How a Small Church in a Small Town on the Verge of Closure Gained New Life – Transcript
Jim Latimer
Welcome to Coaching for Interims. We are about empowerment for interim ministry, best practices and quick help – wisdom from the field. This is our collaborative Wisdom from the Field project, featuring short interviews with transitional interim ministers and others with practical help and wisdom to offer those engaged in transitional ministry. Thank you for tuning into this episode of wisdom from the field.
We have the great pleasure of having with us today, Reverend Dawn Adams. Dawn is United Church of Christ minister, second career in ministry and a really savvy minister. And while she doesn’t officially serve in a transitional role now in her church, she started as one, and that really got my interest. She started as a 20-hour-a-week Designated Term pastor. Now that’s increased to 30 hours a week as a part-time settled pastor. She’s been at her church about eight years. I asked Dawn to speak to some specific practices and behaviors that have worked well, because typically, when you hear 20-hours-a-week and how was that eight years ago, one tends to assume that either the congregation is no longer together, or they’re in further decline. Dawn’s situation is very different. So, there are some things that have really worked well for her, but are very particular to her setting. I invited her to share her particular story. Not that this is for everyone, but there’s some real learnings here. So, Dawn, if you would just share with us a little bit about, you know, what’s worked well for you, and how it’s been in your time there at your church, we’d love it.
Dawn Adams
I really appreciate this opportunity, Jim. And I would name, and I appreciate you naming, that this is a very particular story about a very particular congregation in Brimfield, Massachusetts. It is a small town of about 3,500 people about halfway between Worcester and Springfield. They had gone part-time, just about the year prior to me coming, which is what led to the exit of the previous minister (about 8 years ago), because 20 hours a week is a challenge for anyone to feed their family, right? And so, this is a challenge in and of itself that all pastors and congregations and denominations are facing as ministry changes.
And that is one of the challenges that I entered into this congregation, because it is one of my beliefs that 20 hours a week is a challenge. If I had stringently stuck to 20 hours a week, I believe that this congregation would have died. In order to grow a church, energy has to be injected into the church. So, one of the keen questions that I entered into this particular setting with is, Where is the vitality? Is there vitality? Are we just caring for a tree that is never going to take root and never going to bear fruit? Or, do we need to add some mulch? Do we need to make sure to water it? Do we need to really place our time and energy here?
And I really appreciated the leadership of the First Congregational Church of Brimfield, who met me there. We put together a designated term contract/agreement/call, and hammered out what that looked like. And unfortunately – and most pastors understand this – what we are contracted for, and what we do are not often the same thing. Although there’s a bigger push to really live into whatever our contracted hours are. And I do think that’s important. I think self-care is important. I think honoring that covenant is important – to being honest about the number of hours that we’re working. These are all important. In a declining congregation, I’m not sure that they’re the right step. And I don’t know how we prop that up to answer the question, Is there life here?
And so, I agreed. And the leadership of the church agreed that I was going to invest more time than they had the ability to pay, because a church can’t pay more than it has. You can’t get blood from a stone, as they say. And what we agreed – and part of the exciting thing that a designated term offers – is the constant renegotiation, the constant conversation of, Well, where are we? What are our goals? How do we fix it? And this congregation really did it. We came back together on regular intervals to say, Okay, now that we are doing this better, what can we add? Now that this is happening, what can we build back in? Now that you know this is growing, how do we stabilize that?
And I guess one of the things that I was realizing as I was reflecting for our conversation Jim, is one of the blessings of this congregation – and I suppose many that are facing the possibility of closure – is that, well, let’s try anything! And so, their creativity, their willingness to trust, and their willingness to work a little outside the box helped them. They have the same tendencies that many of our other congregations have. And one of the things that I would say is – one of our biggest challenges is – Well, we don’t do it that way. Or, trying to plan church for the people that are already in church. Well, that’s great, but how do we draw other people’s involvement? And the mindset that church isn’t just about Sunday morning from 10:30 to 11:30. Church is bigger than that.
Jim Latimer
So, Dawn, let me just pause you here a moment, because you’ve said some really significant things, such as how 20 hours a week often isn’t enough to have a sustainable ministry. Some churches have that, but it’s basically pulpit supply. And there’s nothing wrong with that, but for what you sensed was possible there in your setting, it wasn’t enough. Then that begs the question of, Where is the energy? Does this have a chance to grow? That takes energy, right? And then about the designated term format, one of the several key benefits that it offers – it’s built in – is a constant renegotiation, a constant reassessment of, Where are we? What are we doing? etc. And so, I wanted to ask you – because those questions require a fair amount of trust between the pastor and the people – how did the trust get established?
Dawn Adams
Oh, wow. That’s a hard question. First of all, I have a background with this particular congregation. I did my student ministry here. I was part of them, even prior to that, which is an unusual track – not an unheard of track – but an unusual track. According to Massachusetts, it is my home church, but my home church really is in Durham, Connecticut. I was there with the United Church of Christ, United Church of Durham for 36 years before we moved to Massachusetts – before I followed my call. And I guess that’s the answer. For me, this is truly a call. It is not a career. It is a vocation. And yes, I trust the congregation. But I trust God too. And I’ve been really discerning in an ongoing pattern about where I’m supposed to be, when I’m supposed to be, and how I’m supposed to be. And we don’t have time for it today, but there are some particular stories that for me, show that this was my path. And this is where I was supposed to be for particular reasons. And I’ve just tried to live into that as honestly as I can.
Jim Latimer
Dawn, that’s beautiful. So, two things I heard there that are really significant for our listeners. Number one, you have a background there – you were a known quantity when you started as a designated term pastor with that congregation. That counts for something. The second thing that’s very significant that I heard you say, was that this is very much of a calling for you – that you’re in this – and the congregation really senses that you’re not a drive by pastor. I mean, that you are really tuning into God’s call, that for you, clearly the Spirit, in God’s presence, is trustable – is credible. Clearly for you. You say it. And you live it. And that has a cascading positive effect to people around you that helps to build trust. So, where were we before I paused you with that – in terms of what worked well for you?
Dawn Adams
Well, you said an important point, I think about the 20 hours, and I do think it’s something that a church has to discern. Yes, 20 hours a week can work for a Sunday service. Some churches can continue with that. It cannot for us. Our church is the church of the town – on the hill. If you say you’re going to the church in Brimfield, you mean our church. So, we can’t reasonably sell our property and go someplace else. There’s nowhere else to go, per se. It would be a radically different looking thing. And our building is part of our mission. And we have looked at it that way – the Senior Center is located in it, we use it for scouts, and for AA, as many of our churches do. But in a small town, that means even more, because we are literally the largest structure in the town that all different groups use. And so, we had to identify and recognize that that too, is part of our mission. And how do we do that?
And I think, in understanding where our energy was, as a church, and what church means as more than Sunday morning, is part of it, too, and I do think that goes to who I am. I mean, one of the ways of ministry that I think is important is to invite, invite, invite! Not just invite people to church on Sunday, but invite them wherever they are and talk about our trips to Norfolk MCI as part of Partakers, which is a college behind bars program; to invite them to Worcester Fellowship; to invite them into all sorts of different partnerships in different kaleidoscopes. And then to share what we’ve learned.
And I have seen that growth. More and more, I see Jesus’s patterning where Jesus had 12 close disciples, and then the 5,000 plus when he gives a sermon on the mount, and so forth. And it gets bigger and bigger. There are rings that exist. And I see that existing in our church. 52 weeks a year for one hour on a Sunday is not enough, if you want to grow a congregation that is financially viable, to maintain the structure, and the support of a pastor. Unfortunately, it’s equated to money in our day and time. And money comes from people that feel vested and a part of a community. And so, part of my job is not just creating Sunday morning worship. It is having Bible study. It is visiting the sick. It is being in the rehab facility. Our church has members – the official members that stand up on a Sunday and declare that they are part of us – but that is such a small portion of who our congregation is in the world. And I keep that keenly in my eye.
Jim Latimer
So, I love what you said around being personally vested as that circle broadens with the number of people that feel personally vested in your congregation. Some of them are members, and some are not. But they are vested because of the positive influence that the congregation has in their lives. And you’re always on the lookout for ways to invite, as you said – invite, invite, invite – people into that investment, a mutual give and take and blessing of each other.
Dawn Adams
And the willingness to end things that aren’t working. Because part of the creativity and excitement is experimentation. It is – and I call it a stance – that I take and we’ve been able to move leadership and the congregation into, is that I try to keep them comfortable enough that they’ll try something new. And that they know that if they try something new, then eventually they’re going to be back to something that they’re comfortable with. And that constant movement is helpful because whether they realize it or not, they actually are progressing forward.
I read in a book, I think it was called, The Secret Life of Trees, or something similar to that, that trees migrate. And I thought, well, that’s impossible. How does a tree migrate? And it explained over the course of 1000s of years – we don’t see it – but actually the edge of the forest moves. And that reminds me of a congregation and this push pull, push, pull, push pull, because eventually they do edge forward. But they have to be willing to try new and different things, not just for the sake of doing new and different things, but for the sake of their own spiritual growth, for the sake of opening themselves up to how God is moving in them individually, and in them corporately.
And that is a drumbeat that I hammer down on constantly. Faith is not just about me. Faith is about us. And faith isn’t just about us. It’s also about me. And how does that go back and forth. And the us is pretty radically wide. And that’s part of a whole other conversation that we’ve worked on: us is not just the people attending church on Sunday. Us is all these people you don’t know. And it’s hard. I mean, that’s one of the things that I’ve worked on as a minister, to help the small congregation know that there is a larger congregation that exists that may never ever sit their bottoms in a pew in our building. And that’s evermore true post COVID now that there’s digital. But that was true pre-COVID as well.
Jim Latimer
Well, Dawn, for the sake of this first episode here, because I sense another one coming, let’s wrap this particular one up. Couple things right here that I heard you say that have really worked well for you, and which points to your skill as a leader – as a pastor – is when you talked about the how the forest grows, right? It’s incremental. It’s barely visible. So, the congregation may not see its growth because it’s gradual. It’s not explosive growth that you’ve experienced. But clearly, you’ve experienced growth. And you as the leader, you point that out to them. You see it because you’re looking for it. And they may not see it, but being reminded, is really a morale builder, right? And you’re in a position to see it. And you name it. You call it out for them. Which is great.
And the second thing I wanted to say is how you keep reminding them about, What are we doing? This is about our faith in God, our spiritual lives, ours individually, ours collectively. That’s fundamentally what this is about. And let’s experiment and have fun with it, because this can be a joyful thing.
Dawn Adams
Absolutely. And I think you need something that’s really important. Trying to bring my memory back to the beginning, is that we did – and I mean, we, meaning leadership and myself – mindfully consider ways to have success. Because unfortunately, for this congregation, all they remembered was decline. All they could recall was the pews getting emptier and emptier. All they could remember was having to go from full-time ministry to part-time ministry, and then having their pastor of 13 years leave them. So, they were hurt. And so, trying to think in the beginning of how do we set up small, incremental successes, and how do we name them and celebrate them together, and then move to something bigger – letting them know we can do that, and God is in this place, and the Spirit is moving. And just that alone, has meant that we went from really small wins to literally in the middle of COVID, we just finished a capital campaign, and our church – our 150-year-old building – is in the middle of a major renovation, repainting. She’s getting her hair done, as it were.
And that’s powerful. Because unfortunately, sometimes the church, and I mean the wider church, can talk itself into death. We know that things are changing. We know that religion isn’t what it was, and that congregations aren’t what they were. And sometimes we talk so much about that we make it real. And I’m not sure that that’s what God or Jesus wants us to do. We have to be mindful. We have to be realistic. And change is okay. In fact, change is important. But / and, where is God moving? And what does God want us to do? And in each congregation, and in each location, that is a different answer that we have to be open to listening to, not perhaps setting the course just ourselves.
Jim Latimer
So, Dawn, let’s wrap this one up here, because you ended on the note that is really characteristic, it sounds like of you and your ministry there, which is tuning in, right? The practice of tuning into where is God leading us? Where’s God nudging us? And then experiment here and there, and little things, and recognize the successes when they come and celebrate. This has been really sweet, Dawn. Thank you so much for your time. And I look forward to another episode sometime soon.
Dawn Adams
Thank you.