Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - June/97

Contributor - Case Koolhaas

Title - Case In Point

Topic - Church Growth

Note:

Emmanuel Reformed Church in Whitby, Ontario, is currently engaged in a process of Strategic Planning in order to make some important course adjustments for the 21st century. In response to their requests for input, Pastor Case Koolhaas wrote the following letter to their pastor Ron Cassie and the Emmanuel congregation. The wider Reformed Church in Canada will find it an instructive 'Case In Point' regarding . . . Becoming A Community Church.

Jim Moerman (Executive Secretary for the Regional Synod of Canada, RCA)

Dear Pastor Ron and Friends at Emmanuel:

Emmaus Christian Fellowship of Langley, B.C. was a new church plant back in 1985 and never was an ethnic church, although, we do have some Dutch people in our congregation. So we never had to make a change. The few Dutch people we have (including myself) have all made a commitment to never speak in Dutch (in public) or make ethnic references at church functions. As a church, we are very emphatic about that.

You asked about changing from an ethnic church. To do that you would have to eliminate all Dutch-speaking and ethnic reminders (such as singing favorite Dutch Christmas hymns, speaking Dutch after the service or during congregational events, etc.) Frankly, I think this is impossible and unfair to the older generation.

Realistically speaking, the members of our younger generation are going to become Canadians, and simply because they are young, they will look for a more contemporary style of worship. So you are really dealing with two problems.

The key to a smooth transition is for the members of the older generation to become so committed to the importance of reaching out to the community for Jesus Christ that they are willing to give up ANYTHING that would be a stumbling block to reaching people with the Gospel. That really is the starting point. This may move some people out of their comfort zones-but in the long run, that's what our commission as a church is all about. Paul said he 'became all things to all people so that by all means he might win some."

We cannot avoid the reality that worship/style of worship/ music is the "battleground" in which this conflict is usually dealt with in most churches. Becoming "contemporary" in our style of worship is not necessarily an ethnic issue. Becoming a "community church" is really a matter of becoming a church in which people in the community can easily feel at home when they visit. Often, the traditional hymns and music force people to conform to a style that is not "natural" for them. Many of the words in our hymns are archaic, and some of the concepts require considerable knowledge of scripture. I personally love the old hymns, and we sing at least a couple of them every Sunday, but the bulk of our music is contemporary-or scripture put to music.

I try to lead worship in such a way that a new-comer will feel right at home. In the bulletin, I don't use the traditional Latin phrases like benediction, invocation, etc. We also find that including young people in our worship band and worship team gives them ownership in what's happening on Sunday morning. It becomes their service and not just mine as the pastor.

Theologically, as a community church you will get people from many different Christian backgrounds (i.e. Baptist, Pentecostal, Catholic, etc.). it is important to focus on the essential points of the Gospel and acknowledge acceptance of those who come with different views on the "non-essentials." You can still be a Reformed Church, but do not beat people over the head with it or run down their denominational backgrounds.

Along with this, community people need to be allowed to function in leadership roles, such as consistory, Sunday School teaching, etc. By involving them in these roles, the church will benefit from their input on things that need to be changed. To do that, you will have to devise a way of allowing these new-comers to be elected, because most likely they will not be well-known.

Another helpful exercise is to have members of the congregation/leadership visit churches from other denominations and see what it feels like to be a stranger. Talking to new people in your congregation about how they felt and what attracted them can also be very helpful.

The bottom line is this: How badly do you want to win people for Christ.

Changing the focus from self preservation to outreach is critical to gaining the motivation for any changes. A church focused on self-preservation will eventually die out, because God won't bless it. Lyle Schaller's book "Hey, That's Our Church!" gives ample illustration of how this process works. I found it very helpful in understanding what was happening in pastoring a church going through transition.

In your situation, I believe you have four options:

1. You can continue the way you are and continue to have difficulty attracting Canadian families, and you will most likely lose the interest of a lot of young people. I say that from my experience in Ontario.

2. You can make a radical transition and lose a significant portion of your key members, because they will not like the change.

3. You can go to two worship services: one traditional and the other more contemporary. You may have a number of people unhappy because the traditional service attendance goes down. But your young people will most likely appreciate the opportunity to change the style of worship. It will probably be difficult at first getting enough people to get it going. In the long run, I think it's a good way of going.

4. You can also gradually work to re-educate the congregation to change their focus from self-preservation to doing whatever it takes to reach out to people in the community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This takes some time and a lot of prayer, some teaching, and preaching on your part. The reality is that some people will be unhappy in the process.

This is a brief sketch of my experience and thinking on the subject. If you have specific questions, I would be glad to talk to you on the phone.

Joyfully in Jesus

Case Koolhaas

Please click the "Back" button of your browser to return to previous page.