Responsive Congregations

Impact Congregations (January 2022)

Megachurches often become “multisite” churches, meaning they launch satellite congregations in other communities. There were roughly 200 multisite churches in the U.S. in 2001, when Rev. Chris Philbeck became Mount Pleasant Christian Church (MPCC)’s senior pastor. The trend exploded after the turn of the century, as megachurches (defined as 2,000+ members) expanded their reach and footprint. By 2014, there were an estimated 8,000 multisite churches. Philbeck had little interest in pursuing the multisite model as it is often implemented—i.e., by launching new sites in places that are nearly identical demographically to the neighborhood of the church’s main campus. Learn about the model he conceived and implemented that became the Impact Bethany, Fairfax, and Old Southside congregations. The model focuses on taking churches that are declining and/or located in low-income neighborhoods and providing them with resources to sustain and expand their programming. Instead of aiming to create a mirror image of the main campus, it looks to plant roots in places that are demographically a world apart from the home church’s neighborhood.

Racial Diversity and Congregational Leadership (November 2021)

Racially diverse leadership teams are a concrete and very visible step that organizations can take to manifest their commitment to greater equality. And the benefits flow both ways. As with the reading groups, workshops, and other antiracism initiatives that many congregations have initiated, however, creating positive change will be a long-term process. Diversity in itself can hardly solve racism. And it poses some formidable challenges. Recognizing that reality can help congregations navigate it more effectively.

Doing the Right Thing: Three Takes on Congregations and the Work of Antiracism (September 2021)

For anyone concerned with achieving racial equality, Tocqueville’s analysis from nearly two centuries ago is a haunting one: Perhaps racism is so ingrained in the American experiment that the two are inextricably linked. The wide and growing wealth gap in America is a striking reminder that racism persists. Learn more about this divide.

Passing the (virtual) Plate: Congregational finance in the era of COVID and digital disruption (July 2021)

This article looks at how the major shift of congregations to online giving during the pandemic increased donations from people not directly connected to the church. It considers what will happen to the new unaffiliated givers e.g., will they continue to give over the long run and will their commitment decrease or increase? How will the shift to online giving affect donations from people who attend church regularly? Will they give more or less through digital channels? What are the implications for the ways congregations raise money and relate to members?

Our Neighbors, Ourselves: From Congregational Mission to Community Transformation (April 2021)

This case study features Second Presbyterian Church’s congregational mission, Northside Mission Ministry (NMM). The food pantry is the church’s founding and anchor project. Each month, it serves between 400 and 500 families, distributing roughly 15 tons of food. The pantry inspired several members of the church to create and maintain a community garden on the church’s property, to help keep the pantry stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables in the summer and fall. They even drilled a well to supply the site with water.