– Kim R. Smith, Sound District Lay Leader
There are so many wonderful things about having a brain that never really stops. There are also some issues, if I am being honest. They say my gift is “big-picture thinking.” That apparently translates into seeing a problem…maybe a better word is challenge…and then being unable to sleep until you find a place to begin improving it. I say “begin” because I am a tried-and-true continuous improvement person. I cannot be reprogrammed.
This week, my brain has been focused on our sanctuary. Like many churches after the past several years, the number of people in the pew each Sunday has declined. Ten years ago, our church nearly split wide open over a new sanctuary that was built to accommodate growth, and instead, our attendance has continued to drop and drop and drop.
So now, we have a sanctuary much larger than our small congregation can fill. Even when we are all present, we are spread out, and it feels empty. The first Sunday of each month, we have worship in the fellowship hall, which was the original sanctuary, and even with small numbers, we feel cozy and connected. At least some do. Others will not come that day because they do not love it. We are all different.
The wonderful thing about visiting churches across our district is seeing how other churches create inviting spaces. I have seen rocking chairs at the back of the sanctuary to let mothers with babies know they are welcome. At another, I saw recliners and ottomans at the front of the sanctuary, so parents with small children knew they were welcome as well. Both seatings caught me off guard initially, and then I was lit up with the love of both gestures sent to visitors.
For two nights in a row, I have woken up at 2 am dreaming about reimagining our sanctuary. I am trying to find a way to move us closer together and make space serve us where we are now in more effective ways. One dream involved fish and I woke up laughing aloud from that one! The other dream, however, felt etched on my heart – a smaller area for pews, rocking chairs, and a couple of small tables for younger children. My brain did not forget about the neighborhood teens who gather on our patio with swings, either! Outdoor speakers as we let them hear the word where they are comfortable until they learn to trust us and the church.
If I am being honest, after a few weeks of feeling a bit hopeless about the future of churches like ours, I was happy when the creative side of my brain won out. Even if it never happens, my brain and heart are working toward continuously improving how we share God with the world.
One thing is for sure… movies are not reality. We cannot build it, and they will come. We will have to work smarter than that – and we should have all along! It has never been about the building. The sooner we all recognize that and figure out ways to take Jesus out the doors with us, the sooner the numbers will take care of themselves. Fellow creative brain people, keep dreaming!
photo credit: Lightstock.com – Murifine Creative – id#900138