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Consulting

Church Vitality Consulting

Westfield Church is back. After decades of decline and struggle, it’s once again a thriving, vital congregation. Its story–at least the first partis a common one for New England churches. Historic congregations find themselves in the early years of a new millennium struggling to figure out how to remain firmly rooted in the traditions they hold dear while looking for ways to become and remain relevant in a society and culture that is constantly evolving. It’s not an easy process and there are no easy answers.

Like any challenge that needs solving, you start with what you’ve got. The good people of Westfield have a lot going for them, but what struck me as a particularly wonderful set of assets are these: we share a deep and abiding commitment to the community; our life centers around worship; and we own a beautiful, old building.

In the early summer of 2012, I first visited this stately church. I walked into the sanctuary with eyes widened by excitement. My escorts led me into the sanctuary through one of the front doors, near the chancel. I couldn’t soak it in fast enough–the pipes of the organ, the 7 foot wide pulpit, the bright red carpet, soaring windows. And that balcony. Oh, the balcony that proudly wrapped around the room. It was a sight to behold that immediately started my mind racing.”

Old churches like Westfield are wonderful places–places that are teeming with that great cloud of witnesses cheering us on as we go about our work in this day and age. They are also places that can become heavy with the voices of those who’ve gone before. We’ve all heard them in our churches–that chorus of voices singing “but this is how we’ve always done it” or “we’ve never done it that way before.”

My point is this: old, stately churches carry proud heritages steeped in tradition (or at least, perceived tradition) which can make it a challenge for church leadership to do a new thing even when the congregation requests it.

It became clear as I walked the aisles and rows of Westfield during that first visit that as their pastor I would have to find new ways to engage the congregation while (1) respecting the church’s (and congregation’s) history and (2) being authentic to who this congregation is.

Through authentic visioning, creative marketing, and engaging worship, Westfield’s story is one of a come-back kid.  And I believe that can be your story, too.

Questions? Email me at jon@revjonchapman.com.

Web and Social Media Consulting

It’s a reality that many churches are encountering–the online drive-by. It seems more and more that potential visitors are less likely to physically drive by your church and more likely to google you. What that means for us, the local church, is that the age for clunky and out-of-date websites is past.  What we want to offer potential visitors is this: an authentic portrait of who your church is.  That is to say, who are the people who call your church home, what are the activities your church does together, what are the values that you share. It should be clean, easy to explore, and visually engaging.

And here’s the kicker: it is fundamentally an outreach tool. And that’s where I come in.  Often these become difficult conversations to have because of the lack of a common language around ministry and online presence.  As a pastor, I can help lead your congregation through the ins and outs of creating a web presence for your church.

Creating a web presence doesn’t end with a website.  I am available to help your congregation utilize social media to further their reach into the community and the world.

Check out some of the sites I’ve created.