Parish workshops often generate important conversations --and an opportunity to share  differing viewpoints.

Once the opening flurry of workshops is complete what next?  

In brief the offerings will consist of:

Parish Workshops 

Webinars  

Online sessions in which speakers present training material via the web will be scheduled from time to time for general audiences.Also, if your parish has a specific need contact us for something customized.

Topical Conferences

Within the next year we hope to bring together leaders from many parishes to discuss common issues and  obstacles around a particular topic. Among the topics we're considering are:

• "Rethinking the Role of the Parish Council"  
• "Outreach to Neighbors and Our Neighborhood -- Our Role to Help Others"  
• "Revamping Parish Stewardship"   
• "Growth and Evangelization"

Other topic suggestions? Let us know. 

Communication and Love 

• "Communicating with one another in a respectful manner
• "Respecting all opinions; cooperation."   
• "Frankly, we're just not very friendly."

Many parishes are in ruts. Getting out requires  work and seeing a future that looks different. Starting things. And stopping things.

Location & Fear of the 'Other'

• "Operating in a degraded, depleted, dilapidated area where people feel unsafe visiting."
• "Resistance to opening our church to the immediate community due to safety and liability concerns."  

• "We started as a small parish & now many members & clergy prefer being the 'poor little parish' to the possibility of being strong and vibrant."
• "We need to overcome being defeated by low attendance/membership."
• "

  A thirst --even in adults -- to understand one's faith hallmarks vibrant parishes.

  Getting our parish to believe it is not dying --and have a desire to grow."

Stewardship & Christian Formation 

• "Changing the attitude from fund raising to tithing. Realizing if we want a church we need to pay for it."
• "We don't understand our faith. We can't share what we don't know."
• "Too many of our people think 'Learning about our faith is for children -- not adults.' " 
• "Developing a sense of why am I here and what do I need to contribute as a Christian."

Shared Leadership & Change  

• "We

  Most people can learn new tricks - if they want to. Regardless of age.

  make commitments to actions -- then peter out in six mos." 
• "Getting true commitment to change & improve from more than a small core"

Demographics

• "Overcoming generational outlooks that sabotage growth."
• "Overcoming ethnic cultural bias." 

Geography   

• "We're one of three small struggling Orthodox parishes of different jurisdictions in a three mile area."

The most common request from introductory workshop attendees is: "Tell us how other parishes have grown. What did they do?"  

We then explain that most growing parishes with which we are familiar have grown NOT by trying to grow, but by trying to BE the church. They work to live out the truth of the Gospel. In so doing thirsty people seem to be attracted to the parish. Often however, this observation falls on deaf ears - or at least leads to disappointment over lack of a quicker, easier formula.    

Building Awareness for Your Parish -- A Few Practical Points

With the warning that there are no "quick fixes", there are a few practical efforts that can help parishes to grow. (Or at least help to begin to increase a flow of inquirers/guests/visitors. Whether the guests return is a related, but different, topic.) These helpful practices fall primarily in the area of helping people to know who and where you are. A few tips follow.

An attractive sign offers a positive onsite welcome and useful info. The sign , a photo of the pastor and an open door provides a nice opening to the parish website.

>> An Attractive Sign  

Too many parish signs are old, faded and uninviting. Many have no sign at all. Signs sometimes convey a message of "anti-welcome". Some don't give the impression much vigor exists inside. (Perhaps accurate.)After cutting the lawn often the best outside investment you can make to parish facilities is an attractive sign. 

Make sure your parish listing on oca.org  is accurate.  Many archdiocesan parish listings are incomplete or out of date.

 Orthodoxy in America is a directory site that lists, to the best of their ability, all Orthodox parishes in North America. Make sure yours is present and accurate. Give them your website to include. A directory is also maintained by the Assembly of Orthodox Bishops. There are also other similar sites.

Google maps listing

>> Google Maps  

Make sure your parish shows up on google maps.  Click on "put your business on Google maps". This is better than finding your parish on a Google search since a 'listing' will cause your parish to show up without a search. 

Listen (well read) closely. It is now 2013! People find churches from web searches --not the yellow pages or newspapers. They make choices based on websites. Over 85% of people looking for a church will visit the church website before attending. Your parish must have its own parish website. If you don't have one get one. While a website is not a panacea (many declining parishes have websites --often poor ones)

Growing requires helping people to become aware of you. These ladies from an Ohio parish took to the Mall to staff a parish kiosk offering info on the Orthodox church and their parish.

"Rules" About Websites 

For at least the fifth time (--past readers of Parish Pulse are now wincing -- "Oh no, not again!") here are our rules about parish websites.  You must:

1. Offer the Basics Up Front    

Include the following on the front (landing) page: Parish name, address, phone number, service times, map link, priest name, priest phone, info about parking, office hours.

2. Use Many Good Photos

Text heavy sites lose readers fast. Use  good (NOT FUZZY!) photos of people. Intersperse the photos throughout the website. No matter how beautiful your church is - people are attracted to people. Show them. Make them smile. Help them express your (hopefully sunny) parish personality. Give them an impression of what will be experienced inside when they come.

3. Tailor Content to Audience 

Make sure your content is speaking to both internal AND external audiences. Sites that assume only existing parishioners are readers may make inquirers feel they aren't welcome. 

4. Potential Parishioners Want to Know: 'What Can I Do Here? What's Here for Me?'

Include a simple list/explanation of parish ministries on the site. If you don't have any... well we have some work to do!

5. Look Forward Not Backward 

Go easy on parish history lessons. They are generally of interest to only those already present - and lead to an unproductive, nostalgic focus on yesteryear often associated with decline.

6. Set Expectations

Tell people what to expect when they attend. Here is a good example from an OCA parish in Mississippi.

7. Fill  Calendars

Nothing screams "stagnant" like a blank monthly  calendar. Yet more than half of the parish websites we encounter offer calendars with virtually nothing on them. Classes, meetings, ministries, trips, social activities, rehearsals, planning sessions,council meetings, cooking, cleaning, activities in your town and of course worship services are the ways in which parishes develop, grow and express themselves. These events also serve as entry points for newcomers. So an empty calendar can be a huge turn off.  

Of course an empty web calendar may be reality. So then we have other issues. 

8. Get Help

If you want website help just ask. First step is a quick, free (though brutally honest) assessment of your current parish website. Please contact us. Or ask a non-Orthodox friend to look it over.  

Passive vs. Active

If you are saying to yourself, "those are good points but I don't think that is enough to get our parish to grow" you would be correct. They are NOT enough. The practical points above are "inbound", passive communication actions. They will have some value if people are "looking". In future issues we'll try to offer thoughts on actively presenting Orthodox Christianity and your parish to your community. 

Good photos should be interesting and well framed.

Soooo.... to encourage parishes to think about vibrant parish life -and how it can be portrayed we're initiating an Archdiocesan Parish Photo Contest. We hope the effort will not only be fun, create some good inter-parish "buzz" and friendly competition, but will result in:

Worship -- Liturgy is the work of the people --show people. Also, good photos can help to overcome inaccurate stereotypes.

Good Photos  

Some good new photo material for websites and other parish publications.  

 

Finding a Parish Photographer 

Discovering parishioners with a gift for capturing, photographically, the life of their beloved parish.

 

Ground Rules

Categories

Submit photos in one of three categories: 

Category 1 Worship/Sacraments 

Photos depicting active, vibrant worship,

Parish Life- Depict life in the body of Christ as more than making pirogis, baking and cleaning the church.

preparing for worship (decorating church, rehearsing choir), receiving sacraments (Eucharist, wedding, chrismation, baptism etc.)

Category 2 - Parish Life  

Photos focusing on any other worthwhile aspect of parish life (leadership, active service; open communication, authentic community, Christian formation, spreading the gospel, more)

Category 3 -Youth  

Any of above -- with a focus on young people as subjects.

Youth - How many ways can we display young persons learning to be part of the church.

1. Joy!
2. Love of Christ -- through work in His Church and in the world.
3. Good photography -- clarity, light, color, framing, composition, effects. (We suggest you review the following article: Taking Good Parish Photos. 

• "What comes next (after giving in to sports) in terms of Christian retreat?"
• "Given that worship is Orthodoxy's primary mission, is the sacrifice worth it? How many Sunday's will have to pass until it is worth it? "
• "In the game of life, all life, how does soccer (or anything else secular) stack up?"

"We've had a few families in recent years who have had church attendance affected by sports. Co-incidentally (I think) these were families who took their church life more seriously so it was easy to work with them. At the same time I have had several  kids drop out of regular church attendance with no sports excuse, so sometimes I wonder if sport should really take all the rap for something that seems to be happening at that age to a degree anyway."

At age four this young man loves to go to church. How will he react at age 12?

"When our kids had Sunday morning games my wife and I generally allowed them to participate, since they were occasional. We carefully explained that this was an exception, and that they should never expect that we would permit this weekly and they would attend Saturday vigil on those occasions. Twenty years later, both are active in the church with Orthodox spouses and Orthodox children. Allowing them to participate in a Sunday morning game a dozen or so times when they were kids obviously did not push them out of the Church, and by explaining clearly our feelings about it, they knew exactly were we stood."

"People choosing not to attend (for whatever reason --soccer or other) might be an indicator of who we are and what we offer -- or fail to offer.  Maybe the burden is on us as a parish and on the Orthodox Church to make Sunday Liturgy a blessing for which the people are thankful. The fault may be ours not theirs.  Maybe we're too busy paying attention to the past to notice the people of God who are wanting to bless God and be blessed by Him in their lives in 21st century America -- rather than in 18th Century rural Russia or Greece."

So, some common themes --and an array of hopefully helpful perspectives. In the end of course -- follow the directives of your parish priest.