Rector’s Fisherman Letter for February 2007

Dear Friends,

It was four years ago that three parishioners and your rector traveled to the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania area for a one-day seminar on church outreach. At that seminar, we learned an immense amount about effective outreach to our community, beginning with some data about the church in North America:

1) North America is the only continent where Christianity is not growing. 2) 500 billion dollars has been spent on ministry in the U.S. in the last 15 years with no appreciable growth. 3) During the last ten years the combined memberships of all Protestant denominations has declined by 9.5% while the national population has increased by 11.4%. 4) Half of the churches last year did not add one new member through conversion growth.

What is conversion growth, you may wonder? Conversion growth is when someone becomes a Christian and affiliates with a church. Most growth in the Episcopal Church is transfer growth - that is, a particular congregation receives someone from another congregation. While the receiving congregation benefits from additional members, the kingdom of God does not grow when a member of one church transfers to another church. Our church, like the Episcopal Church, has grown mostly through transfer growth. A question that was asked at the onset of the seminar helps us to see a significant area of necessary growth in our parish: “To what extent does reaching new people and leading them to faith in Jesus shape the culture of your church?”

At our Vestry Retreat in January, we heard from Canon Robert Haskell of the Diocese of Albany. He reviewed with us the results of a questionnaire that was distributed to thirty of our members. From the results of this questionnaire we learned that the area that is most critical for our focus this year is inspiring worship. I can’t think of anything more inspiring than baptizing those who have come to faith in Christ, especially adults. Leading people to faith in Christ is the primary mission of the church.

Our parish mission statement is “Growing God’s Kingdom,” but we have to admit that our parish has grown through our personal evangelistic efforts with those whom God has put in our lives. We are certainly grateful to God for His leading of people to St. Andrew’s, but we cannot be faithful to God by solely adding members passively as they come through our doors. Jesus sent the apostles into the world with the gospel, and He sends us out as well. It is essential that we learn to be good inviters. Please hear this! Invitation is at the heart of the gospel for every Christian; being witnesses for Christ is not optional. Invite people to worship, fellowship events, or Bible study. Some people would enjoy working alongside you as we renovate the community center. Invite!

The New Testament is clear that those outside the kingdom of God are lost. They may be seeking to be faithful to God, but the New Testament, including Jesus’ words, tells us that without Christ they are outside the Kingdom of God. Will you please use the remaining days of Epiphany as a time to grow as a witness for Christ? In this season when we remember how Jesus was manifested to Jews and Gentiles alike, nothing is more appropriate than our service to Christ and His gospel as witnesses to the faith He has given us. February 21 is Ash Wednesday; in the days in February that precede Lent, please pray and seek the Lord as to how you can offer a verbal testimony of faith in Jesus Christ to someone around you.

In my heart of hearts I firmly believe that we can be a congregation that bucks the trends cited above. Insofar as it depends on me, I will work toward growing God’s kingdom through actively seeking the lost. Will you join me in making that commitment for God’s kingdom? It will enliven not only our Sunday worship, but also our parish and our very lives.

Yours in Christ,

The Rev. Tony Seel Rector