Fastest Growing Church in the US?

[Dave McClung]

I wonder what local church that has been in existence for more than 7 years is the fastest growing church in the U.S. If percentage of growth over the past 7 years is used, I suspect that Gig Harbor Church of the Nazarene may be it.

Worship Attendance

2005 26 (Linda and I were still at ENC)
2006 43 (Linda and I were back for half the year.)
2007 53 (We lost our pastor 2 weeks after the district assembly.)
2008 78 (We had supply pastors for the entire year.)
2009 132 (The first year that Steve Gates was our pastor.)
2010 150
2011 184
2012 212

Using 2005 as the base year, we have experienced 815% growth. Do you know of a faster growing church?

Somewhere there must be a church that had 1 in 205 and now has 20.

[Craig Laughlin]

Bud Pugh on another thread said a church in Bend Oregon was planted in 5 years ago and is now running 400. (I know doesn't fit the 7 years) I also think Dale Shaeffer's church in Illinois is on an extremely sharp upward curve. Something like 600 in a relatively few years.

This takes nothing away from Gig Harbor which is an extraordinary church by any standard and in many ways turning around a church is more difficult than planting one. (Especially given Gig Harbor's history)

- Great to have so many to choose from! These churches give me hope for our denomination.

[Bud Pugh]

It looks like Bridgeway Community (Dale Schaeffer's church) was started in 2004-05 though no attendance figures show up until 2007 (173 worship attendance). 2011=416.

I guess that's "just" 240.4% growth.

[Marian Schwaller Carney]

Well, that is encouraging. So, did we ever decide why the growth is happening? How is the stability of the populations of these churches - that is, lots of turn over or no? Mature faith walks among the people, or superficial? And so on. Is it all word of mouth from happy parishioners?

I just went door to door to 20 doors that ring our community center where we meet. We are at 25, and Sunday I get installed. What should I start doing to try to gain this kind of growth?

[Dave McClung]

Well, that is encouraging. So, did we ever decide why the growth is happening? How is the stability of the populations of these churches - that is, lots of turn over or no? Mature faith walks among the people, or superficial? And so on. Is it all word of mouth from happy parishioners?

I just went door to door to 20 doors that ring our community center where we meet. We are at 25, and Sunday I get installed. What should I start doing to try to gain this kind of growth?

My suggestions:

1. Pray. Prayer is an imporant part of a growing church. Pray specifically for growth.

2. Deal with issues while they are small. One of the biggest issues in church growth is avoiding crisis. I think one of the things that causes churches where Steve Gates is the pastor to grow is his willingness to confront those who gossip or cause friction.

3. Keep the worship services about worship. We do our best to eliminate all distractions. Announcements are in the bulliten. The offering plates are passed during one of the congregational songs (no announcement -- the ushers just pass the plates) At the conclusion of the song we have prayer. At the conclusion of the last song, the pastor walks to the front. He acknowledges visitors by name, then presents the sermon. The entire service takes one hour.

4. The pastor greets every person that he doesn't know. I makes a note of their name and contact information. He briefly introduces them in the beginning of his sermon and tells enough about them to allow others to connect. At the conclusion of the service the congregation all do their best to meet the visitors. Visitors often mention that they were welcomed.

5. Give new comers an assignment. Our pastor is great about identifying people's interst and connecting them with a responsibility in the church. People like to be included.

6. Delegate -- It takes skill to delegate well. Ask people to accept an assigment. Give them any training that is needed. Gvie feedback -- both positive and constructive.

7. Provide leadership in the finances --

I would like to share an example. When Pastor Gates arrived the congregation was almost entirely elderly folks. Most of the congregation were 50 or older. We had only two teens. Pastor Gates asked the board to specifically pray that the Lord would send teens and children. All of us began to pray and immediately the children and teens began to come. I am unaware of anything we did except to pray. Of course, once the teens and children started coming, we developed programs for them. My point is just that before you start working, pray and get your church leaders to pray. Be specific.

[Marian Schwaller Carney]

Dave, thank you. I agree, prayer tops the list. These other items are extremely helpful and timely, and I will consider each of these very closely. I really appreciate this, thank you, again!

[Hans Deventer]

3. Keep the worship services about worship. We do our best to eliminate all distractions. Announcements are in the bulliten. The offering plates are passed during one of the congregational songs (no announcement -- the ushers just pass the plates) At the conclusion of the song we have prayer. At the conclusion of the last song, the pastor walks to the front. He acknowledges visitors by name, then presents the sermon. The entire service takes one hour.

Oh man, what a dream church...... Finally one that doesn't abide by the unwritten law that more is always better.

[Kami Tuenning]

My suggestions:

... Of course, once the teens and children started coming, we developed programs for them. My point is just that before you start working, pray and get your church leaders to pray. Be specific.

Dave,

This sounds like a wonderful church! I am with you 100% especially with #3-keeping service to 1 hour. I just wondered why you didn't apply #5 to the teens and children rather than "develop programs for them". My husband is a youth pastor so I understand the church mindset. However we have discovered that "youth ministry" or youth programming is an invention of the modern American church. My husband is really looking at inter-generational models of discipleship for youth, though it can be a tough "sell" to the congregation, we think it is the most authentic way of discipleship. Youth programming has proven to be ineffective in its current practice. With such a young church, this could be a golden opportunity to break the cycle of status quo youth programming. Just a thought l will keep this church in prayer.

[Heidi Anderson]

Dave I have to tell you that at District Assembly I was sitting by a couple I didn't know as they were looking through the book of reports. The husband said to his wife "look at the Gig Harbor church?!" They didn't do the math as quickly but could certainly tell by the numeric gain. It is particularly interesting when one thinks of where Gig Harbor is...wonderful news!

[Dave McClung]

Dave,

This sounds like a wonderful church! I am with you 100% especially with #3-keeping service to 1 hour. I just wondered why you didn't apply #5 to the teens and children rather than "develop programs for them". My husband is a youth pastor so I understand the church mindset. However we have discovered that "youth ministry" or youth programming is an invention of the modern American church. My husband is really looking at inter-generational models of discipleship for youth, though it can be a tough "sell" to the congregation, we think it is the most authentic way of discipleship. Youth programming has proven to be ineffective in its current practice. With such a young church, this could be a golden opportunity to break the cycle of status quo youth programming. Just a thought l will keep this church in prayer.

Tami, in trying to be brief, I mislead you. When I was speaking "youth", I was including the teens and the children. The teens are very much incorporated into the worship services and activities of the church.

For the children, we have totally separate children's church for a very practical reason. Our sanctuary won't hold the entire congregation. The only way we can accomodate the number we do is to have a separate children's church.

Double services are not practical for us becaue of the parking situation. We have started a worship service on Saturday nights, thinking that some would attend on Saturday instead of Sunday. That service is running about 40, but most who attend also come back on Sunday.

[Bill Morrison]

Double services are not practical for us becaue of the parking situation. We have started a worship service on Saturday nights, thinking that some would attend on Saturday instead of Sunday. That service is running about 40, but most who attend also come back on Sunday.

Now I have heard everything....people will mess up the best laid plans won't they
I sure hope they are putting money in the plate both services!

BILL

[Greg Farra]

Bill,

They may be coming back for Sunday school. When we were Lutheran, we sometimes attended the Saturday night service but would come back for Sunday school.

[Dave McClung]

Here is a picture of our church. It is one block from the water front, with very limited parking.

[Marian Schwaller Carney]

Dave, I was overheard at breakfast in town today while telling a friend about your list, and how excited I was to start working with my leadership to discuss and implement it. The eavesdropper was a Lutheran minister, and his wife, who are now pastoring at a Congregational church in another small town out here. He'd like a copy of the list and to get together from time to time to talk about church development and church growth - they are at about 40.

May I share your list if I 'sanitize' it of identification?

[Dave McClung]

Dave, I was overheard at breakfast in town today while telling a friend about your list, and how excited I was to start working with my leadership to discuss and implement it. The eavesdropper was a Lutheran minister, and his wife, who are now pastoring at a Congregational church in another small town out here. He'd like a copy of the list and to get together from time to time to talk about church development and church growth - they are at about 40.

May I share your list if I 'sanitize' it of identification?

Yes, feel free to share.

[Dave McClung]

I intentionally didn't mention money in the list, but after thinking about it I think I should.

When I discuss church growth with pastors, the topic of money almost always comes up. At our church, the public discussion of money only comes up:

1. When the pastor preaches on "stewardship" as an issue of spiritual health.
2. When there is a special NMI offering.
3. When there is a "love" offering.

It has been a long time since the financial needs of the local church have been mentioned from the pulpit.

In my opinon, it is very difficult to grow a church when a frequent message is "Come join us so we can pay the bills." No one would ever say those words, but many times I have heard pastors give that impression by the things they say from the pulpit.

How does a church avoid having to beg for money?

1. It starts with having church leaders who "own" the plan. No one should be allowed to serve on the church board unless they support the church with their tithes.
2. Have a spending budget based on realistic expectations for income.
3. Review spending at least monthly and make adjustments when necessary.
4. Include in the plan the building a "reserve fund." Having three months of expenses in a reserve fund helps avoid a crisis.

In all fairness I recognize that most small churches don't have wealthy families to help fund the growth. How to attrach people with resources probably warrants another post.

Just a few years ago, two families provided more than half of the income for the Gig Harbor Church. Last year their giving was less than 20% of the total. That is a healthy situation. In studies I had done and seen, in a typical church 20% of the givers give 80% of the income.

One more thing -- realize that one of the biggest barriers to growth is debt. Many small churches have killed thier prospects by building a building they can't afford.

[David Snodgrass]

I wonder what local church that has been in existence for more than 7 years is the fastest growing church in the U.S. If percentage of growth over the past 7 years is used, I suspect that Gig Harbor Church of the Nazarene may be it.

Worship Attendance

2005 26 (Linda and I were still at ENC)
2006 43 (Linda and I were back for half the year.)
2007 53 (We lost our pastor 2 weeks after the district assembly.)
2008 78 (We had supply pastors for the entire year.)
2009 132 (The first year that Steve Gates was our pastor.)
2010 150
2011 184
2012 212

Using 2005 as the base year, we have experienced 815% growth. Do you know of a faster growing church?

Somewhere there must be a church that had 1 in 205 and now has 20.

Dave, I'm interested in what the things were like from 2008 - 2009. Gig Harbor grew from 78 to 132. Was this growth due to new folks coming in and/or folks coming back to the church who had left over the past few years? The reason I ask is that my church is right where Gig Harbor was in 2008. I've seen my average go from 63 each month to as high as 83 on month. We are beginning to level off at 79. For Easter we had 150, so the potential to consistently break the "100 ceiling" in attendance is there.

We're seeing knew folks, but my biggest concern is making sure they get "connected" to our church. Studies show that new folks who come in and just "sit the pew" usually don't stick around longer than 2 or 3 years. What was done at Gig Harbor to ensure that folks were getting connected with the faith community?

[Dave McClung]

Dave, I'm interested in what the things were like from 2008 - 2009. Gig Harbor grew from 78 to 132. Was this growth due to new folks coming in and/or folks coming back to the church who had left over the past few years? The reason I ask is that my church is right where Gig Harbor was in 2008. I've seen my average go from 63 each month to as high as 83 on month. We are beginning to level off at 79. For Easter we had 150, so the potential to consistently break the "100 ceiling" in attendance is there.

We're seeing knew folks, but my biggest concern is making sure they get "connected" to our church. Studies show that new folks who come in and just "sit the pew" usually don't stick around longer than 2 or 3 years. What was done at Gig Harbor to ensure that folks were getting connected with the faith community?

When you look at the number, realize that the year is the year of the report, so the 2007 report is really for March 1, 2006 to Feb. 28, 2007.

You asked what things were like in Gig Harbor in 2008-2009. I will respond for the time from March 1, 2007 until Feb. 28, 2009. This period was a time of crisis for the church.

Our young pastor was ordained at the district assembly in April of 2007. We were all proud. Looking back on it, I recall that he had been dragging his feet on completing the requirements. His excuse was that his duties as pastor were more important, but I pressured him to complete the ordination requirements. At the time Linda said, "Steven Kerr will be a general superintendent one of these days." I wasn't quite as impressed, but I agreed that he had great potential.

Two weeks following the assembly, Linda and I took a trip to China. While I was there I recevied the most shocking email of my life -- "Pastor Kerr has just been arrested. He has confessed to molesting his daughter. He has turned in his credentials and resigned from the church."

As you can imagine, the Gig Harbor Church entered a period of crisis. Our church was on tv and in the press every few days until Pastor Kerr was sentenced to 12 years in the pen. I was proud of how the local church responded. First, the part-time youth pastor was the one who learned of the molestation. He confronted the pastor then reported it to the authorities. The church benefited from his having followed the law on reporting. Second, our associate pastor, Ted Hughes, (a retired missionary) stepped up to be the public spokesman for the church. He did a good job of responding to the press.

So, to answer your question, the period you asked about started with as bad of a crisis as a local church can have. Rather than panic, the church board decided to plan a period of healing. We recruited an interim pastor, Dave Ness, and turned to prayer. To a large extent the focus of the congregation turned to ministering to the wife and children of the former pastor. I won't go into detail about what all was done, but I will say that the church did everything possible to support the family.

After six months, the church decided to call Dave Ness as the pastor. He prayed about it and said "No." The church then turned its attention to Steve Gates. We called him. He prayed about it for several days before sayng "No." After being turned down twice, I advised the board to get some "professional help." I called Leon Wyss, retired DS of the Colorado District, and asked him to come as interim pastor and consultant for the search. Linda and I went to Arizona for the winter and invited Leon and Liz Wyss to use our home. Dr. Wyss worked with the church board and with Steve Gates and came to an agreement. The church once again extended a call to Steve Gates and he accepted.

Steve Gates arrived in the spring of 2008 and found a church that was ready to follow his leadership. When he arrived he announced that the first order of business was to pray. His preaching and teaching were focused on prayer. (To one with a business background, it seemed that we were also doing some "goal setting.") Pastor Gates identified several priorities for prayer. As I have mentioned here, one of the priorities was attracting some young people.

As soon as the Gates arrived, the church received a real blessing. Their daughter and son-in-law with six children started attending. They were and still are a great encouragement. For a church running in the 50's, 10 people from the pastor and family were a big part of that year's growth.

Since then, we have had visitors every Sunday that I can remember. We seek to welcome each one and have attracted enough to have a constant growth curve.

I hope this answers your question. I realize that it isn't a path your church will want to follow.

[Billy Cox]

I intentionally didn't mention money in the list, but after thinking about it I think I should.

When I discuss church growth with pastors, the topic of money almost always comes up. At our church, the public discussion of money only comes up:

1. When the pastor preaches on "stewardship" as an issue of spiritual health.
2. When there is a special NMI offering.
3. When there is a "love" offering.

It has been a long time since the financial needs of the local church have been mentioned from the pulpit.

In my opinon, it is very difficult to grow a church when a frequent message is "Come join us so we can pay the bills." No one would ever say those words, but many times I have heard pastors give that impression by the things they say from the pulpit.

How does a church avoid having to beg for money?

1. It starts with having church leaders who "own" the plan. No one should be allowed to serve on the church board unless they support the church with their tithes.
2. Have a spending budget based on realistic expectations for income.
3. Review spending at least monthly and make adjustments when necessary.
4. Include in the plan the building a "reserve fund." Having three months of expenses in a reserve fund helps avoid a crisis.

In all fairness I recognize that most small churches don't have wealthy families to help fund the growth. How to attrach people with resources probably warrants another post.

Just a few years ago, two families provided more than half of the income for the Gig Harbor Church. Last year their giving was less than 20% of the total. That is a healthy situation. In studies I had done and seen, in a typical church 20% of the givers give 80% of the income.

One more thing -- realize that one of the biggest barriers to growth is debt. Many small churches have killed thier prospects by building a building they can't afford.

The thought crossed my mind earlier today (for some reason), "I wonder what a church could accomplish if wasn't worried about money."

[Rich Schmidt]

Thanks for sharing the story, Dave!

As soon as the Gates arrived, the church received a real blessing. Their daughter and son-in-law with six children started attending. They were and still are a great encouragement. For a church running in the 50's, 10 people from the pastor and family were a big part of that year's growth.

The church was running in the 50's and had a senior pastor, an associate pastor, and a part-time youth pastor? I can't help but think of your post in another thread...

[Dave McClung]

Thanks for sharing the story, Dave!



The church was running in the 50's and had a senior pastor, an associate pastor, and a part-time youth pastor? I can't help but think of your post in another thread...

When I posted that, I thought I should explain, but I didn't. Neither the associate pastor or the youth pastor were paid staff.

One of the things that has been important to our church was the decision to welcome retired and unassigned clergy. I have not counted lately, but I believe we have 5 ordained clergy in addition to the pastor. None of them are on the church payroll. Two hold their credentials in other denominations. There are many, many people in the church who feel a call from God to be clergy but for one reason or another are not currently assigned. Many of them welcome an opportunity to serve, even in unpaid positions. It has been a conscious decision by our church leadership to welcome such people.

The "part-time" youth pastor that I mentioned was a young man in graduate school who served as part-time volunteer youth pastor. It enhanced his resume, but didn't fill his wallet.

Neither of these individuals were on the denominational pension plan.

[Rich Schmidt]

When I posted that, I thought I should explain, but I didn't. Neither the associate pastor or the youth pastor were paid staff.

One of the things that has been important to our church was the decision to welcome retired and unassigned clergy. I have not counted lately, but I believe we have 5 ordained clergy in addition to the pastor. None of them are on the church payroll. Two hold their credentials in other denominations. There are many, many people in the church who feel a call from God to be clergy but for one reason or another are not currently assigned. Many of them welcome an opportunity to serve, even in unpaid positions. It has been a conscious decision by our church leadership to welcome such people.

The "part-time" youth pastor that I mentioned was a young man in graduate school who served as part-time volunteer youth pastor. It enhanced his resume, but didn't fill his wallet.

Neither of these individuals were on the denominational pension plan.

Thanks, Dave. We've welcomed them over the years at our church, too. We have two retired Nazarene elders in our church right now (one of whom is my dad). A few years ago we had a pastor from another denomination and his family with us. He was pretty burned out after a bad experience or two, but God used his time with us to help him heal and eventually return to full-time pastoral ministry.

[Bill Morrison]

The thought crossed my mind earlier today (for some reason), "I wonder what a church could accomplish if wasn't worried about money."

This statement (and the sermon I heard this morning) caused me to think: "I wonder what would be accomplished if all members in a local church didnt worry about money and trusted God to support them on the 90% they had left after they placed their tithe in the plate?"
And that isn't even getting to the issue of what God might do with truly "sacrificial giving" on the part of members.
(All of this of course assumes a church leadership that wisely manages the money using principles similar to those Dave has presented in his posts)

BILL

[Billy Cox]

This statement (and the sermon I heard this morning) caused me to think: "I wonder what would be accomplished if all members in a local church didnt worry about money and trusted God to support them on the 90% they had left after they placed their tithe in the plate?"
And that isn't even getting to the issue of what God might do with truly "sacrificial giving" on the part of members.
(All of this of course assumes a church leadership that wisely manages the money using principles similar to those Dave has presented in his posts)

My experiences are significantly colored by my interaction with leaders who -- due to mismanagement or circumstances beyond their control or some combination thereof -- were operating under significant financial pressure. People under that sort of pressure can do things that are outside of their character and convictions.

It got me wondering how things would have been different without the financial treadmill.

[Dave McClung]

My experiences are significantly colored by my interaction with leaders who -- due to mismanagement or circumstances beyond their control or some combination thereof -- were operating under significant financial pressure. People under that sort of pressure can do things that are outside of their character and convictions.

It got me wondering how things would have been different without the financial treadmill.

Billy

I have always marveled at how many pastors preach and sing about "He owns the cattle on a thousand hills...." then spend much of their time worrying about "limited resources." Somehow that seems inconsistent to me. My question is what places the limits on God's resources?

[Billy Cox]

Billy

I have always marveled at how many pastors preach and sing about "He owns the cattle on a thousand hills...." then spend much of their time worrying about "limited resources." Somehow that seems inconsistent to me. My question is what places the limits on God's resources?

Dave, I am convinced that the reasons for financial scarcity in the church are complicated, but church leadership's response is one-dimensional. After a few weeks (months?) of falling short of financial goals, the pastor takes a break from the sermon series in progress to revisit the go-to scriptures on tithing one's income. The congregation steps up their giving for a few weeks/months, until giving slides downward... rinse and repeat.

In my opinion, churches shortchange themselves and their congregation by treating the tithe as a spiritual ideal, when in reality, sacrificial giving is the ideal and generosity (not tithing) is the minimum expectation. How many people when considering a major expenditure (house, car, boat, vacation) weigh the impact that the purchase would have on their capacity to be generous and sacrificial for months or years to come? I can't remember EVER hearing this mentioned in the many stewardship sermons, yet it goes right to the core of stewardship.

I am encouraged that some churches have promoted and/or hosted Financial Peace University. This seems to be at least an acknowledgement that people cannot increase their giving if they have no discretionary income.

[Kevin Rector]

I wonder what local church that has been in existence for more than 7 years is the fastest growing church in the U.S. If percentage of growth over the past 7 years is used, I suspect that Gig Harbor Church of the Nazarene may be it.

Worship Attendance

2005 26 (Linda and I were still at ENC)
2006 43 (Linda and I were back for half the year.)
2007 53 (We lost our pastor 2 weeks after the district assembly.)
2008 78 (We had supply pastors for the entire year.)
2009 132 (The first year that Steve Gates was our pastor.)
2010 150
2011 184
2012 212

Using 2005 as the base year, we have experienced 815% growth. Do you know of a faster growing church?

Somewhere there must be a church that had 1 in 205 and now has 20.

This is an interesting site, but it only give single year over year statistics for the most current year: http://nazarene.org/ministries/admin...s/display.html

From 2010 to 2011 Gig Harbor wasn't in the top 100 in numerical or percentage gain in the US. Of course the seven year trend is very impressive. It seems like 2008 to 2009 was a very important year for your church's growth.

[Dave McClung]

This is an interesting site, but it only give single year over year statistics for the most current year: http://nazarene.org/ministries/admin...s/display.html

From 2010 to 2011 Gig Harbor wasn't in the top 100 in numerical or percentage gain in the US. Of course the seven year trend is very impressive. It seems like 2008 to 2009 was a very important year for your church's growth.

Thanks, Kevin. That is an interesting site.

[Kevin Rector]

Dave, I am convinced that the reasons for financial scarcity in the church are complicated...

They are indeed, but I think that one of the biggest reasons is that leadership often fails to realize why people give. People rarely give because it's needed. People rarely give generously out of duty. People give to success. People give to vision. People give to mission being accomplished. People give to see lives changed for the better.

That's why I think that most pastor who puts a little box in the bulletin showing the monthly need and the monthly amount that has come is (usually way short) is making a huge mistake. That doesn't communicate success. That doesn't communicate that the church has the resources of God at our disposal. Asking the people to give simply because the church needs the money communicates failure. It certainly doesn't create any excitement.

However, when a pastor casts vision... shows how the money raised will positively impact people's lives.... makes sure the church's "success stories" are presented to the congregation then all the pastor will have to do is get out of the way and watch the money come it.

Obviously there's more to it than that, but that is one of the fundamental principles I see. Someone from headquarters (either Stewardship Ministries or P&B) sent out the book Not Your Parent's Offering Plate to every pastor in the US, and it's a great book that all pastors should read soon - especially if they struggle with money issues in the church.

[Billy Cox]

That's why I think that most pastor who puts a little box in the bulletin showing the monthly need and the monthly amount that has come is (usually way short) is making a huge mistake. That doesn't communicate success. That doesn't communicate that the church has the resources of God at our disposal. Asking the people to give simply because the church needs the money communicates failure. It certainly doesn't create any excitement.

I've never understood that little 'Giving Facts' box in the bulletin. We preach tithing but publish information as though the congregation should meter their giving according to need. I have wondered on those rare occasions where giving exceeded the amount budgeted, whether people cut back on their giving since the need has been met.

However, when a pastor casts vision... shows how the money raised will positively impact people's lives.... makes sure the church's "success stories" are presented to the congregation then all the pastor will have to do is get out of the way and watch the money come it.

I would much rather give in response to vision than in response to shortage. Good post!

[Kevin Rector]

We have a very responsive research center. I asked for 2005-2012 and they sent me 2004-2011 (2012 numbers are not all in yet). Over that period Gig Harbor was the 81st fastest growing church by percentage in the US/Canada.

See the attached PDF that the research center sent me.

Top 100 Worship by Pct 2004-2011.pdf

[Ryan Scott]

We have a very responsive research center. I asked for 2005-2012 and they sent me 2004-2011 (2012 numbers are not all in yet). Over that period Gig Harbor was the 81st fastest growing church by percentage in the US/Canada.

See the attached PDF that the research center sent me.

Attachment 3729

That shows them with 72 in attendance in 2004. If Dave's 2005 number of 26 is correct, they would move up the list to at least second place.

[Ryan Pugh]

Just some thoughts: Numbers going up doesn't equal growth. Numbers going down doesn't equal failure. Sometimes numbers going up does not mean growing into the kingdom. And sometimes numbers going down is the only way for a community to actually be growing into the kingdom.

[Craig Laughlin]

The best thing about this report is that I now know that there exists a church named:
"Smoke Signal Church of the Nazarene"

Awesome.

(Second best thing: I was reminded that there is a "Happy Church of the Nazarene")

The church I pastor is Marysville (The city we are located in) COTN. I keep trying to sell the idea of changing the churches name to reflect the fact that we minister to a much larger geogrphic area than Marysville. Would be nice to have a name that communcates location without being partisan. (Marysville) This would be easily accomplished by taking the name of the well known hill on which the church sits. Whiskey Ridge. I SO want to be the pastor of Whiskey Ridge Church of the Nazarene. Dave, you still on the DAB? - Can I count on your vote?

[Dave McClung]

The church I pastor is Marysville (The city we are located in) COTN. I keep trying to sell the idea of changing the churches name to reflect the fact that we minister to a much larger geogrphic area than Marysville. Would be nice to have a name that communcates location without being partisan. (Marysville) This would be easily accomplished by taking the name of the well known hill on which the church sits. Whiskey Ridge. I SO want to be the pastor of Whiskey Ridge Church of the Nazarene. Dave, you still on the DAB? - Can I count on your vote?

Craig, I resigned from the DAB because I missed too many meetings, but I am a firm believer that a church should be able to select its own name. It has been my observation that when there is a disagreement between the DAB and the local church, the local church gets called the name the local church wants, even if the district reports say something else.

When I was on the local church board of Richardson Church of the Nazarene the DAB decided that it should be named, "First Church of the Nazarene, Richardson, Tx." The DAB argued that Richardson was too large to have only one local church of the Nazarene. Guess what the church is called today?

[Kevin Rector]

That shows them with 72 in attendance in 2004. If Dave's 2005 number of 26 is correct, they would move up the list to at least second place.

Well, it turns out that if you ask you shall receive.... Using 2005 to 2011 numbers, Gig Harbor was the fourth fastest growing church by percentage in the US (but only the third fastest on it's district). Stats are fun.

Interesting how the addition of 2004 makes such a difference as there were large losses from 2004 to 2005.

For the record, I love the Nazarene research department, they are so helpful and prompt with replies!

Top 100 Worship by Pct 2005-2011.pdf

[Craig Laughlin]

Craig, I resigned from the DAB because I missed too many meetings, but I am a firm believer that a church should be able to select its own name. It has been my observation that when there is a disagreement between the DAB and the local church, the local church gets called the name the local church wants, even if the district reports say something else.

When I was on the local church board of Richardson Church of the Nazarene the DAB decided that it should be named, "First Church of the Nazarene, Richardson, Tx." The DAB argued that Richardson was too large to have only one local church of the Nazarene. Guess what the church is called today?

Yeah, that has been my observation as well. Personally, I'm not real comfortable with that approach. If I were serious about changing the name and we may in the future, I would be in conversation with my DS before I got things going. Hopefully the district level would be on board fairly early in the process.

- I am of course kidding about the Whiskey Ridge.

Thanks so much for your service on our DAB.

[Bill Morrison]

I SO want to be the pastor of Whiskey Ridge Church of the Nazarene.

If that doesn't work out for you, perhaps you could move just NW of Toledo, Ohio where I grew up and start a Nazarene church in Hell (Michigan)

BILL

[Billy Cox]

Well, it turns out that if you ask you shall receive.... Using 2005 to 2011 numbers, Gig Harbor was the fourth fastest growing church by percentage in the US (but only the third fastest on it's district). Stats are fun.

Interesting how the addition of 2004 makes such a difference as there were large losses from 2004 to 2005.

For the record, I love the Nazarene research department, they are so helpful and prompt with replies!

Attachment 3731

Yes, the research center is one of the bright spots at the GMC.

[Hans Deventer]

Dave, you still on the DAB? - Can I count on your vote?

You might want to check with Heidi