Improving the Worship Service Experience

Getty Images

"You're not going to find the perfect church experience."

--Traci Rhoades

Historians teach that the Christian church began almost 2,000 years ago. The Greek word "ekklēsia," translated as "church" in the New Testament, simply means "assembly" or "gathering." The early Christians, mostly Jewish, borrowed the term "ekklēsia" from the popular Greek translation of the Old Testament, which referred to Israel's sacred assemblies. 

In the New Testament, the Book of Acts shows that attending church or gathering for worship and fellowship originated from the early Christian communities, which, after Jesus' death, met in small groups to share meals, teachings, and prayer. And without dedicated buildings.

In The Sabbath Complete: And the Ascendency of First Day Worship, Terrance D. O'Hare says the importance of church attendance in Christian theology is delineated in Hebrews 10:25, "Let us not neglect our church meetings, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back is drawing near."

Many have either not read Hebrews 10:25 or no longer subscribe to its teaching. In developed countries, and long before the pandemic five years ago, an increasing number of households simply stopped attending.

A global look

"About four in ten adults in the average country surveyed say they attend religious services at least weekly. But this figure varies widely in different parts of the world," the Pew Research Center reports. 

Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa with predominantly Christian or Muslim populations, such as Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Uganda, tend to have the world's highest levels of regular worship attendance. 

Pew describes Europe as being on the other end of the spectrum. 

In Asia and the Pacific, weekly attendance is highest in Indonesia and lowest in Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and China. 

Gallup survey averages from 2021 through 2023 show that 30 percent of U.S. adults attend every or almost every week, and 44 percent of Protestants/Christians participate at the same frequency. 

A 2023-2024 Pew Religious Landscape study of the U.S., with more sub-group detail, has Protestants at 40 percent weekly or more often, Evangelicals at 50 percent, Mainline at 23 percent, and Historically Black at 33 percent. 

Pew reports in that same Landscape study that Christianity in the U.S. has slowed its decline and may have leveled off. 

As for shifts in organized religion, the number of Protestants who self-identify as "nondenominational" has doubled since 2007, from 9 to 18 percent in Pew's most recent study. 

" ... studying religion is more prudent than trying to predict its future."

Pew says that in future years, we may see further declines in the religiousness of the American public for these reasons:

• Young adults are far less religious than older adults.
• No recent birth cohort has become more religious as it has aged.
• Compared with older adults, fewer younger adults with a highly religious upbringing are still highly religious.

The lesson here is that studying religion is more prudent than predicting its future.

Why go to church

Have you ever asked someone why they attend church?

A Gallup Poll taken before Easter in 2018 revealed that sermon content could be the most important factor in how soon worshippers return. 76% of respondents noted that sermons or talks that teach about Scripture or help people connect religion to their lives were a major factor in "spurring their attendance." 

Among families, spiritual programs geared toward children and youth are a main draw for 64 percent of worshippers. Community outreach, volunteer opportunities, and dynamic religious leaders are also important to the majority, at 59 and 54 percent, respectively.

A great choir, praise band, or other spiritual music was last on the list, with 38 percent saying it was important.

Who attends

People of all ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds go to church, some more frequently than others. Who are most likely to be regular attendees? Older, educated households, those in their mid-50s and up who have college degrees.

According to a 2024 Household Pulse Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, education, age, and children are the three factors driving attendance. Among parents with a bachelor's degree, about 30% are weekly attendees—that's three times the rate among those without children.  

People with a college degree are more likely to attend than those with a high school diploma. Older households are more likely than younger households. Those with children participate more frequently than those without. 

 

Professor Ryan Burge says the magic combination is clearly having a good education and being a parent—both make someone much more likely to attend church.

Faith in daily life

Gallup concludes that the primary motivation for those attending worship services is learning more about the tenets of their faith and connecting that faith to their lives. That is, taking core biblical principles and learning to apply them to everyday circumstances.

Pew says those same sermon qualities are important to about half of U.S. adults who have looked for a new church or parish at some point, most commonly because they've moved. They want a new house of worship where they like the preacher and the tone set by church leadership. 

"Fully 83 percent of Americans who have looked for a new place of worship say the quality of preaching played an important role in their choice of a congregation. Nearly as many say it was important to feel welcomed by clergy and lay leaders," Pew reported.

The style of worship service and the location also factored into the decision, as 85 percent attended services at the church being considered.

As for the next generation, "The fact remains that 80 percent of young adults say growing closer to or learning about God are the two most important reasons to attend church," according to the Barna Group.

Laura Vanderkam offers sensible advice: "Treat the young as adults."

Where to begin

One way to define a worship service experience for regular attendees and visitors is any activity before, during, and after the service, whether on or off the property or online. 

That menu could include prayer, Bible reading, announcements, social media, signage, music, AV, invitations to worship, and follow-up. The appearance of the building and grounds should also be considered, as the exterior is the congregation's most visible representation.

How often do churches evaluate the corporate worship service experience? Like other concerns, most seem satisfied with their current situation.

Churches frequently continue to do what works—well past the point when it no longer does. Without feedback, they don't always realize when a program stops working. Loyalty enables churches and ministries to decline, as their members don't always abandon them overnight. It also allows churches to repair themselves if they desire to do so.

Three of the most significant changes within a faith community are the lead pastor's departure, the move to a new location, and a name change.

In any of those situations, we recall Dr. William Bridges' counsel that it's not the change that gets us; it's the transition.

How to improve

A common mistake in rethinking any component of a church ministry (or anything with a public interface) is to localize the improvement rather than connecting the effort to the church as a whole. The net effect can lower the church's overall performance. Isolated improvements can actually make matters worse, as Boudwijn Bertsch from the Netherlands has shown in his studies.

For example, attracting families with infants (who are significantly more likely to attend church than those raising older kids) without a clean, safe, and supervised nursery can be a challenge. Launching a community engagement initiative without sufficient advance notice and training can be self-defeating.

"While no church can do everything, 

every church can do something ..." 

Corporate worship is indispensable within the body life of a church, but it does not stand alone. A community of faith cannot be divided into independent parts without losing its strengths. Any significant improvement or change in corporate worship will likely spill over into other areas, such as small groups, youth and children's ministries, ushers, and greeters. 

It's helpful to create an improvement checklist and review it periodically. Ask how the church can do better; some will be reluctant to speak. Members who leave seldom say why. Visitor comments offer a different, but much-needed, perspective. Letting them know their opinions are important is wise. 

Know your strengths and lean into them. Avoid comparing your church to others. Although some decisions are irreversible, be prepared to make changes that may need adjustment. Use a trial period if appropriate. 

To maintain credibility, and certainly as a courtesy, leadership should explain changes, why, and potential benefits.

While no church can do everything, every church can do something to make a difference in someone's life. 

Attending in propria persona

Here is a quote from a previous Strategist Post that bears repeating:

"Virtual services, webcasting, and online Bible studies are certainly better than no religious participation. However, none is likely a fully adequate replacement for the in-person meetings and community," wrote Harvard professor Tyler J. VanderWeele, who studies these interactions. 

Digital worship, like remote work and schooling, lessens the magnitude of a communal experience. Of course, health, job schedules, and caregiving are legitimate reasons for online worship. That format helps avoid social isolation, which may be harmful. 

Alternatively, in-person worship is a layer deeper than virtual worship; let's call it presence, which is what ministry is meant to be.

Online and electronic giving are acts of worship and reliable sources of income. Still, in-person per capita giving is twice that of those who worship remotely, according to a 2023 study by the Hartford Institute of Religion Research. 

A church home

While focusing on faith's vital benefits, we sometimes forget that religion offers additional support. "There is a mounting body of empirical evidence suggesting that people who are active in their faith tend to be the recipients of several important physical and mental health benefits," says Byron Johnson, professor of social sciences at Baylor University.

Jeff Haanen, founder of the Denver Institute for Faith and Works, writes about the potential gains from frequent in-person worship attendance:

"Sociologists say church involvement is associated with many benefits for children and adults. Kids who attend church have higher academic achievement, better relationships with their parents, and greater participation in extracurricular activities. 

"Churchgoers are in better health and live longer." 

And they're the most generous with their charitable contributions to religious and secular causes.

Breaking bread

Potluck dinners could be the beginning of much-needed fellowship and support for people from all walks of life. There are numerous unchurched, and loneliness is a global health concern. The right response is to be inviting, welcoming, and caring. 

To paraphrase Russel Ackoff, "A church is as good as the product of its interactions."

Even if those new to a faith community don't fully understand what it's about, they'll know kindness when they encounter it, which is "the early church" way of improving the worship service experience. 

Strategist.com

©  Bredholt & Co.

Managing a Multi-Generational Workforce

(C) Simply HR Inc.

"Each generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it and wiser than the one that comes after it."

--George Orwell

What if the global pandemic's disruptive force is causing 2030 to arrive earlier than scheduled? Pairing that possible contraction with cultural, technical, and economic change moving faster helps explain why organizational life is so challenging. Too much too soon is another way to describe this moment. That's especially true when recruiting, developing, and retaining employees.

Recasting the workforce

A consequential labor trend worth attention is the decentralized workplace. Does this type of structure positively or negatively influence productivity, promotions, and corporate culture? Who occupies that space? And most importantly, what do different age groups think and value? 

"Millennials, a diverse and educated group born between 1981 and 1996 (ages 28 to 43 in 2024), are quickly becoming the most present population in the workforce and leadership roles," reports Inc. Magazine. "By 2030, all members of the baby boom generation, the only cohort officially recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau, will have reached the retirement age of 65, with an average of 10,000 baby boomers reaching retirement age every day between now and then," Inc. adds.

At the end of this decade, though, there will again be a multi-generational workforce similar to the one we have now (Silent Generation, baby boomers, Generation X, millennials, Generation Z). The silent cohort will nearly disappear, but the labor participation rate of the boomers, who are 75 and older, is projected to reach 11.7% in 2030. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

And as one observer noted, "The marketplace changes in tandem with employment trends."

A reason for optimism

How do we get to a 2030 workplace? 

To quote Socrates, "The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new." 

Thinking ahead is a function of leadership. Which means setting aside time to consider a desirable outcome in hiring. Determining what's involved in attracting candidates to your business or nonprofit. Identifying what needs to be done, by whom, and when to get the right people in place. Be at the front instead of the back of the talent line.

Change requires stability. For that reason, Gen X (65.2 million) could provide ballast between the baby boomers (71.6 million), millennials (72.1 million), and Gen Z (69.5 million) (U.S. Census Bureau population estimates) 1

Gen X, 33% of the current U.S. workforce, born between 1965 and 1976 (ages 44 to 59 in 2024), is indispensable to a workplace transformation. Research among Gen Xers shows a strong work ethic, communication skills, and problem-solving ability. More than baby boomers, they will hand over executive and senior management responsibilities to millennials and Gen Z as 2030 approaches. 

Passing the torch

As 70% of leadership development is getting the right experience, Gen X leaders are the ones to prioritize millennial and Gen Z opportunities, enabling them to learn and grow, often from their mistakes and the mistakes of others. Hardships build character.

Since the Scottish-American engineer Daniel McCallum created the first organizational chart in 1854, the failure of management to set clear expectations around performance has kept productivity unnecessarily low and employees from being fully accountable for how work gets done. 

Great supervisors make a difference in the unfolding of one's career. That job is vital in communicating expectations and giving everyone real-time feedback, especially tech-literate millennials and Gen Z, who are racially and ethnically diverse and the most highly educated generation.  

More than a third of U.S. companies have abandoned traditional annual performance appraisals and replaced them with an increase in frequent conversations between managers and employees. (Harvard Business Review)

Demographics--a cautionary tale

Michael Dimock, president of the Pew Research Center, believes we should be careful about reading too much into generational headlines:

1. Generational categories are not scientifically defined. The boundaries that place one person in Gen Z and another in the millennial generation are not precise or universally agreed upon.

2. These generational labels can lead to stereotypes and oversimplification. All millennials and baby boomers are not the same, just as all Southerners, all Catholics, or all Black Americans are not the same. Shared experiences and identities should be recognized but not at the expense of individuality.

3. Discussions about generations often focus on differences instead of similarities. Conflict gets more attention than consensus, with media overstating the divide between younger and older generations. Think about your family relationships. We're more alike than not.

4. Conventional views of generations can carry an upper-class bias. Popular history recalls that Baby Boomers in the 1960s and '70s were deeply opposed to the Vietnam War. However, many high-quality surveys at the time showed that younger Americans – most of whom were not attending college – were more supportive of the war than older generations who had lived through previous conflicts.

5. People change over time. Don't assume that what you see today, you'll see tomorrow. People change as they grow older, pursue careers, and form families. Generational signals can sometimes be long-lasting, but youth itself is not permanent. 

Under the corporate arc 

With innovation and technology always in play (AI going mainstream) and demographic transitions in progress, what's a reasonable way for leaders to think about 2030?

A study by McKinsey & Company, Organizing for the Future, provides direction. The published findings suggest clarifying corporate principles to achieve the desired end. 

Where to focus?

Who we are: Strengthen identity, setting purpose in motion. Use culture to differentiate in recruiting, positioning, and execution of strategy.

How we operate: Flatten structure and speed up decision-making. Many decisions require less than half the steps executives imagine necessary. Treat talent as scarcer than capital.

How we grow: Cooperate internally and collaborate externally. Future-ready organizations see partners as extensions of themselves. A substantial amount of value in organizations is linked to as few as 25 to 50 roles. That's enough to accelerate learning and spread authority and responsibility across a larger platform.

Add to the McKinsey list--

Who will work, and how: A projected employment of 165 million awaits. More women than men; shorter work weeks--same pay; hybrid locations for the office class, with holographic meetings the next new thing. Even with more AI-driven automation, humans will likely be the principal source of ideas and inspiration. 

Finding common ground

By 2030, a rebalanced multi-generational workforce will be in place, with each individual having the potential to make a unique contribution to group purpose.

A reasonable course for Gen X is facilitating a promising outcome through organizational renewal, clarifying corporate character, and tapping baby boomers' experience before they walk out the door. Engage in this process, knowing millennials, Gen Z, and others will decide what they want to do and who they want to be.

The previous thirty-six months revealed that many enterprises are designed for a world "passing from sight." In that sense, the contagion carried with it a warning for some and possibilities for others--as different and better ends await those who prepare now for a future that's near.

1 "Generations" defined by Pew Research Center: Generation Z, Born after 1996**; Millennial, born 1981 to 1996, age in 2024: 28 to 43;; Generation X, born: 1965 to 1980, age in 2024: 44 to 59; Baby Boomer, born 1946 to 1964, age in 2024: 60 to 78; Silent Generation, born: 1928 to 1945, age in 2024: 79 to 96  **No chronological endpoint has been set for this group.

Strategist.com

© Bredholt & Co.

   

  

Trends Worth Watching

Here are 10 U.S. and global demographic trends that may be of interest to you:

1. Millennials are projected to be the U.S.'s largest living adult generation in 2019. More than Baby Boomers. millennials are already the largest generation in the U.S. labor force, making up 35% of the total. 

2. Americans are more racially and ethnically diverse than in the past. The U.S. is projected to be even more varied in the coming decades. By 2055, the U.S. will not have a single racial or ethnic majority. 

3. Americans' lives at home are changing. After a decades-long trend, just half of U.S. adults were married in 2015, down from 70% in 1950. Moreover, with marriage in decline, cohabitation is increasing, with the most significant gains among those ages 50 and older--doubling between 1990 and 2015.

4. Changing household structures. A record number of Americans (nearly 61 million) were living in multi-generational households, including two or more adult generations or grandparents and grandchildren.

5. America's demographic changes are shifting the electorate – and American politics. The 2016 electorate was the most diverse in U.S. history due to strong growth among Hispanic eligible voters, particularly U.S.-born youth.

6. The share of Americans who live in middle-class households is shrinking. U.S. adults living in middle-income families fell to 50% in 2015, after more than four decades in which those households served as the nation's economic majority.

7. Christians are declining as a share of the U.S. population. And the number of U.S. adults who do not identify with any organized religion has grown. So while the U.S. remains home to more Christians than any other country, the percentage of Americans identifying as Christians dropped from 78% in 2007 to 71% in 2014. 

By contrast, the religiously unaffiliated have surged seven percentage points in that period to make up 23% of U.S. adults last year. This trend has primarily been driven by millennials, 35% of whom are religious "nones." 

8. The world is aging. The demographic future for the U.S. and beyond looks very different than the recent past. Growth from 1950 to 2010 was rapid — the global population nearly tripled to 7.6 billion. However, population growth from 2010 to 2050 is projected to be significantly slower and is expected to tilt strongly to the oldest age groups globally and in the U.S. 

9. U.S. population is still growing. The latest estimates show 325.7 million as of 2017. That's up from 308.7 million in 2010. The Wall Street Journal reports a "lull in the U.S. birth rate since the 2007-2009 recession. As a result, the country now relies on immigrants, typically young adults, to slow its aging."

10. More years in retirement. As longevity rises over time, people spend more time in retirement. Between 1962 and 2010, the average time spent in retirement rose by five years (from 10 to 15 years). As a result, life expectancy increased by eight years. By 2050 the years in retirement are projected to reach 20.  


Sources:

Pew Research Center; U. S. Census Bureau; The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine; and Compassion International 

Strategist.com

(C) Bredholt & Co.   

Shaping Public Opinion

"You are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your informed opinion. No one is entitled to be ignorant."

--Harlon Ellison

Where do you get your news? How much do those sources influence your opinions on public policy, presidential leadership, or the country's overall direction? 

Four major platforms distribute news to U.Ss.adults. The list below shows each forum and the percentage of adults who often get their information from those sources: 

News Sources for Adults

TV--57%

Online--38%

Radio--25%

Print--20%

Source:  Pew Research Center 

According to Pew Research, "TV's staying power over print is buttressed by the fact that Americans who prefer to watch news still choose TV, while most of those who prefer to read the news have migrated online."

The digital platform continues gaining strength. The number of Americans who ever get news on a mobile device has gone up from 54% in 2013 to 72% in 2016, according to the same Pew study.

Here's another dimension to the online consumer--they're more likely to get news from professional outlets than from friends and family--but just as likely to think each provides relevant information.  

How we decide

Nearly 140 million Americans, or 60.2% of the voting-eligible population, cast a ballot in November's 2016 elections.

One year from now, those registered will have an opportunity to vote on political leadership and address their concerns about relevant issues at the ballot box. With that in mind, let's look at how public opinion has historically been shaped and formed. 

Twenty-five years ago, pollster Daniel Yankelovich wrote about how people decide in FORTUNE Magazine. His main point: "That views evolve from the unstable and flip-flopping to the mature and solid."   

Does that idea hold a quarter century later?

In the past, the public has gone through different stages of thought when confronted with public policy changes such as health care, immigration, or tax reform. Here are scenes from public opinion to the public judgment, which Yankelovich found in his own studies:

Stages of Public Opinion

Stage 1:   People begin to become aware of an issue.

Stage 2:   They develop a sense of urgency about it.

Stage 3:   They start to explore choices with the issues.

Stage 4:   Resistance to facing costs. 

Stage 5:   People weigh the pros and cons of alternatives.

Stage 6:   They take a stand intellectually.

Stage 7:   They make a responsible judgment morally and emotionally.

Thinking differently?

Is it still possible for a voting public to go through seven decision-making stages? Is breaking news short-circuiting processes of careful thought? Does the media change anyone's mind, or are most minds made up, including those of self-described independents?  

How do you decide?

A recent article in USA Today reported that 75% of those surveyed called "incivility" a national crisis, and 59% said they have quit paying attention to national politics.

Voter disengagement makes it more difficult for politicians to know which stage a particular issue has reached.  

Mr. Yankelovich observes: "Leaders attempting to communicate with the public without this information (knowing the stage) risk gridlock and frustration. Why? Because to communicate with the populace, a leader has to know where people are coming from, where they stand in their thinking now, and where they are headed."

At the same time, there's a significant role for elected officials (presidents, governors, mayors) to offer clear and compelling arguments for the direction they wish to go.    

Public policies need purpose, timeliness, and clarity to succeed. Therefore, simple policy themes, speaking to a common good, are critical for the electorate to decide what or whom to support, as the ultimate poll is taken on election day. 

Wisdom is scarce

The Internet--Facebook, Google, YouTube, and Twitter--provides easy access to reporting and commentary, and targeted advertisements. (Facebook alone delivers 517 million ad impressions per hour.) So how are voters supposed to make informed judgments based on those sources of political news and opinions? 

Discernment is certainly needed when relying on media outlets that are long on clicks and short on credibility.  

A survey from American Press Institute and the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds media's popularity at the bottom, along with Washington politicians. According to Gallup tracking data, with 2,014 adults surveyed, only 6% expressed "a lot of confidence" in the press, while the US Congress is at 7%.

When deciding, there may be some truth to an idea from 18th-century philosopher Joseph de Maistre who said: "Every nation gets the government it deserves."

Strategist.com

(C) Bredholt &  Co.