Struggling congregations look to change and grow

From Louisville-


There are other examples of revitalization efforts in churches throughout the city:

On South Watterson Trail, a declining Baptist church acknowledged it was no longer reaching its neighbors and merged into a growing church from nearby Jeffersontown, which has used such innovations as a dirt-bike track for teens to attract people who might otherwise not bother with church.

On Southern Parkway, an aging Episcopal church began welcoming refugees from Myanmar and Sudan, and for the first time in a generation, it has found its nurseries crowded with young families.

On Baxter Avenue, a declining Episcopal church began attracting visitors with a weekday meditative service.

On Dixie Highway, the historic Valley Christian Church was on the brink of folding before agreeing to become a branch campus of the larger Middletown Christian Church, which is bringing in volunteers, finances and a passion to reach single parents and others who don't fit the traditional churchgoing mold.

Some of the pastors trying to radically reorganize their congregations are quick to point out the parallel to the central Christian story of Jesus' death and resurrection.

"Do you love this enough to let the church you know die to let the church Christ wants to have here be born?" said the Rev. David Emery of Middletown Christian Church.

Oftentimes, "congregations that have been around a long time lose the ability to discern the world around them and lose the ability to touch their community," Emery said. But as a merged congregation, "we began to imagine and dream about what was possible."

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http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090510/NEWS01/905100393/Struggling+congregations+look+to+change+and+grow