Latin American Experience with Changing Culture and Churches is Similar to the USA.
Last two weeks I have been working with Uruguayan Methodists, facilitating a national gathering of leaders for clarification of core values and discernment of ministry vision. The Uruguayan church is small, only 11 churches, plus an array of social outreach ministries:
Yes, you read the title correctly. Increasingly my coaching clients are running into people in their communities - sometimes in the church, other times in the wider community, in one case in one of the Fresh Expression groups - who are just hostile towards them. Some (usually slight) thing sets them off, and as often as not, it is nothing the pastor did. But once they go onto their holy tear, they may not wish to reason and they may easily turn on anyone (pastor included) who tries to help them take down their anger.
For the last decade, cutting edge congregations have been adding mobile apps to their ministry communications plans. These early adopters have tended to be very large and/or to serve a good volume of young adults.
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“I never can find out what’s going on around here.”
(Pastor responding), “ We send a newsletter by email every week. The gall of people to say they don’t have access to information!”
“The website still has stuff on it inviting us to Christmas Eve services. And it’s almost May! There hasn’t been a Facebook post in a month.”
(From an across the street neighbor) “Is that church still even open? The posted message on their sign hasn’t changed in months.”
Last month we talked about several best practices for growing churches in the 2020s. Today we drill down on one of them: building relationships with worship guests.
All over the world, we see amazing worship experiences with helpful preaching and inspirational music. And yet, more often than not, these excellent worship services are not growing!
