3. PHPC’s community context Gradual shift from middle-class to working class residents Neighborhood elementary school has increasing numbers of children at risk On major artery from downtown to suburbs
4. PHPC from 1989-2000 Well-loved pastor, Hal Johnson Worship attendance increased from 90 to 160 Added office and classroom space to building Comfortable financial growth
5. BUT No changes in staff design No changes in expectations of pastor or of session No changes in circle of lay leadership No changes in congregational identity
6. 2000-2001 Interim Time No apparent changes in expectations of pastor or of session circle of lay leadership understanding of identity assumptions about future
7.
8. PHPC 2002-2006 Call to Ryan Edwards What they didn’t know they needed to negotiate with each other Increasing anger and mutual disillusionment Leading to loss of members and financial difficulties
9. Conflict between Pastor Ryan Martin and long-term lay leaders Loss of newer members Financial shortfall PHPC by 2005
10. In crisis: 2005 Decreasing worship attendance, membership Diminishing energy for mission Exhausted, angry, or uninformed members Exhausted angry disillusioned leaders Exhausted angry disillusioned pastor
11. In groups of 2 or 3 discuss(15 minutes) What’s going on at Pleasant Hills? What would you recommend to the session and the pastor if you were on the COM?
12. The rest of the story (SO FAR) Ryan Edwards took another call Two-year skilled interim pastor New pastor is a good fit Restoration of congregation’s self-confidence Renewal of mission commitments
13. Congregational identity Had been a pastoral size congregation… ”returned to their comfort zone” Strong lay leaders, significant commitment to mission, excellence in worship, nurture of relationships in congregation
Pastoral size congregation in inner-ring suburb of a medium-size cityNow flourishing (good fit with pastor, good lay leaders, active mission and service activities…trips to Gulf Coast post-Katrina, tutoring, class for dev. Disabled young adults; outreach to students from nearby university; sustainability)
Hal Johnson very capable and hardworking…70 hour weeks
Pastor worked 70-hour weeks; session and entire congregation were dependent on himSession deferred to his initiative, looked to him for guidance, vision, pastoral care…Although new members joined, attracted by Hal, there were no signficant changes in the circle of lay leadersCongregation continued to think of itself as a small congregation in which everyone should know everyone else
Ryan Edwards a capable pastor who arrived with expectations that this would become a multiple staff congregation quicklyBoth he and the congregation were excited about the future, but they didn’t know what they didn’t know about each other and were therefore not able to negotiate with each other. It was an honest, but ultimately destructive clash of expectations.Neihter he nor session understood the need to negotiate expecatations and be clear about assumptions
The clash of expectations was in full bloom; the back door trickly of newer member grew to a flood; financial difficulties made paying the mortgage difficult and required constant attention to cash flow and occasional “borrowing” from the Endowment to meet monthly expenses
sessionTill midnight“Too many empty pews”
NOTE: many ways to address the issues…no magic bulletsInterim who helped the congregation regain their sense of themselves as beloved children of God and capable disciples
The key here and in many congregationsDefine pastoral size
