So, this weekend Matt and I got to visit my friends Jon and Kristin who live up in the Seattle area. It was a long overdue trip, and it was just nice to get away for the weekend and have fun.
While we were up there we had the opportunity to visit their church, Eastlake. It's got a huge congregation (I think they said somewhere around 4-5k) and a big building, complete with parking attendants and even a cop to direct/supervise the traffic in and out of the area on Sundays. I believe they have three Sunday services. The one that we went to was certainly packed, I'm sure the others probably are, too.
It reminded me of the "glory days" of BCC-- where we'd park up at the middle school and ride the shuttle to the sanctuary to allow more room for visitors. I remember weaving in and out of the lobby, packed full of adults, trying to find my parents to get them home for lunch. (One of my biggest frustrations as a kid was how LONG it took to leave church after it was over. We used to joke that my mom and dad could only make it about 5 feet before they'd get sucked into another conversation. I felt like we were always some of the last people to leave.)
Anyway, it got me thinking. Eastlake was started on the same timeline as Ethnos, yet they now have 4,000 members and we have 40. What makes one church succeed and another struggle? I could point to a lot of differences between the two, but the core actually seemed the same. The entire sermon was about valuing each others experiences and connecting, openly and honestly, with those around us. You could tell that what people valued most at Eastlake, and at Ethnos, was the community they were a part of. Both places feel like a place you can be honest and be loved for who you are.
So. What is it? I love Ethnos, the people and the values we have set in front of us. I believe in these things, and that is why Matt and I have stuck by these people throughout the past several years. But, it is sad to see us held back, and I'm not confident that I know the reason why. This Friday Eastlake is having a baptism service/celebration. A whole service just for all the baptisms! It has been more than a year since we have had a baptism at Ethnos. I want us to be growing and having an impact on the community around us.
Anyway, I am thinking about that today.
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5 comments:
OH how I too remember the days of riding the shuttle. :)
I admire your thought process. I dont have some grand insight but I also question why some churches grow and others dont even when the core value is the same.
Another thing that I think about along these lines is "where are these people coming from?"
I've been at some churches where everyone started off their thoughts with "well, at my last church" because they all had jumped from where they were to a new church. And then other churches where the majority of people were getting involved somewhere for the first time. Although both are growth, I think they may be in different categories. And while coming from another church is not bad, by any means, I think we should also at least think about whether growth is coming from re-arranging the existing set of Christians or if it is from adding new believers to the Kingdom.
The Eastlake baptism service had 225 people signed up to be baptized.
I'd say that's adding to the Kingdom.
Andrew will be getting baptized soon at Ethnos!
I'm glad that you are thinking about this. I think about the same kinds of things nearly every day. I have some ideas, but I can't say that I have any solutions. I know that I don't really want to stay where we are. I want Ethnos to be the church that I envision that it can be. It seems like the best way to get us moving in that direction is for the community to share in a sense of ownership of the vision.
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