Cross earns rental income by sharing space with a


Finnish congregation, a teen shelter and more than two dozen 12-step program meetings. But Bass-Deschenes believes low attendance,


building maintenance and other budget strains could eventually take their toll. Without changes, his full- time position won’t likely be sustainable. “For the church to continue on and grow … I’d


like to have more lay-led initiatives and more lay involvement with worship,” he said. Similar challenges exist at Church of the Abiding


Savior in Durham, N.C., which averages 39 people at worship services. In recent years the congregation experienced a sharp decline in giving and worship attendance. More than half the members left. Remaining members pursued new life as a


“renewing congregation” with a grant from the churchwide organization as part of the ELCA’s strategy to revitalize flagging congregations (see page 22). Timothy Taylor became full-time pastor of the


struggling congregation in May. “We’re standing up again and learning how to be the church,” he said. “Our purpose is to specifically regrow the church where it is planted.” The struggles of a small congregation aren’t easy,


Taylor added. Members want to draw new people, support youth programs, develop outreach initiatives and more. They often seek to retain some of the congregation’s history and heritage. “We fall in love with our buildings,” he said. “I’ll ask, ‘If the building burns down, will the church cease to exist?’ If the answer is ‘yes,’ it’s time to think differently.” Taylor is working with members to create a strategic


growth plan. What he tells Abiding Savior’s members applies to anyone, he said. He often asks, “Why in God’s name are you here in


this place?” Look elsewhere for a “social club,” he adds, because the church is a place to do God’s work in the community.


Committed to mission Despite its size, St. Paul Lutheran, a small congregation in Cedar Falls, Iowa, balances its budget and gives generously to a variety of local, national and international causes. The congregation sees it this way: they own a mission of service and outreach, said member Sofie Michalicek. Many members are in their 90s and weekly worship


attendance hovers at 40—fewer when snowbirds go to Texas and Florida for the winter. For more than a decade, St. Paul has been served by a part-time pastor and Sunday organist. “I believe what has helped us over the years is


that we live within our means, on a modest budget,” Michalicek said. Members pitch in to cover cleaning and maintenance.


Still, while ministry and mission bear fruit,


Michalicek worries that St. Paul may be “surviving,” not “growing.” Membership has alternated between a


plateau and slight decline over the past decade. (rowth is possible. With a median age of 34, Cedar


Falls is a university town and part of an urban area. “Our membership continues to age, and we don’t


have many new members coming to fill the pews,” Michalicek said. “I’m afraid we’ll continue in that way.” At age 33, she is a noticeable exception. The lifelong


member even served two terms as council president during her early 20s. St. Paul is a home to her, and she believes fellow members feel the same. “Our church building is important to us. It’s


nothing extra fancy,” she said. “It would be hard to imagine getting ready for church and not going there. But if we lost our building, for whatever reason, there would be sadness, and we’d find a way to go on together somewhere else.”


Download a study guide by clicking on the “Spiritual practices & resources” tab at LivingLutheran.org.


Karris Golden is a writer and member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Cedar Falls, Iowa.


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