Contemporary Churches: Spiritual Transformation of Congregations

By Lou Kavar

Based on more than thirty years in professional ministry and drawing on social science, Contemporary Churches: Spiritual Transformation of Congregations
provides insights on how to reimagine and restructure congregations that hope to be relevant for new generations of those who desire to live out the teachings of Jesus. Drawing on research, innovative models for ministry, and actual experience, Transforming Congregations is imaginative and thought provoking for leaders of local churches.

Readers will find principles clearly illustrated with case examples drawn from actual congregations throughout the United States. The research and models supporting the concepts of congregational transformation are based on analysis from several sources both in the United States and other countries. Contemporary Churches presents solid approaches to congregational ministry that is easy to read and accessible to both clergy and lay leaders.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lou Kavar
• Release date: Apr 29, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310989452

Lou Kavar

The Rev. Dr. Louis F. Kavar is an ordained minister, experienced pastor, spiritual director, and professor of psychology living an active life in Atlanta, GA. Currently holding ministerial standing in the United Church of Christ, Dr. Kavar has served as the founding pastor of a new church start and pastor of two congregations undergoing revitalization. In addition, Lou was administrator of Global Outreach, an international missions program that started new congregations in a variety of countries, and was also a health care chaplain. In addition to his work in pastoral ministry, Lou offers over thirty-five years of experience in working with individuals and groups in the areas of personal and spiritual development. Dr. Kavar currently teaches in the doctoral program in psychology at Capella University where he is lead faculty member for qualitative research.Dr. Kavar previously lived in Tucson, AZ where he was director of Desert Vision Counseling and Hypnotherapy, a private practice specializing in issues of spirituality, wholeness and creativity in Tucson, AZ. He held the position of Chair of the Master of Counseling program at the University of Phoenix, Southern Arizona Campus. He was also among the faculty and design team for the Hesychia School of Spiritual Direction in Tucson.Having also been a resident of Miami, Dr. Kavar was the clinical director for South Florida’s Pastoral Care Network. Headquartered at the United Protestant Appeal, this program provided spiritually based counseling to people living with chronic illnesses and their loved ones in a three county region. He was also preceptor for spiritual care in a residency program at the University of Miami’s Department of Psychiatry.Throughout his career, Dr. Kavar has worked with individuals, groups and organizations in area of spirituality. He has led retreats, taught classes, and presented seminars throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, England, Australia, and New Zealand. His relaxed manner and use of humor make him an exceptional and accessible presenter in the area of spirituality.Lou holds the degrees of Master of Arts from the Institute of Formative Spirituality at Duquesne University in spirituality and a Doctor of Philosophy from the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh in counseling.

Book preview

Contemporary Churches:

Spiritual Transformation of Congregations

by the Rev. Louis F. Kavar, Ph.D.

Copyright 2015 Louis F. Kavar

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Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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What Experienced Pastors Are Saying About

Contemporary Churches

Understandable applied theology, sound group psychology and practical church strategies are three ingredients of healthy small churches and Dr. Kavar blends all three smoothly in this book. As a local church pastor for over 30 years, I have found books that address one or two such issues but never all three.Pastors who know the sweet spot" where the 3 intersect will appreciate this book’s breadth and depth and be inclined to share passages with church members who want to know how and why small churches work well.

This book offers a people-centered approach to issues that commonly arise in small churches. Unlike solutions whose goal is institutional survival, this book is equally concerned with effective care for healthy individuals, both clergy and laity, and with institutional health. Pastors will find its approach both refreshing and effective.

Rev. Diane G. Ryder

Pastor, First Congregational Church of Geneva –UCC

Geneva, Nebraska

An insightful and resourceful look at congregations in transition; this book challenges us to rethink the church's role and relevance in the shifting integration of community life and values. With so many congregations in transition an understanding of a spirituality of bereavement is a transformative concept. A must read for leaders in turn-around and revitalization ministries.

Rev. Paul Whiting

Turn-around pastor and church plant consultant

London, Ontario, Canada

This is an important book for those of us who grapple with questions about the future of the Church's ministry and mission. Although its context is American, the challenges it addresses are equally valid in a UK context. It is a 'must read' if you have the courage to go beyond notions of resuscitating the Church to an understanding of what death and resurrection might mean in our context.

Rev. Eva McIntyre

Anglican Priest

Author of A Quiet Mind: Uniting Body, Mind and Emotions in Christian Spirituality

Worcestershire, England

Rev. Kavar's book is quite provocative in a refreshingly disturbing way. For those of us who tend to lose our way in the maze and false promises of numerical growth, his work brings us back to our original dreams and purpose.

Rev. J. Douglas Patterson,

Senior Minister, Smithfield United Church of Christ

Pittsburgh, PA.

Dedication

Many individuals come into our lives and serve for some period as a mentor. From these mentors, we learn both what to do and what to avoid. There have been several pastors, both women and men, who have been trusted and valued colleagues. At the same time, a few others have been significant in their mentorship and inspiration. Among them are Joe Fleming, Frank Balestino, Bob Karl, and Grant Ford. I am thankful to them for many lessons learned about the unique ministry of pastor.

Acknowledgements

Writing is just one part of producing a manuscript. I want to thank those who helped bring this work to publication including Alicia von Stamwitz for consultation on manuscript development, Alan Eddington and Frank Bergen for proof reading and editorial critique, Sarah Kim and Diane Ryder for content evaluation, and consistent encouragement from Kin Lo.

Original cover artwork by Patricia Chase Bergen

Cover design by Kin Lo.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Dimensions of Congregational Transformation

Chapter 1: Imagining a Church for the Future

Chapter 2: From Death to Life

Chapter 3: Toward Transforming the Local Church

Chapter 4: Establishing a New Model of the Local Church

Chapter 5: Spirituality - The Heart of Transformation

Epilogue

References

Appendix: Exploring and Assessing the Role of Spirituality in the Life of a Congregation

Other books by the Rev. Lou Kavar

Connect with the Rev. Lou Kavar

About the Author

Introduction

The Dimensions of Congregational Transformation

I was attending a summer barbeque hosted by a friend from a local university. About twenty of us gathered for a Saturday evening of hamburgers hot off the grill. While the food was typical for such an event, the people were distinctively unique. Most were under age 40, graduates of Ivy League universities or other top schools, and had experience living cross-culturally. The evening was marked by sharing stories and laughter. The group was well educated, successful, and respected in their fields.

The host introduced me as a psychologist. As the evening wore on, someone who knew me commented about a joke I made, Right from the mouth of the resident theologian! That got the attention of several people who then learned I was also a member of the clergy in addition to being a psychologist. Unlike many gatherings, there was no particular reaction and I seemed to remain just another person at the barbeque. Sometime later, some questions began, What is it that people do in church? and What is it that you get out of church? There was no animosity. But there was clearly a lack of familiarity. One person commented, It doesn’t seem like a church would be a good use of time. Wouldn’t it be better to study about religion on your own and do the spiritual practices you find right for yourself?

While there were some comments about the role of Christianity in politics and how imposing morality on others was contrary to the principles of a free society, the overall impression I had of the conversation was that church attendance was viewed as something that didn’t make sense to these educated, professional adults. It’s not that there was something wrong with doing it. But there was a lack of understanding as to why someone would attend a church. There was an appreciation for personal spiritual development. But spirituality was not something associated with church attendance. Conservative political agendas were much more closely associated with the role of religion in society.

American culture has changed. What people expect from organizations and associations today is much different from what was expected fifty years ago. For the most part, church is the one place where many of the same aspects of institutional life have remained the same over the last fifty years: the same organizational structures, the same music, the same ways of socializing, and the same progression toward membership. But those who attempt to change, to revitalize themselves, to be relevant to a new generation of people face the challenge of the shifts that have taken place in American culture. Those cultural shifts were evident in my conversations at the backyard barbeque that summer evening.

There are different ways of approaching congregational revitalization. In reviewing books on congregational growth and revitalization, different emphases emerge.

1. The readiness of a congregation to welcome new people.

We gathered as pastors of congregations of my denomination from around the city for a monthly time of fellowship and sharing. As was usual, we discussed our respective congregations and the ways we experienced positive energy as well as the ways we had concerns for the communities of faith in our care. One pastor of a congregation with about 75 people in attendance each Sunday shared that he had gone to a seminar on congregational revitalization. What a waste of time! he reported. This is all I got out of it! With that statement, he pulled a packet of microwave popcorn from his brief case and tossed it onto the table. They recommended that we send first time visitors popcorn with a note saying, ‘Glad you popped in!’ Laughter erupted. We need a lot more than popcorn to get new members, the pastor concluded.

Many church growth consultants focus on ways to make the congregation friendlier. These strategies are very important. They include ways to make the congregation visible in the community as well as making the worship experience user-friendly to newcomers with well-designed bulletins, friendly greeters, and follow-up that includes letters of welcome and a host of ways to connect with new visitors including telephone calls, a member of the congregation delivering a home-made loaf of bread on Sunday afternoon, and, yes, even popcorn.

In some denominations, local judicatories provide mystery-visitor programs for their churches. In these programs, a team of new visitors from another congregation will attend a Sunday service at a church that’s requested mystery visitors on an unannounced Sunday. The mystery visitors use a check-list to review how prepared the local church is to receive new visitors. These check-lists include the availability of parking, ease of accessing the sanctuary, visible signage for lavatories, the ease of following the order of worship, and friendliness.

Readiness of a congregation to welcome new people is absolutely necessary if a local church wants new members to join the congregation. These strategies are required to demonstrate that the church’s doors are actually open. But, in and of themselves, they don’t translate into growth for a local congregation. A church can do everything it possibly can to make itself visible to newcomers and provide a warm welcome to guests but not take in new members. That’s often because the changes needed have more to do with the congregation’s structure and organizational dynamics.

2. The organizational structure of the local church.

In the 1960’s, a major shift occurred within the field of psychology which has impacted our present understanding of how people relate in groups with one another. The shift in psychology was the development of the first theories of family systems. Prior to that, the focus of psychology was on the individual. Family systems theory demonstrated that individuals behave in predictable patterns based on the relationships within the family system. This insight began to be applied to organizations in the 1970’s. Church consultants of the 1980’s realized that these same principles were relevant and applicable to local congregations.

Of all the writers on the topic of church organization, growth and development, perhaps no one articulates the dynamics of church systems better than Lyle E. Shaller. Author of more than 50 books, Schaller primarily addresses the organizational structure of the local church including issues of mission, visibility, health and function. Of particular interest are his books which consider how congregations function based on size. Measuring size by Sunday attendance, Schaller describes the single cell congregation of under approximately 60 to 80 people in Sunday attendance. In this size congregation, each congregant experiences a personal connection with the pastor. Congregants are able to maintain relationships with each person who attends. Growing larger than about 75 people in Sunday attendance requires a change in the systemic structure and dynamics of the congregation. Including more people will require a shift in relationships with the pastor and among congregation members. While a small congregation has clear assets in regard to intimacy and the experience of a small faith community, most American congregations need approximately 125 adults in Sunday attendance in order to maintain financial health.

Aspects to consider regarding organizational structure include the group dynamics in the congregation with its pattern of relationships as well as the formal organization which includes bylaws and requirements of membership and participation. Many congregations find that they have done significant work to prepare the church to receive new members by raising the congregation’s visibility and putting