INREACH
Continuity:
- Sending cards (birthdays, anniversaries, get well)
- Visiting Hospital and Nursing Homes
- Encouraging/Inviting parishioners to attend major St. Luke’s events
- Including new members—to feel more ‘at home’ and involved (continuing 8:30 “Coffee Break” a few times annually, for example)

Change:
- Gatherings to welcome new members
- Recruiting phone callers, visitors, drivers (to church)
- Brightening homebound/hospitalized persons with delivery of altar flowers

Balance. All of our ministry committees mention that though our many parish program offerings are a boon to our life, we need be careful about “balance.” In addition to our worship schedule and outreach and education events, our calendar becomes full when adding fellowship and special events—sometimes too full. We must be careful not to overload the calendar. Furthermore, we cannot put parishioners in the position of having to choose between events/meetings or “tuning out” because we are publicizing too much at once. In all of this, we need remember the primacy of our worship life together.

Cultural and Religious Community

Saint Luke’s 10-year congregational plan has been an experience of growth in programs, participation and stewardship. But as we know, even our growth in pledging and cutbacks in budgeting are not seeing us clear. We have been strong, but have been maintaining the “as is;” and, at present, have difficulty even in maintaining our present program and level of parish life.

Noticeable in 2009 has been the decline in numbers of people in attendance at 10:30 worship. Partly, this is due to newer members tending to be at 8:30 liturgy. However, new comers into the area have slowed.

Our 155 communicants come from approximately 100 households. Research shows, however, that it takes approximately 200 households to have a healthy budget.

The Surrounding Community: 11375 Forest Hills
- 71,400 residents
- 1990s saw substantial population growth
- Since 2000: little to no change, expecting no change through 2013.
- Queens is center of cultural and ethnic diversity in USA. However, Forest Hills is not characterized by that diversity. 11375zip is in line with national averages, except for having higher concentration of Asian residents (25%) and lower African American (2%). Being 60% Anglo and 11% Hispanic is consistent with national averages.
- Almost 75% of population is between 27 and 47 yrs old—meaning “young professionals…highly educated…new starters” for whom Forest Hills is a transitional location.
- This also helps to explain why only 6% of the population is age 6 or under.
- 76% of the area population is not Christian.
The more upbeat news in these statistics is that of the 24% of the residents who are open to Christianity,
- the clear majorities gravitate to mainline churches that offer traditional music, have traditional architecture, yet worship using contemporary forms. This sounds like Saint Luke’s… including the fact that
- at least twice as many people prefer food and fellowship programming to spirituality events.

The Episcopal Church and other Denominations

Saint Luke’s, the Episcopal Church and other Denominations Nationwide
- Median size of Episcopal, mainline Protestant and Roman Catholic congregations has significantly decreased
- The average Episcopal parish has an active membership of 168 people, with an average of 69 attending worshipping each Sunday (2007 data)
- The active membership of Saint Luke’s is 155 people, with an average Sunday attendance of 88 worshippers (2008 data). That’s better than the national average Sunday, and better than the mainline Protestant Sunday attendance of 75.
- Nationally, the Protestant population has declined
- Furthermore, 1 in 5 Americans claim no religious affiliation at all.

Overall, those who might be seeking a church care more about connecting with God than about finding a “brand name” church. People are experiencing fluidity and flexibility in their cultural and social lives. Diversity and tolerance are points of view that have changed the point of view about religion. No one denomination is being regarded as the “right” or “true” church, or even the socially advantageous church to belong to. People are open to multiple approaches to life, as well as exposed to multiple portals, such as in/through the internet. All of this sticks with people and carries over into religion.

People no longer recognize, look for or value denominational labels, structures or traditions. Yet, people do want connection with God and with the people of God:
They desire Faith Relationship and Community.

Churches that are clear about their mission/purpose and ministries/ways of expressing are more likely to be the congregations that grow.

Faith Relationship and Community, clarity of Mission and Ministry of the People are strengths of Saint Luke’s, and can be potentially even stronger.

In light of all this, the way in which the wider church is experimenting in response, so as not to compromise mission and ministry but to grow in love and service is
#1> not holding on to the “as is”
not being more devoted to our institutional forms than to the Gospel.

Thus, while the people of Saint Luke’s make every effort to answer God’s call and to do so through our current parish model (one congregation, one full-time ordained priest), we need consider the various possibilities for change, so as to be proactive rather than reactive.

Ministry Models

A Consideration of Ministry Models

Models employed since the 1970s:

- Yoked Parishes (1 priest-in-charge, 2 congregations with separate facilities, buildings, vestries or Bishop’s Committees, and a commitment to Ministry of All the Baptized to help round out what 1 priest serving two congregations cannot manage)

- Cluster or Team Ministry (2,3, or more congregations served by a clergy team of 2 or 3 ordained persons, with the Ministry of the Baptized playing a large role in parish mission)

- Part-time Priest (1 priest serving a single parish but on a less than full-time basis. The Ministry of All Baptized plays a large role)

Each of these three models has certain benefits as well as down-sides when considered as an alternative to the traditional 1-priest/1-congregation fulltime model. Experience over the past 35 years, though, has shown that in most cases, any of these models serve transitional purposes rather than bringing resolution to the reasons for the model shift in the first place. At the same time, it must be said that these models each have had their long-running examples of success too.

Developing Models in the 21st Century:

- Emerging Church – This is not yet so much a model as it is a movement by people who are eschewing traditional forms, including the holding of church buildings, and choosing to reorganize as postmodern Christian communities beyond denominational labels and the tensions of conservative/liberal. They often meet in ‘house churches’ or rented spaces. Interesting elements can be seen in this movement. However, it does not yet show itself to have a form upon which any new model might be fashioned.

- Cooperative Venture/Planting a New Church – Two or three congregations, who singly have demographics against them, gather their individual qualities and creatively pool resources together, planting a start-up/new community in a “good…right” location. This takes cooperative visioning among the separate congregations, with the commitment to coming together being seen as an evolutionary process that builds towards the establishment of the new community while shepherding the remnants of the original groups.

Concluding Section
Transitioning to any of the alternative models takes time—time to explore as to feasibility, and time to plan and implement. It will be at least a 2, more likely a 3-year process.

Even discerning whether Saint Luke’s can continue with the current “traditional model” will take that kind of time to find out. :

Commitments We Need to Make Now

Continuity:
- The Primacy of our Worship Life
- Our Faith Relationship with God in Christ
- Our Community Life Together
- Our Good Stewardship of our Baptismal Ministries in Mission

Change:
- Parish Commitment to Discern the Fitting Model to begin Saint Luke’s Second Century
- New and Renewed Connections
* Our presence and participation in Ecumenical and Interfaith
worship and joint ministry projects
* The same visible activity with Episcopal congregations in
Queens

This commitment will call for boldness, innovation and risk-taking
Creator Redeemer Sanctifier
Father Son Holy Spirit

No matter how much Change is going on, the Continuity in and through the change is God.

God is here and is not going away.
We have a creative challenge as Saint Luke’s Church to pray, work and give of ourselves, so that the Gospel Proclamation is vital and compelling in this part of God’s Creation.

For all this is why we hear Christ on Pentecost saying,
“Peace be with you…Receive the Holy Spirit.”
We reply, “We will, with God’s help.” Amen,

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