I’ve been thinking about the growth we are experiencing at Song of Life. When we look year-over-year at our worship attendance over our 9 months together, we’ve seen growth rates over 50%. Research numbers vary from around 5% to 15% for the average sustainable growth rates for churches over a 10 year time period. It’s no wonder we feel like we are growing by leaps & bounds over this short time together. I do not know that we will be able to sustain these growth rates because we are literally running out of room.
This is why, as your pastor, I want us to begin exploring the other growth metrics we need to explore even as our Building Committee & Leadership Board are brainstorming ways we can quickly get a larger worship space to better support our rapidly growing worship attendance. The reality is, we need a larger worship space & more classroom space sooner than we can afford to build a permanent building. It may not be what we want to hear or acknowledge. However, the time it would take to build a permanent building from permit to occupancy is longer than we have time to wait. We need spaces & places for worship & small group gatherings sooner rather than later. Otherwise, by the time our winter residents return we may not have a seat for them or new visitors to worship with us on Sundays. We trust & believe the Holy Spirit is at work when we see new families & so few open seats on Sunday morning; we also know we need to participate in that activity or we won’t see the fullness God is creating in & among us.
It is with these factors in mind that I want us to think about other growth metrics such as our spiritual discipleship, community engagement, ministry involvement, participation in children & youth programs, mission-focused activities, & financial contributions. Under the Leadership Board’s direction, I am committed to offering a series of small group classes so we can begin expanding our spiritual discipleship as we explore things like spiritual gifts, our United Methodist roots, & leadership practices in the church. In addition, we need more people to step up & volunteer with our growing children & youth ministries so that by the time we begin our new curriculum for next school year we are able to split the kids into small, developmentally appropriate groups. We need people willing to step up & walk alongside our new members & engage with our visitors, helping to shepherd them into the life & ministry of Song of Life. We need people to champion our missional partners, both Jose’s Closet & House of Refuge, organizing work days at both organizations & examining how we can be intentional partners in their amazing programs. We need people to testify to what drives their financial support of & engagement with Song of Life, sharing with others as a way to inspire them to give in these ways as well. The reality is, we need each of us to live fully into the formation & identity of Christ in our midst so that we can truly be the body of our Lord for a world starved for love & grace & mercy.
If you are interested in joining in the small group study starting May 2, you can register here https://songoflifeumc.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/2268809. The more we know about how we are each formed & live into that formation, the more we will serve one another in these roles that are vital to Song of Life’s growth. I cannot wait to see what these next nine months together bring for this place of faith & formation.
In Christ’s Love,
