The end of the church year is coming up, and we’re all getting ready for summer, when things slow down. But I wish our liberal churches never slowed down, and I also I predict that within a few years, the most successful Unitarian Universalist churches will no longer take a break in summer.
In fact, I believe worship attendance patterns are already changing, and we ignore this change at our peril. This past weekend was Memorial Day weekend. On Memorial Day weekend last year less than a hundred people showed up, so even though this year we’ve been averaging well over 200 men, women, and children at church each weekend, we expected a light turnout for Memorial Day.
Our expectations were wrong. In spite of the beautiful sunny weather, we totaled over 160 people at worship, including the usual half a dozen newcomers visiting us for the first time. Fortunately, even though we didn’t expect that many people, we were prepared just in case that many people did show up. The senior minister was preaching, and we had a full church school program ready. I’ll bet this church may pick up two or three of the newcomers who visited this weekend, just because we were prepared.
It’s also clear that it’s especially important to have regular worship services, with your regular ministers(s), beginning in mid-August. Why? Because that’s when newcomers are most likely to check out your church, and they need to see what your worship services and church school will be like the rest of the year. If there’s no place for children to go (except child care), and if the worship service features well-meaning but inexperienced worship leaders, the huge number of newcomers that comes in August will never return. In fact, there is no longer a “slow time” — churches have to be at their best all year round.
I now believe that one of the forces that’s holding back liberal religion is our habit of closing down in the summer time. Not to be too cynical, but if church is so unimportant that you don’t need it in the summer or on holidays, why bother coming the rest of the year?
I want to be a part of a congregation that believes every week of the year is important. (And even if I can’t make it to worship, I’m not so selfish as to think that church schould shut down, just because I’m not there!)
What about you?
Comments transferred from old blog
Personally, I need the summer off, introvert that I am. It’s a time off from teaching, from a good deal of program planning, and even from shaking hands (said I was an introvert).
But I think you may be right about the summer shrinking. Seems like I have two or three meetings this Sunday. Summer can’t start until after that! ;-)
I’ll have to watch our numbers in mid-August. My hunch is you’re dead right. We don’t want to lose those people just out of our lazy summer habits. Best to be prepared.
Comment from chutneyirony – 6/1/05 9:54 AM
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Here, here! At All Souls NYC we’ve been expanding our summer programming. As different groups have successful events during the summer and we begin to realize that not all New Yorkers have summer houses in the Hamptons, I’m hoping that our Sunday mornings will eventually be as robust (or nearly so) as the rest of the year.
I’m proud to note that our young adults group (of which I am now chair) was one of the first groups to keep meeting all summer long.
By the way, did you used to be at First Parish in Lexington? (That’s where I grew up, but if you’re who I think you are, I was in college by the time you were there. However, you may remember my mom, Mary Green.)
Comment from alisongreenwill – 6/1/05 4:48 PM
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I was surprised last year when my UU Church in STL announced its ‘summer session.’ I grew up Presbyterian and we never would have thought to take time off or scale back during the summer–heck, that’s when things ramp up! VBS and youth group live for the summers!
Of course, worship feels less compulsory to me now–I’ve missed for about a month, due to various reasons, and I don’t feel the nagging guilt that I did as a Christian, rather a sense of loss.
Comment from quetzalphoenix – 6/1/05 7:28 PM
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**Chutneyirony, you’re right that introverts need time off. But maybe we can get the introverts to stagger their times off or something, so we can still go all year long.
**Alison, good to hear from you! (I tried to send you email, but stupid AOL got all cranky when I tried — I still miss your mom.) And I’m not surprised to hear that your young adult group was the first to go all summer long — there does seem to be a generational trend here.
**Quetzalphoenix, you’re absolutely right about VBS and summer youth group activities. I just wish more UU’s would wake up to the possibilities of things like outdoors ministries, and summer programs, and all the rest.
Comment from danlharp – 6/2/05 12:04 AM