Round Hill Community Church Board of Trustees Meeting
July 27, 2023

Guest: Dr. Scott Thumma, Professor of Sociology of Religion and Director of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research at Hartford International University.

 Welcome and prayer: Nancy opened the meeting and welcomed Scott Thumma. Shannon offered an opening prayer.

Discussion: Scott opened by explaining that he has been looking at non-denominational churches around the country pre- and post- pandemic using surveys that reach up to 15,000 congregations from all faith backgrounds. They are finding that every time they do a new survey (every five years or so) things look different.

In particular, Scott is looking at how churches should resonate with any new person who walks into a church. It seems that most interested persons need “attractions” and hospitality. Research shows that churches should identify how they  “stand out” and be clear about their aims and objectives. In particular:

·       Word of mouth – people who already attend need to be excited about what’s going on. 

·       Identifying “the buzz” that will make people want to talk about positive activities at the church.

·       The need for a wider reach than just the website.

Be aware:

  • Volunteering dropped off for all churches during the pandemic and has not recovered to pre-Covid levels.

  • Attendance has dropped off by 9% compared to pre-Covid levels.

  • In 2000, the median attendance in worship was 137. Now it is 65.

  • Most of the people in our country who worship in person are in the largest churches.

  • Finally, 70% of all churches have 14% of people attending.

Returning to the question of church growth:

In order to initiate growth and member engagement, churches need to offer information, programs and activities that reach people whether they attend services in person, online, or not at all.

  • Amplify the things they are doing with publicity to raise the community’s level of awareness of the church’s vitality.

  • Try to have a more interactive virtual service to engage the online community.

  • Know and follow the passions which makes living one’s faith easier and is easier to talk to people about.

  • Experiment with special services, plan what’s coming up months ahead so it can be publicized. 

  • Consider using more visual aids in the service (screens).

Finally, RHCC is not alone in facing these challenges to growth. Asking these questions and working to discover what works for this congregation is a positive step forward.

Adjourn: Nancy thanked Scott for his advice and for sharing his research.