Sociologist Joel Thiessen shares some great ideas from his recent research on how a church can tell and live its story for a dynamic future
→en français
Let’s begin with a true story. St. Eustace’s Church (pseudonym) was birthed in the mid- 20th century. Decades later it merged with another small church and hired a new minister with a strong vision for community outreach. Shortly after this merger vandals set fire to St. Eustace’s building.
They continued to meet in a school gym for years before they had the funds to construct a new building. Once the new facility was ready, the minister retired, and a new leader entered with a renewed vision for even stronger community outreach.
Today, St. Eustace’s is a medium-sized church whose building is teeming with activity each week. They host programs for church members, meals for those in the neighbourhood, and offer space for Alcoholics Anonymous and English as a second language groups.
Over 70 years after it was formed, St. Eustace’s is now known for its strengths in community engagement, spiritual development, authenticity and inclusivity. St. Eustace’s is a flourishing congregation where people’s spiritual, physical and relational needs are attended to.
Part of what sets St. Eustace’s apart is its “repertoires of resilience” – the aspirational stories and symbols its leaders and members develop and use to frame difficult periods in their past to shape future possibilities.
Part of what sets St. Eustace’s apart is its “repertoires of resilience.
One example is group members’ reflections on the merger, fire and leader transitions. Rather than pulling this community apart, these trying experiences drew members closer together. In fact, the period without a building was embraced not as a tragedy, but as an opportunity for St. Eustace’s to reimagine its future.
A stark reminder of St. Eustace’s resilience is the charred cross from the burned building that is now front and centre in weekly worship gatherings. Part of their narrative is they are open to change. This is core to their DNA as they embark on the yet-to-be-written story in the years to come.
The stories congregations tell
The particulars of St. Eustace’s experience may be unique to them, but there are many others like them across Canada who flourish in the face of transition and change. The newly released book The Stories Congregations Tell: Flourishing in the Face of Transition and Change (Wipf and Stock, 2024) charts St. Eustace’s story (gathered by my colleagues), along with six other congregations across theological traditions and Canadian regions.
Drawing on Canadian-based case study research – including interviews with leaders, participant observation activities at church services and midweek programs, content analysis of historical documents and websites, surveys, community demographics analysis and appreciative inquiry events – social scientists and practical theologians connected to the Flourishing Congregations Institute at Ambrose University have put together this book with Christian church and denominational leaders top of mind.
What stories do congregations tell when confronted with transition and change? And what can other churches learn in the process toward their own flourishing? Central themes to emerge from these case studies include:
- visionary leadership
- innovative and entrepreneurial initiatives
- clear congregational identity rooted in spiritual formation
- intentional systems and structures oriented toward a congregation’s mission and vision
- hospitable community among members and
- engaged laity who collectively own and participate in the congregation’s mission.
A church’s denomination, geographic location and demographic composition all interact in nuanced ways to inform what makes 'our' congregation 'us.'
Part of telling “our” story well as a congregation involves leaders and members possessing a clear and shared sense of what sets “us” apart – our distinct history, identity, culture, symbols, values and so forth – in ways that link the past, present and imagined future.
These narratives are also embedded in and shaped by a web of other stories, subcultures and relationships. For example, a church’s denomination, geographic location and demographic composition all interact in nuanced ways to inform what makes “our” congregation “us.”
Also significant is who controls and tells the story, and what storylines and details are included or excluded. The stories churches tell shape how they exist and function as living organisms. As we say near the end of the book, stories help “the congregation identify what is going on, why it is going on, what should be going on and how to respond to it.”
Of course, not all shared stories are helpful for flourishing. Some are problematic and dysfunctional. How does a church know if the self-narrative it tells is helpful toward a vibrant and life-giving ministry with and for others?
Part of the answer may be found in assessing the presence or absence of the themes above in a congregation. Are we hospitable? Do we take risks? Is our ministry grounded in spiritual formation? Do laity meaningfully participate in and own (in the best sense of the word) the church’s vision, mission and ministry?
Identifying and telling your story
Stories evolve. They take time to develop and even longer to pinpoint the central plot, twists and turns, and actors. You might find yourself in a church where you, your leaders or fellow congregants are unclear what “our” story has been, is or might yet be.
The following prompts are intended as starting steps for you and your church to collectively identify your church’s story.
- What sets “us” apart as a congregation?
- Describe the scene, plot, actors and props. Who are the heroes or villains?
- What are the high and low points?
- How does our church currently see itself, its surroundings and its future trajectory?
- How have these aspects of our church’s story evolved over time with changes along the way in context or personnel?
- What key traits, values, beliefs, artifacts, symbols, rituals, interactions and practices anchor our congregation, setting it apart from other churches in our tradition or down the street?
- Who frames these narratives and tells our church’s story?
A fascinating part of our team’s case study activities was a timeline event with church leaders and members. We placed a timeline on the wall and asked participants to document the major events, significant decisions or changes, and key achievements over the course of the congregation’s history. For each item posted on the timeline, we asked people to identify whether these events were positive, negative or neutral experiences.
Different perspectives arose based on how long or short individuals had been part of the congregation. It was incredible to stand back and watch as storylines crystallized for those present. The exercise was formative for churches to both identify their story and then consider how to tell it. An activity like this may be valuable in your setting, potentially facilitated by a trusted leader outside your church.
How then to tell your story? Returning to St. Eustace’s, they tell – they embody – the story of who they were, are and are becoming as a religious community in many ways through their artifacts, symbols, physical space, historical documents and narratives, rituals and language.
Who are the storytellers in your church who might help translate the storylines you’ve collectively documented, and embody them in meaningful ways for your congregation? This storytelling might occur through the language and images your church uses in its building, on its website, in its official communications, plus the habits, practices and rituals you take up as a group. You’ll know you’ve told your story well when those new and old to your community can similarly describe the central plot, actors and so forth that make “our” church “ours.”
You’ll know you’ve told your story well when those new and old to your community can similarly describe the central plot, actors and so forth that make 'our' church 'ours.'
Whatever story your congregation tells, the emerging story is yet to be written and lived. Flourishing congregations don’t just tell stories. They draw on those stories of their past and present to move into the future with an open posture toward what is yet to come.
Joel Thiessen (JoelThiessen.ca) is professor of sociology and director of the Flourishing Congregations Institute (FlourishingCongregations.org) at Ambrose University in Calgary. The Stories Congregations Tell: Flourishing in the Face of Transition and Change is available at WipfAndStock.com and Amazon.ca. Illustration by Olivia Amoah