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Rhode Island Church Quadruples in Five Years
EAST GREENWICH, RI (February 21, 2004) - There are all sorts of books and
experts telling people how they can grow the biggest church around and
Lyle Mook, pastor at Christ Church heard at least some of them.
He'll also experience church growth first hand - his congregation
quadrupled in size in the last five years, and now numbers around 800.
Does this make himself a church growth expert? "No," Mook says. "We're
still learning about all of this."
The story of Christ Church (which joined the Covenant in 1998) is worth
telling and not just because of the numbers. It didn't grow because of
some "master plan." Mook said that's the whole point - God's spirit has
moved among his congregation and he's just happy to be along for the
ride. The church that was meeting in a Masonic lodge six years ago is
now in its own building, a facility that is busting at the seams with
three Sunday morning worship services and many other weekly activities.
"We had a vision to be a new kind of community that had a clear
evangelical identity" said Mook in describing what he thinks might be
attracting newcomers. "And I think the distinctives of the Covenant
blended into the vision and became part of our DNA. That sense of
friendliness and openness was part of it and there was a hunger for
teaching. There are a lot of unhealthy churches. But even though we were
in sort of a (depressing) building, we were an "alive" congregation. The
sense of community is tangible. And the worship is tremendous."
At first, Christ Church was a conglomeration of about 80 people meeting
in a Masonic Hall. Most came from an independent church and some people
from a Covenant congregation that closed. Mook said that a move to a
church building in 2000 drew newcomers, which may have something to do
with attendance increase from 172 to 349 in 2000. The church's
attendance reached 647 by 2002.
Mook says that the new building is only one part of the story. A growing
social service structure, led by Mary Patera, director of Family Life
Ministries, has been a prime catalyst in providing practical ministry to
parishioners.
Patera has helped organize ministries dealing with children's divorce
care, bereavement, single parenting, and addiction recovery, along with
assisting a divorce care program already in place. She's also helped
with adult Bible studies. For Mook, who had once worked as a director
for a hospice care organization, the idea of social services at a church
was a natural.
"We saw the area of family ministries as a huge priority," Mook said.
"But it's one thing for people to say that this (Christ Church) is a
safe and healthy place to grow. It's another thing to be able to deliver
the goods." This year the congregation has budgeted $50,000 for its
social service programs.
Along with the social service element, Christ Church offers a wide range
of worship experiences. A Tuesday service of prayer, communion and
healing gives parishioners a more personal, small church intimacy. A
Sunday night service called "Sanctuary" is offered, along with the three
Sunday morning worship services. Lyle's son, Andrew, and a group of
teens and young adults help lead the Sanctuary service.
"It's candles and darkness and it's very music driven," said Mook of the
Sunday alternative service. "It flows without stopping for about an hour
and a half. There are a lot of young creative artists who've been given
the freedom to do this. And we believe God is doing something with it -
it's meeting a need of an age group we may (otherwise reach)."
Christ Church has 4.5 acres of land on which to expand its facility in
the future. Other land has become available for parking at a mass
transit Park 'N Ride facility nearby. But a building project is going to
take a while. So for now, the church uses space at a junior high school
and a hospital treatment center for its various ministries.
"Our facility is small and we want to increase our staff to care for
people," he said. "We are in need of help with systems and structures.
The systems you need for 800 or 1,000 are different than for a church of
200."
For now, however, Mook is enthused by the energy of his church. A"40
Days of Purpose" program last fall drew 450 adults to the church and
helped foster a desire for more small group ministries at the church.
And the pastor feels that his church has become a safe place for the
unchurched to learn about Jesus Christ and deepen their Christian walk.
"We get excited about new ministries being born at the church and people
being passionate and gifted and willing to build a team," said Mook
about his growing congregation. "There's a common vision and common
theme and it's a contagious spirit. When we talk about our core values,
we talk about keeping Christ the main thing and that becomes the
refreshing freedom component. And it's drawing a huge eclectic group.
That sense of awe and humility is what we are - we've been discovering
where God's moving and just hanging on."
Christ Church has a five-tiered set of core values, including:
Christ-likeness, Closeness with God, Community, Courageous Leadership
and Compassionate Outreach. For more about Christ Church, its ministries
and its values, call Mook at 401-884-8632.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
