I've been reading a book by a colleague, Rev. Dr. David Keck, entitled "Healthy Churches, Faithful Pastors: Covenant Expectations for Thriving Together." I began this book in expectation of the calling of our Pastor Nominating Committee to elect a new Pastor/Head of Staff in the months to come. One point that the author makes is in chapter 6. "Faithful pastors expect healthy congregations to believe that churches are called not to survive but to thrive (p. 106)." This language resonated with me; the difference between surviving and thriving.
Two years ago I was a new mother. Kemper and I had spent our first six weeks together at home. I had been ill before his birth so a large part of those first weeks was simply healing and restoring my body and spirit, even while sleep deprived and completely out of my element. In the first month of Kemper's life outside the womb I learned a valuable lesson in the difference between surviving and thriving. Because Kemper was a preemie, and because my body had been under such duress, breastfeeding was quite difficult for us. Kemper had difficulty latching and I was simply too exhausted to try to push the matter any further. But, I was committed to exclusively pumping for my child. I was told that if I stuck with it, eventually my milk would come in. I was told that even to supplement with formula was okay, because he was getting much needed nutrients. In actuality, my son was really a formula baby, with small portions of breast milk interspersed. He was doing fine. He was gaining weight at a steady rate. Meanwhile, I was spending large chunks of time once he fell asleep pumping, when I should have been sleeping myself! After a month, feeling like a complete failure I spoke to my mom in tears. She said to me, "Loren, if you're not thriving, stop doing it. Kemper is thriving but you are not. He needs you to be present, enjoy this time bonding with him. You both need to be well." Wise woman; always. I decided that day to stop pumping. I decided that day to stop worrying about something that I had no control over. We were surviving, but that day I moved from what I thought I was supposed to be doing (read here: "what a half of women in today's mommy-shaming culture say a mother must do for a healthy child"), to what I needed to do to thrive in motherhood.
Keck speaks of this language in regards to many churches. In this day and time, many churches find themselves in survival mode. Often churches lose their sense of purpose, just trying to hang on in the midst of decline or lost in doing things the way they have always been done. Survival, in some cases seems like a fine goal if we are okay with the status quo. In some situations it is a matter of not being able to see the forest for the trees.
If churches are only in the business of merely surviving, how are we serving God? Keck writes, "God does not call churches to survive. God calls churches to thrive--to thrive with the power of God at work in their midst. Thriving takes on many forms--meaningful worship, steady ministry, deepening prayer lives, greater financial commitment, transformed lives. Machines and buildings do not thrive, but living organisms do! Churches that flourish thus exhibit the characteristics of healthy living things; they develop and respond to changing circumstances by adapting (p. 106)."
People who visit a congregation will quickly recognize whether a church is excited to see their shadows cross the threshold because they are trying to survive (i.e. keep the lights on, or find warm bodies to fill a committee) or because they are enthusiastic about their mission and vision for the future--such as loving God, loving people, making disciples.
How do you feel about your present situation or context? How are you contributing to an atmosphere of survival or thriving? Are you busily counting heads in the pews (because big numbers equal big success in today's culture) or are you busily counting the ways these heads might bring the gospel message beyond the sanctuary doors? Do you feel weighed down with worry about how to keep the lights on? Are you fearful about all of the studies and reports that tell you the church is on the decline and will need to look vastly different to continue? Or, do you find opportunities on the horizon for spiritual renewal which can lead to a stronger sense of community and purpose? These are real questions for the 21st century church. Are you merely surviving? Churches that merely attempt to survive, don't. We must seek to thrive.
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