Comments for SCD Ideas http://blogs.gbod.org/scdumc_ideas Innovation, Demographics, Explore, Arts, and Spirituality Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:42:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 Comment on Seminar Explores Musical Options For Worship in a New Church Start by themusicman http://blogs.gbod.org/scdumc_ideas/2008/08/03/seminar-explores-musical-options-for-worship-in-a-new-church-start/#comment-36 themusicman Wed, 06 Aug 2008 01:43:29 +0000 http://blogs.gbod.org/scdumc_ideas/2008/08/03/seminar-explores-musical-options-for-worship-in-a-new-church-start/#comment-36 We know someone that was helped in a startup effort by buying used choir music (of course, this only helps if there will be a choir!) at a place called www.themusiclibrary.com. They really have a huge selection and the prices are CHEAP --- helps fend off some of the early stage music budget problems. [They’ll also let you sell music later – this can be helpful if someone is “retooling” a music ministry from one style to another] We know someone that was helped in a startup effort by buying used choir music (of course, this only helps if there will be a choir!) at a place called http://www.themusiclibrary.com. They really have a huge selection and the prices are CHEAP — helps fend off some of the early stage music budget problems. [They’ll also let you sell music later – this can be helpful if someone is “retooling” a music ministry from one style to another]

]]> Comment on United Methodist at a Tipping Point by Adult Workers with Young People » Blog Archive » What Do Young People Want? http://blogs.gbod.org/scdumc_ideas/2008/04/22/united-methodist-at-a-tipping-point/#comment-22 Adult Workers with Young People » Blog Archive » What Do Young People Want? Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:44:04 +0000 http://blogs.gbod.org/scdumc_ideas/2008/04/22/united-methodist-at-a-tipping-point/#comment-22 [...] Methodist Church and in other mainline churches.  The above statement actually comes from the blog of a colleague of mine here at [...] [...] Methodist Church and in other mainline churches.  The above statement actually comes from the blog of a colleague of mine here at [...]

]]> Comment on The Real Religious Landscape by Craig Miller http://blogs.gbod.org/scdumc_ideas/2008/05/21/the-real-religious-landscape/#comment-14 Craig Miller Mon, 26 May 2008 01:00:51 +0000 http://blogs.gbod.org/scdumc_ideas/2008/05/21/the-real-religious-landscape/#comment-14 Wow, the percentages are amazing, especially in light of real head counts. You may be aware of TheAmericanChurch.org, which for almost 20 years has been studying trends in Catholic, Evangelical, and Mainline churches. Based on actual counts of Sunday attenders (you’ll find their methodology on their website), only 17.3% of Americans are in church on any given Sunday (2006 figures). It appears that people do not report accurately their “every Sunday” commitment! A quick look around the sanctuary of any church, or the parking lots of churches on Sunday morning should be evidence enough that 45% of the American population (plus some of the 43% of “occasional” attenders) are definitely not in church on Sunday. Thanks for sending this very helpful information. Grace and peace, in Christ, Kent M. Melcher Kansas Area Superintendent for New Church Development Wow, the percentages are amazing, especially in light of real head counts.
You may be aware of TheAmericanChurch.org, which for almost 20 years has been studying trends in Catholic, Evangelical, and Mainline churches. Based on actual counts of Sunday attenders (you’ll find their methodology on their website), only 17.3% of Americans are in church on any given Sunday (2006 figures). It appears that people do not report accurately their “every Sunday” commitment!

A quick look around the sanctuary of any church, or the parking lots of churches on Sunday morning should be evidence enough that 45% of the American population (plus some of the 43% of “occasional” attenders) are definitely not in church on Sunday.

Thanks for sending this very helpful information.

Grace and peace, in Christ,
Kent M. Melcher
Kansas Area Superintendent for New Church Development

]]> Comment on College Rejection Season by Kerry Wood http://blogs.gbod.org/scdumc_ideas/2008/04/02/college-rejection-season/#comment-12 Kerry Wood Tue, 08 Apr 2008 19:46:01 +0000 http://blogs.gbod.org/scdumc_ideas/2008/04/02/college-rejection-season/#comment-12 Reaching the next generation is every previous generation's challenge, yet the "Baby Boomers" so successfully molded the 2nd half of the 20th century around themselves that we seem to have forgotten that fact! And their molding process so alienated the "Builders" that now all younger generations are viewed by Builders with suspicion and intolerance. Obviously, these are broad, sweeping statements that have significant exceptions, but as I survey the UMC, this seems to be our denomination's reality. Your call to reach beyond this "generation gap" is important, and it seems our General Conference has an opportunity to make significant progress - especially in working through the issues related to the ordination process. Now, I would like to add another element to your call for focused attention. It's not just young people that need a place to be valued. Over the last five years, I have come to realize that our denomination has almost totally focused on urban/suburban ministry. And why not, that's where most of the people are! Yet, our rural communities are just as important. They are "the least of these" in so many ways! The county in which I serve is the 2nd poorest in Ohio. Its teachers' salaries are at the bottom of the list. Households falling below federal poverty rates make up more than half the county population. Unemployment statistics are 3 points higher than state average, which itself is 2 points higher than national average. I am the only UM pastor in the county with a single-point charge - and that's about to change due to financial constraints. This congregation has paid 100% apportionments for more than 30 years, but now they face the dilemma of whether to continue that commitment or divert dollars away from apportionments and towards pastoral support and local ministries. I'm sure their story is repeated at least a thousand-fold across all our denomination, yet the denomination doesn't take it seriously. Do we need these thousands of smaller churches to do more that they have? Absolutely! Do we have hundreds of ineffective pastors/churches that should be held to higher standards? You better believe it! But do we have a denominational process that keeps an effective pastor in place even when his/her costs stretch the church past the breaking point? Absolutely not! Around here, the young people don't see much future for themselves unless they go to the "big city". Quite frankly, I would say that holds true for pastors. And that's not the right answer if we are going to seriously give hope to the hopeless, bring relationship to the estranged, and add value to the valueless. Reaching the next generation is every previous generation’s challenge, yet the “Baby Boomers” so successfully molded the 2nd half of the 20th century around themselves that we seem to have forgotten that fact! And their molding process so alienated the “Builders” that now all younger generations are viewed by Builders with suspicion and intolerance.

Obviously, these are broad, sweeping statements that have significant exceptions, but as I survey the UMC, this seems to be our denomination’s reality. Your call to reach beyond this “generation gap” is important, and it seems our General Conference has an opportunity to make significant progress - especially in working through the issues related to the ordination process.

Now, I would like to add another element to your call for focused attention. It’s not just young people that need a place to be valued. Over the last five years, I have come to realize that our denomination has almost totally focused on urban/suburban ministry. And why not, that’s where most of the people are! Yet, our rural communities are just as important. They are “the least of these” in so many ways!

The county in which I serve is the 2nd poorest in Ohio. Its teachers’ salaries are at the bottom of the list. Households falling below federal poverty rates make up more than half the county population. Unemployment statistics are 3 points higher than state average, which itself is 2 points higher than national average.

I am the only UM pastor in the county with a single-point charge - and that’s about to change due to financial constraints. This congregation has paid 100% apportionments for more than 30 years, but now they face the dilemma of whether to continue that commitment or divert dollars away from apportionments and towards pastoral support and local ministries.
I’m sure their story is repeated at least a thousand-fold across all our denomination, yet the denomination doesn’t take it seriously.

Do we need these thousands of smaller churches to do more that they have? Absolutely! Do we have hundreds of ineffective pastors/churches that should be held to higher standards? You better believe it! But do we have a denominational process that keeps an effective pastor in place even when his/her costs stretch the church past the breaking point? Absolutely not!

Around here, the young people don’t see much future for themselves unless they go to the “big city”. Quite frankly, I would say that holds true for pastors. And that’s not the right answer if we are going to seriously give hope to the hopeless, bring relationship to the estranged, and add value to the valueless.

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