What potential New Members want in a spiritual community

February 20, 2007 by
Filed under: Church New Member Process, Religion 

The first question asked of the group was:
What Are You Looking For in a Spiritual Community?

The following are responses to the brainstorm.  Some may be repetitive and others are contradictory (different people want different things).  I will amplify a few that were better communicated in person.

  • Involvement (personal experiences)
  • Welcoming fellowship – embracing
  • Connection, belonging – “Cheers” – NORM! (the quote from the TV show – want to feel known and appreciated)
  • Recharging/revitalizing
  • Awe – mystery – presence
  • Non-exclusion (this covered a lot of territory including race, age, gender, and sexuality)
  • Family programs
  • Variety in music
  • Flexible service times (it’s hard for some to make 10am/11am Sunday)
  • Positive agenda (build up people)
  • Personal relevance
  • Location (close to home, mainly)
  • Facility comfort/aesthetics/accommodations
  • Continuity in tradition
  • History
  • Safe space – intentional (meaning that the community work intentionally to generate a safe space for members to be open and honest without fear of politics and reprisal)
  • Framework to do good works
  • Opportunity to share one anothers’ journeys on a deeper level
  • Alternative timing/schedules
  • Green – eco-conscious
  • Youth programs/young adult (this and Sunday School were important even to people who had no children and didn’t plan to have any)
  • Over 30, No Children – fill that hole (this is the feeling that churches have programs for youth and young adults, programs for children and families, and programs for older adults but nothing for this group)
  • Diversity/acceptance
  • Inspiring Sunday message – NOT political (political meaning non-church issues)
  • No discount (this is a core value of the camp where the retreat was held.  It means no discounting others or yourself)
  • Direct service in the community
  • Intergenerational relationships (the person mentioned a church that paired up older adults as “foster grandparents” for new members)
  • Welcoming community
  • Accepting people as they are (we talked a bit about dress and “come as you are” as well as accepting people around other traits)
  • Empowering people to serve rather than trying to fill
    offices
  • Pastoral care
  • Diversity in services
  • Ceremony & ritual

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Remember that this is what this group of people WANT in a church.  There was no discussion around whether or not these ideas were practical or fit within the belief structure of the church in question.  The primary purpose of asking the question was to get the participants thinking about what they should evaluate when looking at potential church homes.

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Comments

6 Comments on What potential New Members want in a spiritual community

  1. gannetgirl on Wed, 21st Feb 2007 7:26 am

    2. Was anyone looking for an encounter with God?

    I posted that question yesterday but obviously the post didn’t work. Perhaps the awe-mystery-reverence line is the one (and only one) that relates to my question. Otherwise, the list looks suspiciously like a list for joining a congenial club. And I can remember feeling a good deal like that when we first joined a church. Perhaps that’s the real issue with the church today — that we really don’t know what it’s for.

  2. Mark on Wed, 21st Feb 2007 9:14 am

    3. I believe that the structure of the retreat may account for God not being listed in this brainstorm.

    Prior to this session, the group had a very quiet and emotional session in the morning. Each member of the group (staff included) told the story of their faith journey and the reason that they are looking for a change. Those stories truly form the heart and soul of the retreat. They tell participants that they are not alone in questing for spirituality. They tell participants that others have felt pain in their faith journey. They also tell participants that it is possible to successfully find a spiritual home. Desire for a relationship with God was mentioned by most of the participants, particularly those who are unchurched now or were recently unchurched.

    On top of that, I’d add that the group was self-selecting in that they were looking to join a spiritual community (in some cases, to change their church home). Very few members of the group were looking at non-Christian options, so I suspect that a relationship with God was assumed. Also, almost all members of the group came from a church background.

    This brainstorm was more about what makes different church communities different than it was about what makes them the same. That was not posed as part of the question, but the brainstorm was intended to help people figure out discriminators to evaluate when looking for a church home.

  3. Mark on Wed, 21st Feb 2007 9:25 am

    4. Let me add another thought.

    Do we care WHY someone enters a church?

    Sure, maybe they are looking for community and don’t particularly concentrate on their relationship with God today. That can change. We celebrate it when a child’s relationship with God deepens over the years through exposure to God, the church, church members, and our history. Why would we denigrate someone who may not be entering the church looking for God, but who may find Him later?

    Demanding that a newbie immediately mention a relationship with God is kind of like asking a new kindergarten student to declare a college major. It’s too early. Just as we let children’s relationships with God appear and grow over time, we should allow adult’s relationships with God appear and grow.

  4. gannetgirl on Wed, 21st Feb 2007 10:22 am

    5. I didn’t mean to sound denigrating. But it’s a serious question that I have about the entire enterprise of church, and which I’ll try to explore later when I’m not supposed to be en route to work!

  5. What potential New Members want to avoid in a spiritual community : Mark Time on Tue, 20th Jan 2009 10:38 am

    6. […] Yesterday, we spoke of what potential new members were looking for in a new spiritual community. […]

  6. Inside the heads of potential members : Mark Time on Tue, 20th Jan 2009 10:39 am

    7. […] What are potential members looking for? […]

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