People Talk, Lutherans Listen: The Church We Are Called to Be

By Kenneth InskeepELCA Churchwide Staff in the Department of Research & EvaluationSynod Assembly May 2013

South-Central Synod of WisconsinEvangelical Lutheran Church in AmericaGod’s work. Our hands.

Worship Attendance in Selected Synods from 2005 to 2011

Source: Annual Congregational Reports, ELCA. Prepared by Research and Evaluation, ELCA, 2013.

5

Self-Identification of United States Adult Population by Religious Group in 1990 and 2008

Source: Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar, American Religious Identification Survey, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, March, 2009.Prepared by Research and Evaluation, ELCA.

20 million

0 5,000,000 10,000,000 15,000,000 20,000,000 25,000,000 30,000,000 35,000,000

Methodist

Lutheran

Presbyterian

Episcopalian

United Church of Christ

Christian (generic)

Non-Denominational Christian

Protestant Unspecified

Evangelical/Born Again

Pentecostal Unspecified

Assemblies of God

Church of God

Churches of Christ

Jehovah’s Witness

Seventh Day Adventist

Mormon/Latter-day Saints

Jewish

Buddhist

Muslim

Other Religions

Nones/No Religion

Don't Know/Refused

2008

1990

20 million

Percent of the Population in the Territory of the Synod Claimed by these Religious Groups in 2000 and 2010

Source: Association of Religious Statisticians, 2010. Prepared by Research and Evaluation, ELCA, 2013.

Percent of the Population in the Territory of the Synod Claimed by the ELCA in 2010 (with unclaimed comparison)

Source: Annual Congregational Reports, ELCA. Prepared by Research and Evaluation, ELCA, 2013.

Number of Pupils Reported by Congregations for Sunday and Vacation Bible School

Source: Annual Congregational Reports, ELCA. Prepared by Research and Evaluation, ELCA, 2013.

U. S. Congregational

Life SurveyThe next few slides are taken from the U.S. Congregational Life Survey. The project is an interdenominational project which included ELCA congregations. Very similar questions were asked in of worship attendees in 2000 and 2008 on a questionnaire distributed at a worship service.

In 2000, 420 congregations participated with 43,463 worship attendees completed a questionnaire.

In 2008, 369 congregations participated with 29,976 worship attendees completed a questionnaire.(A new Congregational Life Panel is planned for 2014-2015.)

How long have you been going to worship services or activities at this congregation?

Source: U.S. Congregational Life Surveys, 2001 and 2008, ELCA. Prepared by Research and Evaluation, ELCA, 2010.

Are you regularly involved in any group activities here?

Source: Congregational Life Surveys, 2001 and 2008, ELCA. Prepared by Research and Evaluation, ELCA, 2010

Percent responding “yes”.

Over the last year, how much have you grown in your faith?

Source: U.S. Congregational Life Surveys, 2001 and 2008, ELCA. Prepared by Research and Evaluation, ELCA, 2010.

My spiritual needs are being met in this congregation.

Source: U.S. Congregational Life Surveys, 2001 and 2008, ELCA. Prepared by Research and Evaluation, ELCA, 2010.

Congregational VitalityBuilding and strengthening relationships between members (participants) and God (worship, spiritual growth and faith practices)

Building and strengthening relationships (internal) among members (caring and supportive)

Building and strengthening relationships between members and the community (external) (evangelism, social justice, local and global community service).Research and Evaluation, ELCA, 2012.

Congregational VitalityThe factors that influence a congregation's missional vitality are well known.

Congregations with missional vitality have a widely shared commitment to reaching out into the community and a willingness to change as a means of reaching out.

These characteristics are the product of strong adult faith formation programs that stress faith practices and spiritual growth.

Research and Evaluation, ELCA, 2012.

Characteristics of The UnaffiliatedReligious people are hypocritical, judgmental

and insincere.

Religions are partly true, but none are completely true.

Religious organizations are too focused on rules, not spirituality.

Religious leaders want money and power.

Religious people are anti-science.Research and Evaluation, ELCA, 2012.

Change: Identity vs. Costs/Benefit

1. What does listening to scripture tell us about ourselves and about God?2. What do our traditions tell us about ourselves and God?3. What does listening to our neighbors and our communities tell us about ourselves?4. What is God calling us as a congregation to be and to do in this place as we participate in God's mission?

Research and Evaluation, ELCA, 2012.

The Church WeWant to BeWe want to be a church that belongs to Christ with a place for everyone. We want to be a church whose unity is in Jesus, who gathers us around word and water, wine and bread. We want to be a church that believes Jesus is God’s “yes” to us and that our lives can be a “yes” to others.We want to be a church that believes God is calling us into the world--together (a church that rolls up its sleeves and gets to work (restoring and reconciling communities).Mission Advancement, ELCA, 2012.

The Church We Want to BeWe want to be a church that is a catalyst, convener and bridge builder.We want to be a church that is energized by lively engagement in our faith and life (continually striving for a deeper understanding of what the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ means for the world.)We want to be a church that is deeply rooted and always being made new.

Mission Advancement, ELCA, 2012.