive is strongly encouraging, and other times I can tell that my friend is a bit frustrated. Regardless, I consider it to be a privilege to hold him and his new worshipping community in my heart and in my prayers.
In The Episcopal Church, we do not talk a lot about church planting. While it seems like new non-denominational congregations spring up all the time, in our tradition, we tend to focus our resources on maintaining and growing existing communities of faith. Although I do not know the specifics, I suspect that, at several points in St. Paul’s history, parish and diocesan leaders have considered starting a new Episcopal congregation in Fayetteville.
We live in a growing community, and many cities half our size or smaller support multiple Episcopal parishes. I am thankful that we have remained a healthy, growing congregation, and, selfishly, I am grateful that we have not divided ourselves and split into multiple congregations, but I wonder what we might learn from those whose gift is church planting.
If St. Paul’s were to grow considerably—if we were to match the rate of growth of the surrounding community—what sort of congregation would we have? What new ministries, programs, and services would we offer? What familiar things would we need to let go of to make room for that growth? How would our staff responsibilities shift? How would our budgetary priorities change? Where would we park? Where would we sit? How many people would we recognize?
One of the things my friend, the church planter, has taught me is to think carefully about the people whom we might want to draw into this community of faith. If someone is joyfully and faithfully active in another congregation, they are not our target market. Whether someone goes to St. Paul’s or to another church, if they are a part of a congregation that helps them know the depths of God’s love and hear the call to share that love with others, they do not need a new church. They might be called to recommit themselves to their congregation, but it does not help the reign of God to steal sheep from another flock.
Our focus should be on inviting people who currently do not have a congregation to call home. There are many reasons someone may not be active in a church. During the pandemic, plenty of people got out of the habit of going to church, and lots have not found ways to reengage. For others, the pandemic awakened a desire for a more meaningful connection with God than their former congregation offered. In either case, whether it means inviting them to St. Paul’s or encouraging them to reconnect with their previous church, I hope you will encourage those who have fallen away to come back.
Sometimes people stop going to church because they move to a new community and do not feel like they know enough people to walk through the doors on a Sunday morning. Occasionally people are wounded by their congregation or individuals within it, and they stop going to church altogether. Often people experience a grief or loss—like the death of a loved one or the end of a marriage—and find it too painful to go back alone. Many of them are open to visiting a new church, but they are waiting on someone like you to invite them and promise to sit with them and make them feel at home.
In a community like Fayetteville, there are lots of people who do not go to church because they have never gone to church or at least have not gone to church since they were young children. In contemporary culture, Christianity is often represented by the sort of narrow-minded, judgmental people with whom I, too, would rather not spend any extra time. Although St. Paul’s, like any congregation, has its own foibles and shortcomings, I think our church, because of its commitment to welcoming anyone and everyone, is a place where many people who never expected to go to church find a home.
Our commitment to exploring and celebrating God’s infinite grace, acceptance, and love makes us a church that not only talks about faith but practices it. Our theology and religious teaching are rich, ancient, and culturally relevant. Our prayers and worship are timeless, beautiful, and engaging. Our sacramental mindset prioritizes spiritual growth without sacrificing intellectual honesty. Our recognition that social justice and religious belief are inseparable makes us attractive and relevant to people who want more than a social club or religious label. And, despite all those wonderful truths about our church, we cannot be faithful to God and reach our full potential by sitting around and waiting on folks to find us.
In a recent conversation with my friend, we wondered together how The Episcopal Church and its constituent dioceses and parishes might learn how to reach out to those who are not walking through our doors and invite them to church. I think we spend a lot of time and effort focusing on hypothetical growth instead of realistic opportunities for evangelism. We either start with who we are and what we have and pretend that doing more of the same will attract new people or we sit in a board room and dream up what kind of people we hope will come to church and then make plans that never take shape. Instead, if we want to grow the church, I think we need to spend time walking around our neighborhood and getting to know our neighbors.
Go to the farmer’s market on a Saturday morning and look around. Sit outside of Ozark Natural Foods for a day and pay attention to who comes and goes. Head to Wilson Park before or after church on a Sunday and notice who is walking around, lounging in a hammock, or sitting on the grass. If you are feeling particularly bold, ask a stranger what they do or where they go to find peace in their life. Ask them what sort of community helps them find deep meaning. Ask them what sort of church would make them want to go. Then share what you see and hear with our clergy, staff, members of the vestry, and other parishioners. We may be surprised what we learn from our neighbors.
Although plenty of people in Fayetteville have no interest in going to church, there are many others who would be open to the idea of a church that met their hunger for peace, meaning, connection, community, and direction. St. Paul’s may not be the perfect church for everyone, but I believe that who we are, what we believe, and how we engage each other and the wider community make us a great place for newcomers to experience the love, grace, and hope that God gives to the world.
Yours faithfully,
Evan D. Garner
