INTRODUCTION
In 2004 I saw a small church double in size within a period of about six months. The catalyst was a church revitalization plan which I had developed and implemented. That plan could be summarized very easily. It focused upon two main ingredients needed for church growth:
1. A solid spiritual foundation,
and
2. A strong strategic initiative.
While I’d had my own nursing home ministry for eight years, in 2003 I felt the need to belong to a congregation where I would feel ministered to rather than being the one to do the ministering. I suppose it was the result of isolation. There was no church of the Old Catholic/Independent Catholic persuasion in my area. I longed for the shelter of a sanctuary to go to on Sundays where I could feel I truly belonged. An investigation of the local churches proved disappointing. No one wanted to accept a member who wished to remain Catholic while at the same time being a part of their church. Finally, I found the United Church of Christ.
The day I first entered the United Church of Christ that I would later join was a momentous day in my life. The Pastor knew my story. Even though I was a Catholic priest, the congregation received me with open arms. For the first time in my life I knew the gift of being a member of a Christian church that truly practices the love that comes from a close relationship with Christ. It was in this very small church that I learned that the true purpose of church is to establish loving relationships. My relationship with God was strengthened in that church, and there I found much love.
One of the first things I noticed about the little church was that its membership was declining. Most of the parishioners were gray haired or fast approaching that age. There were a few children, but after a while the families withdrew them in order to find a church that could provide more of a children’s ministry. While there were 50 people on the roster, only about half that many would come to church on Sunday.
My concern for the little church was so great that I began to pray about what I might do to help. I began to surf the web for some insight on how to revitalize the congregation. As luck would have it, I discovered that St. Stephen’s Seminary in Canada has a course entitled, On Eagles’ Wings - How to be a Thriving Church in the 21st Century. With my new Pastor’s approval, I signed up for the course.
The end-product of the course at St. Stephen’s was a document outlining a revitalization plan for my congregation. When it was finished, it was presented to the Board and approved. Soon after that, we began to implement some of the suggestions I had made.
In a few short months, the results were amazing. The church began to grow. We even started to see a change in the demographics. We were attracting younger people, especially families with children. As the church continued to grow, we became more inclusive and diverse. The attendance at Sunday worship doubled in a very short time.
I don’t really know what it was that made such a difference in such a short time, except for two things. We started praying daily and fervently for the growth of our church, and we began to practice the principles I’d learned in the course. That’s when a miracle happened.
Out of my experience with church growth at my local UCC, I suddenly had a remarkable revelation. We can learn how to plant churches by studying the experience and advice of those who have already been involved in the field. Immediately I realized the possible impact of that upon the Independent Sacramental Churches. I was wide eyed at the possibilities.
The strong feeling that God was calling me into a new ministry in church planting and development was very strong. It was confirmed when a colleague, Bishop Tim Waldrop, suggested that I attend a church planting boot camp which he and his wife Sandi were scheduled to attend.
The boot camp, which was put on by the Church Multiplication Training Center, left us in total awe. The Protestants have been at this church planting business a long time, and they have the methods down to a science. We of the Autonomous Catholic Movement can learn from them. It was out of this realization that Build His Churches Mission was born. It is the goal of BHCM to transfer this knowledge to the Independent Sacramental Churches.
In 2004 I became a doctoral student at Graduate Theological Foundation, and began an intensive study of church planting strategies. I completed my doctorate in May of 2006. This course resulted from my studies, and is my gift to Build His Churches Mission and to those clergy of the OC/IC Movement who are called to pastorship.
If you are interested in learning how to start a parish or revitalize one that is in decline, then you will find the answers you need here. May God bless you as you embark upon this exciting and fruitful journey.
