October 5, 2023. My post about the Finnish Quakers and their small numbers received some welcome private comment and I want to put this back on the top of my list.
Last month, I proposed ten kinds of resources that might already exist to help very small churches. A commenter suggested an eleventh. I’d like to take a couple of months to start filling in a resource list. If you know of an applicable resources, please leave it in the comments and I’ll review it (for applicability) and add it to the list.
- Training manuals and spreadsheets for volunteer treasurers
- Resources for accompanying hymn singing without a trained musician
- Self-directed spiritual development resources with a group element
- Model agreements for supply preachers
- Templates for preparing attractive orders of service and newsletters
- Recipes and guidelines for easy-to-prepare but delicious (and safe) church lunches and dinners
- Model guidance for protecting vulnerable persons in small churches
- Resources for the delivery and organization of sermons for novice preachers
- Ready-to-print materials appropriate for children who come to services
- Trustworthy guidance about “how political” a church can be without disrupting its non-profit status
- Computers and internet access; worship without Zoom. (By request.)
For #8 “Resources for the delivery and organization of sermons for novice preachers,” Erika Hewitt’s “The Shared Pulpit: A Sermon Seminar for Lay People” is a great book.
For #10 on politics, a good one-page guide is https://www.uua.org/action/realrules-new/summary-real-rules-three-point-system
#11. Remote access to worship without access to Zoom or similar video conference technology.
My rural church is in an area with thin bandwidths. When we arrange for remote access, we use conference call technology. Anybody with any kind of phone can listen and participate. So its a very low technological hurdle. We don’t do this every Sunday. Our conference call devotionals are not considered a primary worship service, but instead a supplemental worship service bridging community gatherings for special occasions, and when Winter weather makes travel to the church building dangerous.
The format for our standard Conference Call Devotional….
Leader’s Welcome
Opening Words
Sharing of Joys & Concerns (the most participatory part of the conference call)
Reading & Minister’s Reflection (a short homily)
Announcements
Closing Blessing
We Say Our Farewells
The whole process takes 30-40 minutes. The only barrier we’ve encountered is for persons with limited hearing who are not using hearing assistance phone devices.