‘Turning Around’ An Orthodox Parish
Kevin Allen had yet another thought-provoking interview on his Illumined Heart podcast series, this time with Fr Luke Veronis of Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church in Webster, Massachusetts (http://schwebster.org).
This Church in the Greek Orthodox community has been witnessing a healthy growth in membership & financial stability for the past several years, and there are many similarities between the Greek and Indian Orthodox churches in America.
The full podcast is available at http://audio.ancientfaith.com/illuminedheart/ih_2008-11-07_pc.mp3
FR. VERONIS' OBSERVATIONS ON THE CHURCH WHEN JOINING:
Other symptoms of the parish included the inevitable departure from the Church of members who marry non-Orthodox spouses (either to the non-Orthodox spouse's Church or just fall way from Church all together).
SOME POSITIVE STEPS:
In the podcast, Fr Veronis cautioned that there was no single magical solution, and advised that it was important not to compare one Church with another as growth can happen in different ways in different Churches.
His approach started with Bible Study, that resulted in the formation of a core group that met weekly. This created a forum where he was able to emphasize the principles of what it meant to be a Church and then show the passages that support from the Scripture.
Fr Veronis then focused on two key aspects, which in his words:
Regarding the latter, Fr Veronis explained his opinion that he observed that not many people truly understood what it meant to for a Church to be the body of Christ, even when the Church was in existence for a long time. In the case of Sts Constantine and Helen, people were attending because their parents were part of the Church and it had eventually turned more into a social and ethnic club. However, Fr Veronis emphasized this was not the calling of the Church, and the need to define a new vision.
As an example, one of the first things Fr Veronis changed how money was collected from the members, changing it from a subscription or "due" system to a system of good stewardship, i.e., giving whatever you can give to the Church rather than fixing a membership fee.
Many people resisted, but Fr Veronis defended by explaining there are plenty of people who are willing to give more, but the Church never challenged them to give more. And, although there was resistance from many within the Church, the core group that had formed with the Bible Study group became the ambassadors to the people who resisted, and more importantly understood what the Priest was trying to achieve as they had discussed within the Bible Study group and had understood the calling from Christ to His people. These and other changes shifted the focus of the Church to one that looked at life with an eternal perspective.
END EFFECT
Collections went up from $24,000 to $60,000 in the first year, and continued growing. More over, membership grew from 90 families to over the next 3 years of 160 families and average attendance from 45 to 120 worshipers every Sunday.
CHURCH MISSION STATEMENT
Fr. Veronis included five key aspects in the Church Mission statement, namely WORSHIP, FELLOWSHIP, EDUCATION/SPIRITUAL GROWTH, WITNESS and SERVICE.
Worship:
What does it mean to worship? How do we worship? Teaching Liturgies were conducted, and it benefited everyone (not just youth!). Fr Veronis shared that some who were with the Church for 70 years thanked the Priest for the perspective. Since then, Fr Veronis learned not to make any assumptions on people's understanding of Worship regardless of age, parents or background. What's most important was that all who worship understood their Faith
Fellowship:
The Church is the Family of God, with the emphasis on Family. People had never viewed the Church as a family because of fighting and politics, and the priest worked really hard to make the community that had loving Christian fellowship and a warm place when people walk into the door. For those who left, make them feel missed, loved and welcome when they come back.
Witness:
Fr Veronis shared that as Christians we are called to be the light to those around us, and this includes reaching out to Orthodox Christians who have fallen away. Fr Veronis makes it a point to go to every parishioner's home and bless the house each year, which also gives an opportunity to inquire on the member adn if needed welcome them back without bringing up the past. Fr Veronis also stated that the Church needs to be a presence in the local community. Missionaries were welcomed to the Church to talk about their work in the name of Christ.
Education/Spiritual Growth:
This was not simply passing on knowledge, but providing to members the needed support to help and inspire them to transform their lives. This includes a healthy Sunday school program, youth ministers, and inspiring sermons to help them regularly. Other Orthodox speakers such as Fr Peter Gilquest were invited and included as part of retreats and other Church activities.
Service:
This was the reminder that as Christians we are called to serve one another and also outside of ourselves. It's not what is the Chruch giving me, but what can I do for the glory of God
To close with the Mission Statement from the Church's website:
[More Christian podcasts available at Ancient Faith Radio]
This Church in the Greek Orthodox community has been witnessing a healthy growth in membership & financial stability for the past several years, and there are many similarities between the Greek and Indian Orthodox churches in America.
The full podcast is available at http://audio.ancientfaith.com/illuminedheart/ih_2008-11-07_pc.mp3
FR. VERONIS' OBSERVATIONS ON THE CHURCH WHEN JOINING:
- The Church was old, but carried a history of divisiveness, infighting and pettiness of individuals and church politics that played a role in chasing many people (especially those under 40) away
- The church was extremely parochial (i.e., confined or restricted as if within the borders of the parish).
- Personalities in the Church that were strong willed and felt a need to do everything, but to the extent that they often discouraged others from doing anything.
Other symptoms of the parish included the inevitable departure from the Church of members who marry non-Orthodox spouses (either to the non-Orthodox spouse's Church or just fall way from Church all together).
SOME POSITIVE STEPS:
In the podcast, Fr Veronis cautioned that there was no single magical solution, and advised that it was important not to compare one Church with another as growth can happen in different ways in different Churches.
His approach started with Bible Study, that resulted in the formation of a core group that met weekly. This created a forum where he was able to emphasize the principles of what it meant to be a Church and then show the passages that support from the Scripture.
Fr Veronis then focused on two key aspects, which in his words:
- "First and foremost focus on the people and relationships, not programs and other activities"
- "Secondly, giving a clear vision of what it means to be the Church"
Regarding the latter, Fr Veronis explained his opinion that he observed that not many people truly understood what it meant to for a Church to be the body of Christ, even when the Church was in existence for a long time. In the case of Sts Constantine and Helen, people were attending because their parents were part of the Church and it had eventually turned more into a social and ethnic club. However, Fr Veronis emphasized this was not the calling of the Church, and the need to define a new vision.
As an example, one of the first things Fr Veronis changed how money was collected from the members, changing it from a subscription or "due" system to a system of good stewardship, i.e., giving whatever you can give to the Church rather than fixing a membership fee.
Many people resisted, but Fr Veronis defended by explaining there are plenty of people who are willing to give more, but the Church never challenged them to give more. And, although there was resistance from many within the Church, the core group that had formed with the Bible Study group became the ambassadors to the people who resisted, and more importantly understood what the Priest was trying to achieve as they had discussed within the Bible Study group and had understood the calling from Christ to His people. These and other changes shifted the focus of the Church to one that looked at life with an eternal perspective.
END EFFECT
Collections went up from $24,000 to $60,000 in the first year, and continued growing. More over, membership grew from 90 families to over the next 3 years of 160 families and average attendance from 45 to 120 worshipers every Sunday.
CHURCH MISSION STATEMENT
Fr. Veronis included five key aspects in the Church Mission statement, namely WORSHIP, FELLOWSHIP, EDUCATION/SPIRITUAL GROWTH, WITNESS and SERVICE.
Worship:
What does it mean to worship? How do we worship? Teaching Liturgies were conducted, and it benefited everyone (not just youth!). Fr Veronis shared that some who were with the Church for 70 years thanked the Priest for the perspective. Since then, Fr Veronis learned not to make any assumptions on people's understanding of Worship regardless of age, parents or background. What's most important was that all who worship understood their Faith
Fellowship:
The Church is the Family of God, with the emphasis on Family. People had never viewed the Church as a family because of fighting and politics, and the priest worked really hard to make the community that had loving Christian fellowship and a warm place when people walk into the door. For those who left, make them feel missed, loved and welcome when they come back.
Witness:
Fr Veronis shared that as Christians we are called to be the light to those around us, and this includes reaching out to Orthodox Christians who have fallen away. Fr Veronis makes it a point to go to every parishioner's home and bless the house each year, which also gives an opportunity to inquire on the member adn if needed welcome them back without bringing up the past. Fr Veronis also stated that the Church needs to be a presence in the local community. Missionaries were welcomed to the Church to talk about their work in the name of Christ.
Education/Spiritual Growth:
This was not simply passing on knowledge, but providing to members the needed support to help and inspire them to transform their lives. This includes a healthy Sunday school program, youth ministers, and inspiring sermons to help them regularly. Other Orthodox speakers such as Fr Peter Gilquest were invited and included as part of retreats and other Church activities.
Service:
This was the reminder that as Christians we are called to serve one another and also outside of ourselves. It's not what is the Chruch giving me, but what can I do for the glory of God
To close with the Mission Statement from the Church's website:
The Mission of Saints Constantine and Helen Church is to proclaim the Good News of Salvation through the Orthodox Christian Faith for the glory of our Triune God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We are a loving community of believers who journey towards our Lord Jesus Christ and one another through our WORSHIP, FELLOWSHIP, EDUCATION/SPIRITUAL GROWTH, WITNESS, and SERVICE.
We invite all people to join us on this journey towards the Kingdom of Heaven.
[More Christian podcasts available at Ancient Faith Radio]
Comments
For your generation, Joe, I don't know how many folks have just been completely written off as being outside the Church without ANY outreach.