MidAmerica Region: Prairie Star, Central Midwest & Heartland

Districts

Membership: Closing the Back Door

Dori Davenport ThextonFaith Development & Growth Director

Why are people leaving our congregations?

An estimated 35 million Americans have left organized religion in recent years. American Religious Identification Survey (2008)

28% o fAmerican adults left faith of their upbringing for another religion or none at all.

People moving into “unaffiliated” category outnumber those moving out of it by 3 to 1.

U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life (2008)

James

Russell

Hale

“The rites of passage by which people become members of religious communities are well known. The rites of passage by which people leave remain unexplored.”

External reasons – no congregational control

Relocating Death or serious illness The economy Change in work schedule Transportation problems Accessibility issues Too many other obligations

Spiritual/Emotional Needs

Not committed to Unitarian Universalism

Spiritual needs not being met by congregation

Lack of clear understanding of UU faith

Not inspired or moved by worship, minister or programs

Other Reasons

Minister left Kid(s) not coming

anymore Spouse/Partner

doesn’t come Don’t find

educational offering interesting / relevant

Don’t feel loved, accepted or wanted

Don’t feel that I’m contributing

Contributing a lot but not appreciated

Conflict with another member or minister

Practical Social

Losing our youth and young adults

They need to experience the value of teachings and relationships in a congregation and see relevance for the next phase of life.

Satisfaction Index: Reasons for Staying

Proud to belong

Feel valued

Confidence and trust in leadership

It should stem from our principles, which hold that every life is precious and when one member leaves, it diminishes the entire community.

It should come out of the mission/vision of the congregation and stated as a specific goal – publicized widely.

Be Intentional about Retaining Members

10 Ways to Retain Membership

1. Raise the bar for membership

2. Offer a variety of small group opportunities for members to explore UU ideas & ideals

3. Involve members in the life of the congregation according to their gifts and preferences

More ways to retain members

4. Create a culture of acknowledgement and gratitude.

5. Expand pastoral care with trained lay leaders to meet personal & emotional needs of more congregants.

6. Engage Conflict, don’t ignore it!

Bringing Inactives Back

7. Examine attitudes of how “actives” and “inactives” feel about each other and explore assumptions:

Every person who joined the congregation did so in good faith

There’s a good reason for being inactive Inactive member will continue to be so until

situation is handled effectively The longer the wait, the harder it is to bring

inactive member back to active status

8. Maintain frequent contact with members through phone calls, surveys, email, and face-to-face conversations

9. Develop system for tracking, identifying and reaching out to members who have become inactive

Technical steps to take

Last, but definitely not least…

10. Ensure meaningful and varied worship services that speak to the needs of the congregation, that celebrate wonderful music, and that involve aspects of church life

A faith community is…

one of the few places where casual interchanges between young and old can take place, where familiarity breeds appreciation rather than contempt. Faith communities keep us aware of and in conversation about our core values as we move through life and struggle with what it means each day to live with courage, generosity and grace.

Michael A. Schuler, Making the Good Life Last