Resurrection Community Church is located one block off the intersection of South Post Oak and Ridgecreek, about a mile or so west of Beltway 8. The community is largely a mix of Latino’s (41%) and African Americans (53%). The median income in their zip code is $40,000. It has been a small, struggling, congregation for a long time.
A little over a year ago, as the ELCA implemented a new policy of shifting away from paying the compensation package of redevelopment pastors, they lost the pastor who had been serving them for about 13 years. When Pastor Carlson and I worshipped with them (my first Sunday on this job in April, 2009), they had about 18 people in worship. Two men, besides us. A few children. They sang to music on tape. They were struggling.
A week later, we met with their leadership team and began learning more about the ministry. They didn’t use a constitution, had no elected leaders, had no formal leadership structure. They didn’t have any financial records apart from bank statements. Every check had been signed only by the pastor. They were 15 months behind in their lease payments to the Mission Investment Fund (MIF) for their building – and none of the lay leaders knew that.
My message to them was simple: “This is God’s church but your responsibility. Your future is largely up to you. You need to make some decisions about your future. The MIF is ready to foreclose on your building. If we can make a strong argument that you are going to turn a new corner, we can work with the MIF. What do you want to do?”
Their first decision was to affirm the leadership skills of Ms. Catherine Washington who was appointed their Synodically Authorized Lay Minister (SALM) by Bishop Rinehart. They decided to raise the rent a little on the Latino congregation that shared their space. And they decided to make double lease payments for the next 15 months to get back in the good graces of the MIF. We agreed that, if they could keep the ministry going, we would arrange for them to receive some coaching from a retired pastor who didn’t live that far from the church.
We reached out to Clyde Muske, a retired accountant from Zion Lutheran in Houston to come and work with them in setting up a new financial record-keeping system. He brought Alice Bongers with him. They helped Resurrection purchase Quickbooks and straighten up their financial practices.
When the summer arrived, the congregation decided to hold their annual summer camp for children which had always been the one thing they did best. They received some extra VBS supplies from Covenant in Houston. Lord of Life in The Woodlands helped with a financial gift, as they had done in previous years. The camp was a success.
By August they were ready to start working with Rev. Ray LeBlanc, a newly retired pastor from California who had moved back home to Houston. His role was strictly limited to leading worship twice a month and providing two evening coaching sessions each month. He was also a ready resource for Ms. Washington.
Over the course of the winter, good things started happening. Worship attendance grew to an average of 35-40. The leadership team revisited their constitution. They held elections for new leaders. They received new members. They started giving mission support to the synod again. They continued to pay double lease payments each month. A new couple joined the church who had belonged to Resurrection years ago. They helped start a new men’s group called “100 Men in Black” and a new women’s group called “Sisters Inspiring Sisters.” They created new kinds of accountabilities for their leaders with monthly meetings, monthly reports, and monthly community ministry activities.
By the beginning of the summer, the leaders felt confident that they could continue the ministry without the work of Rev. LeBlanc and Ms. Washington. They continued to develop their leadership planning and shared decision-making.
This summer they hosted a weekend camping trip for teenagers in the back yard of their church. They signed up with the school district as a site to provide daily meals for children in the community. They conducted another summer day camp.
In July they planned a Jobs Fair for local teenagers. One Saturday all prospective teens had to attend a Registration Day. Each young person was guided in preparing a resume. They each started a new Hotmail email address. They were trained in how to dress for a job interview and how to do their best in an interview. The following week, several local businesses, including WalMart and the Dollar Store, conducted onsite interviews during their job fair.
Today, without any outside financial support, the congregation’s finances are in the black. They continue to provide a measure of financial mission support to the synod. They are almost completely caught up in their lease payments. They have identified a new lay leader, Mrs. Janet Hill, to become their new SALM. Worship attendance is consistently between 40-50. About 35 men now attend their twice monthly Friday night meetings. I was with them for one of their Thursday night Bible studies this month – they had 23 people attending including 9 men and 6 teenagers. It was spirited, encouraging and cross-generational. It was a breath of fresh air.
And now they are asking about the key numbers that will allow them to add a couple of more classrooms to their building and get back into the call process to call the right new pastor.
Ministry isn’t easy anywhere. Congregations all over suffer from troubles in the neighborhood, a faltering economy, difficulty in attracting and retaining younger members and the age-old struggle against “we’ve never done it that way before.” BUT, when the key leaders of a congregation are willing to take personal responsibility for the health and well-being of their church, when they root their work in the spiritual disciplines of prayer, Bible study and community building, when they reach out into the world around themselves in helpful ways, resurrection can happen in every congregation.
Right now, it looks to me like resurrection is happening at Resurrection!
