Abingdon Crowd
Members of Abingdon United Methodist Church smile for a photo during a recent Christmas dinner. (Photo Courtesy of Holston Conference)
ABINGDON, Va. -- Abingdon United Methodist Church has welcomed about 100 new members in the last two years, including large classes of confirmands and their parents. The Call asked the Rev. Paul Seay to share words of encouragement for other churches that are also working hard to reach new people but may not be experiencing growth. In June 2024, Seay received the Denman Evangelism Award at Holston Annual Conference.
Don’t be discouraged. “God is working in ways beyond our ability to perceive,” says Seay.
Don’t get obsessed with big change or numerical growth. “Look for the small things and celebrate them,” such as one new person or family, a child participating in worship in a new way, or a change in someone’s life. “Maybe they’ve learned to forgive or let go of a grudge,” Seay said. "Maybe they were truly moved by worship, or any number of things like that which will not make the headlines.”
Work hard for the one new person. One at a time. Don’t worry if the overall crowd is small. Keep inviting, keep following up, help people find their way into the life of the church. “We can’t assume that they know how to become involved,” Seay says.
Give the church time and space to heal. “I think the culture of the church matters greatly,” Seay said. “If there’s a lot of division or bitterness, it hinders spiritual growth and other kinds of growth.” Some congregations might need to heal for a season before they can be vibrant again. “It’s not the same thing as being inwardly focused or disinterested in the community. Sometimes we need to work on the health of the church for the sake of the larger mission.”
Go deep. The third simple rule (in Bishop Reuben Job’s words) is to “stay in love with God.” Church leaders or members might need to ask God to help them get their own hearts right. “Let’s pray, study, and worship deeply. Let’s do these things for their own sakes,” Seay says, “not as a means to an end, not to ‘grow the church,’ but just for the love of God.”
Holston Conference includes United Methodist churches in East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and North Georgia, with main offices in Alcoa, Tennessee. Author
Annette Spence is editor of The Call, the Holston Conference source of news and stories from which this article is republished with permission.