tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877063.post115116981772179453..comments2023-10-27T02:21:24.958-05:00Comments on Liberal Faith Development: Welcoming Congregation Failure -- Looking Back After One YearSteve Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12333184436301854794noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877063.post-1151415543147841052006-06-27T08:39:00.000-05:002006-06-27T08:39:00.000-05:00Bill and Paul ... I suspect the problem with my co...Bill and Paul ... I suspect the problem with my congregation when compared to our nearest "Bible-Belt" neighbors is that our Longview UU neighbors do a better job at "radical hospitality."<BR/><BR/>Welcoming Congregation isn't the "holy grail" of radical hospitality, but I do think the differences between the two congregations in their reaction to the Welcoming Congregation program is instructive.<BR/><BR/>I think the contrast between these two congregations shows that one congregation understand hospitality better than the other.<BR/><BR/>Finally ... if we truly understand radical hospitality, we're not doing it for "marketing" reasons. The only reason I mentioned marketing aspects is that many of the objections over Welcoming Congregation in my congregation were "marketing" objections (e.g. we will have a harder time with growth if we scare off 80% of the community who isn't gay-friendly). The 80% percent number came from the voting results on our state's same-sex marriage constitutional amendment.<BR/><BR/>The importance of this hospitality cannot be underestimated. The Sunday worship service at the 2006 GA talks about it:<BR/><BR/>"We Who Believe In Freedom Cannot Rest" by Rev. Gail R. Geisenhainer<BR/>http://www.uua.org/ga/ga06/5002b.htmlSteve Caldwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12333184436301854794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877063.post-1151324068173474432006-06-26T07:14:00.000-05:002006-06-26T07:14:00.000-05:00Paul,re: the post toasties.I visit our mega church...Paul,<BR/><BR/>re: the post toasties.<BR/><BR/>I visit our mega church and they do exactly that kind of market segmentation within the church. There are a host of special groups targated to phases of life or particular problems e.g. singles, couples, men, woman, widows/widowers, addicted, etc... it's mind boggling to see it all.Bill Baarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07095486926836836714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877063.post-1151323878701147452006-06-26T07:11:00.000-05:002006-06-26T07:11:00.000-05:00Beacon UU in Oak Park wanted to be the Gay Church....Beacon UU in Oak Park wanted to be the Gay Church. That's ok. Unity Temple didn't call itself the straight church, nor did Third Unitiarian in Chicago, but both had defined and different kinds of memberships and histories.<BR/><BR/>Get to know the UU Churches in metro Chicago and each of them is very different. I think Rockford just split into two different Churches for one reason or another.<BR/><BR/>That's ok as long as people are willing to tow the financial burdens.<BR/><BR/>I do think most UU congregations prefer being small. You really need to fit their profiles to join and sexual orientation is usually a small part of the overall profile you need to fit to find yourself comfortable at the particular Church.Bill Baarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07095486926836836714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877063.post-1151322358878615222006-06-26T06:45:00.000-05:002006-06-26T06:45:00.000-05:00Assuming your argument is a valid one, it's unfort...Assuming your argument is a valid one, it's unfortunate that we're unable to attract new members by means other than appealing to specific minorities. If we don't have any intrinsic appeal, we're in a sorry state.<BR/><BR/>Should each of our churches choose a certain group to which we're particularly accepting? Perhaps those who eat Post Toasties?Paul Wilczynskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14345851400121369359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877063.post-1151296628890704612006-06-25T23:37:00.000-05:002006-06-25T23:37:00.000-05:00Paul ... I just know one Bible-Belt UU congregatio...Paul ... I just know one Bible-Belt UU congregation embraced the radical hospitality behind the Welcoming Congregation just 70 miles from my home. They're growing 10-15% a year.<BR/><BR/>The congregation in my community dropped the Welcoming Congregation, the radical hospitality inherent in it, and we've been either shrinking or staying at the same size over the past few years.<BR/><BR/>To me, this suggests a workable strategy for growth in Bible-Belt towns. Offer something distinctively different (lifespan sexuality education, being BGLT-welcoming), advertise it aggressively, and provide hospitality when the folks you attract decide to visit.<BR/><BR/>My congregation (in my opinion) is staying with a "Mainline Protestant Lite" approach of "don't look too different from other Shreveport churches." It's no surprise to me that our growth is stagnant in Shreveport.Steve Caldwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12333184436301854794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877063.post-1151279342163867412006-06-25T18:49:00.000-05:002006-06-25T18:49:00.000-05:00Steve,You said "Folks, it's pretty disingenuous to...Steve,<BR/><BR/>You said "Folks, it's pretty disingenuous to say that we're not homophobic and we don't have a problem with gays, but we don't want to be known as the "gay church" in Shreveport."<BR/><BR/>I don't think it's disingenuous at all. Would you like your church to be known as the straight church? The white church? The black church? The wealthy church? The poor church?<BR/><BR/>People legitimately don't want their church to be labeled as "belonging" to one specific group.Paul Wilczynskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14345851400121369359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877063.post-1151263643824316282006-06-25T14:27:00.000-05:002006-06-25T14:27:00.000-05:00Bill ... you are correct there is more to being a ...Bill ... you are correct there is more to being a welcoming congregation than internal reflection and analysis of homophobia and heterosexism.<BR/><BR/>However, a refusal to do this work because it makes folks "uncomfortable" is a good way to drive off membership too. We have lost members during our retreat from the Welcoming Congregation program. <BR/><BR/>Our nearest UU neighbors (Longview Texas -- a "Bible-Belt" community like Shreveport) have experienced 10-15% growth during the time that we've shrunk. Some differences between the Longview and Shreveport congregations:<BR/><BR/>(1) Longview offered the Our Whole Lives for Adults sexuality education program. When they offered this program, they advertised in the local paper. A church that speaks honestly about sex is a rare thing in the Bible Belt and it's one way to attract members. Shreveport offers OWL for middle schoolers only but doesn't advertise it outside the church in the media.<BR/><BR/>(2) Longview advertised the Welcoming Congregation program heavily before they completed it. Again, a church that speaks honestly on bi, gay, lesbian, and transgender issues is very unique in the Bible Belt. The Shreveport church received some press coverage about the Welcoming Congregation program in the local paper. This press coverage led some members to complain about "negative publicity." I find it funny that press coverage than nearly any other UU congregation would love to have was viewed as "negative" by members of our congregation.<BR/><BR/>(3) I suspect that the 3rd difference between our two congregations comes down to differences in overall hospitality.<BR/><BR/>(4) The fourth and final difference isn't traditional liturgy and a choir. The Longview UU congregation is a lay-led fellowship that is strongly Humanist. They encourage intellectual inquiry by having "talk-back" after each service (even though most UU ministers and growth experts say this hurts growth). The lack of clergy and the encouragement of every person to follow a personal spiritual path again makes them different from the surrounding churches. Having taught the Adult OWL program in their congregation, I suspect that liturgy would hurt their growth.Steve Caldwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12333184436301854794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877063.post-1151252906144780882006-06-25T11:28:00.000-05:002006-06-25T11:28:00.000-05:00I lived in a community with the largest gay popula...I lived in a community with the largest gay population in the state of Illinois during the 1980s. We had three UU Churches then. One, third UU was just accross the street in Chicago.<BR/><BR/>I think there were more gays in conservative protestant and catholic churches then UUs in total.<BR/><BR/>There is a good deal more to being welcoming then this analysis of homophobia... I had way to many gay friends in Churches with a doctrine UUs would say was unfriendly to Gays and yet those churches is were they wanted to call their homes.<BR/><BR/>If you feel a need to market your church to them, you really need to examine what you offer. A more traditional lituregal offering and good choir were big pluses...<BR/><BR/>...also, this was in the 80's at a time when AIDs was really cutting throught the community. Somehow, I think a message of doubt was not all that comforting to a community facing existential reality unknow to non gays, and quite a surprize to them given the 70s we were coming out of.... it was very somber time and litergual traditions offered a lot of comfort I think.<BR/><BR/>One of the UU Chruches at the time was a so called "Gay Church" too, and while I think ours probably had just as many Gays, they were differences largely because some Gays wanted a strictly Gay Church... they later merged with Unity for Financial reasons I think... but there is nothing wrong with a strictly Gay Church either... it serves a purpose.Bill Baarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07095486926836836714noreply@blogger.com