Transforming Congregations

Did you know...
• The United States makes up the 3rd largest mission field in the world
• Only 18 percent of the U.S. population goes to church in a given week
• The average church size is 75 in worship
• 90 percent of churches are declining or on a plateau in worship attendance
• 50 congregations in the United States close every week

The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod is no exception…
• 35 percent of LCMS congregations do not baptize or confirm any adults on an annual basis
• 47 percent only baptize or confirm one or less adults annually
• 80 percent of LCMS congregations have a plateaued or declining worship attendance

What can be done to change this?
REVITALIZATION

Why revitalization?
Christ commands us to “go and make disciples of all nations. Th is is good and pleases God our Savior, for He longs for all to be saved and to understand this truth.”

What is a revitalized church?
A revitalized church is one that is regularly and consistently “making new disciples who make new disciples.” A revitalized church possesses many of the following characteristics:
• Growth through adult baptisms and confirmations
• Increase in worship attendance by five percent or more annually
• Rise in stewardship and financial commitments
• Increased number of hours invested in community service
• Holds regular outreach events
• Small group growth
• Participates in starting new congregations

The Transforming Churches Network (TCN) was developed to provide training and resources to help congregations fulfill their role as “mission outposts.” The Transforming Churches Network (TCN) is a non-profit partner organization of The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod dedicated to revitalizing churches. The purpose of TCN is to assist the LCMS in reaching its Ablaze! goal of revitalizing 2,000 churches by 2017.

How are churches revitalized?

Learning Communities: After a church is chosen to participate in the Transforming Churches Network, the Pastor participates in
a monthly cluster meeting with four to eight other Pastors who are also part of TCN. These meetings offer leadership, outreach, and spiritual development training. The Pastor then creates a Learning Community in his congregation among his own leaders.

Consultation: Following a self-study, the congregation undergoes a weekend consultation where the consultation team meets with members, leaders, and staff to assess the congregation’s ministry. The team then makes recommendations on what changes are needed for the church to become more outward focused.

Coaching: After the consultation, a trained Coach works with the Pastor regularly to help him grow as a leader. The Coach holds the Pastor accountable for the changes recommended by the consultation team. The Coach also meets quarterly with the congregation to discuss their progress, answer questions, and assist the members in their commitment to becoming a mission-focused church.

Interested in learning more?
Visit transformingchurchesnetwork.org
or contact Carol Mittelstaedt:
p: 914-337-5700 x6
e: carol.mittelstaedt@ad-lcms.org