Growing Your Church or Closing It

What is the responsibility of a church? I have mentioned previously that my church closes for the month of July. We actually exchange with another church; we go there in July, they come to us in August. Along with this being a strange ritual for the continuity of worship, it is a cash flow problem for the church. In my opinion to correct both of these issues, we should not close at all.

The other day though, I was talking to another member of the church about this issue. She is actually working on an auction to help finance the upkeep of our historic church. So she certainly understands the financial issues, but her next comment led me to wonder about the spiritual side. Her solution to the summer money crunch was to close for the entire summer. I almost choked, “We’re a C-H-UR-CH!” This argument was lost on her though as she felt the non-use of the facilities would be a more cost efficient option – like the four day work week many companies are going to to save money. I personally think that this is a very slippery slope that we are already seeing the results of. Church attendance falls off as soon as spring sun shines and doesn’t really revive until the chill of October. Should we close those days too? How about during February and April vacation? Is this a business or a church?

I think of the work of Rick Warren of the Purpose Driven Church. Speaking from the top of a drive-in roof until his congregation was large enough to need a building. When building the Saddleback church, he always thought about how to develop and grow the church. I don’t think, in fact I know, having read several of his books, he would never close down for a month a year. His plan has built his church to include four campuses and a worldwide sensation. While I don’t believe that we have to do that, I think that we could learn a lot from his ministry. In doing so I think that we could better serve the congregation and would not need to worry about covering payroll either.

How does your church deal with the summer doldrums? What unique and helpful services does your church offer its congregation?