If it hasn't already, the November edition of the Advocate should arrive at your front door sometime soon. Some of you have already noticed and read the cover story on neighborhood places of worship. I know this because the letters already have begun coming in, conveying everything from why we shouldn't have done the story in the first place to reasons for attendance decline that we didn't explore.
We welcome your letters, and encourage you to write us with any feedback (send them to [email protected]). I may even discuss some of your thoughts on the Back Talk blog over the next couple of weeks. Also on the blog in coming days, I'll be sharing bits and pieces from the interviews that didn't quite fit into the story. If you're so inclined, I hope you'll join the conversation with your comments.
What a great article on the ever growing attendance problem encountered by churches of all faiths. After 30+ years absence (attending other churches), I returned to my "home" church. In my youth, the sanctuary was always at near capacity, including a balcony. Now, the balcony is closed (converted to now empty classrooms) and the main floor is maybe half full.
Our congregation is making a great effort to reach out to the immediate community. A five million dollar family life center is open and available to anyone in the neighborhood. Our facility gets heavy usage from marriage/family seminars conducted by nationally known facilitators, neighborhood association meetings, an excellent child development center, senior medical opportunities, exercise classes, annual neighborhood Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. You would be surprised as to how many people in our community live alone, without families, and have no where to go on these special holidays. Many of our newer member families are a result of the direct neighborhood involvement.
It will be interesting to hear some of your feedback letters. I did notice one slight mistake in your article. In your Gaston Oaks segment, you stated that the original church was named East Dallas Baptist. The church should have been the Gaston Avenue Baptist Church.
Hope to hear more follow up soon.
Posted by: Mike | October 27, 2008 at 08:39 AM