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On June 30, 2010, I retired after 43 years of full-time ministry. I had eagerly anticipated retirement, looking forward to shedding the 24-7 weight of pastoral responsibility and having evenings and weekends free to spend with my wife and family.

To celebrate retirement, I planned a solo hiking trip in the Swiss Alps. It was there, while hiking amid the grandeur of creation (even with snow and temperatures that dipped as low as six degrees below zero centigrade), that I received an e-mail from Bishop John Schol inviting me to talk with him when I returned home.

Our conversation, later in July, resulted in my accepting the part-time position to serve as director for congregational development for the Baltimore-Washington Conference – a position that involves working to start new faith communities and helping existing congregations grow and be revitalized.

What led me to leave my long-anticipated retirement after only one month were two things: 1) an awareness that The United Methodist Church I love – and in particular the Baltimore-Washington Conference – was facing a crisis of unprecedented proportions; and 2) a conviction that God wants the church to grow and can use us to make a difference.

Over the last 10 years, membership, worship attendance, professions of faith, baptisms, and the number of baptized (formerly preparatory) members – those who have been baptized but not yet confirmed – have all declined at alarming rates.

Rev. Lovett Weems told BWC pastors at a recent Bishop’s Day Apart that these declines, if unchanged, could spell the demise of the Baltimore-Washington Conference within the next 10 years.

As sobering as this report may be, it is not the death of the BWC that concerns me as much as the awareness that our decline has left many persons to live and die without an awareness of God’s saving grace in Jesus Christ.

More than the loss of members in pews, I’m concerned about the loss of souls in the Kingdom of God. And I’m concerned that while individually we have been growing the number of Acts 2 congregations collectively we have been losing people. This picture does not seem to match the Biblical portrait of an apostolic church.

Our Wesleyan heritage leads us to be evangelical, to reach out to those who are hurting and hungering for the good news of the Gospel. We can’t reach everyone, nor are we called to. We are partners with all those seeking to bring individuals into a saving relationship with Christ, seeking to do our part in helping to build the Kingdom of God. The unavoidable conclusion is that we have not been doing our part.

But, we are not powerless, we are not paralyzed, we are not without hope. In fact, there are signs of great hope exemplified in the stories of many congregations throughout our conference.

There is hope in the many strategies and tools for growth already available and the fact that we are developing more all the time. There is hope in the commitment and passion of laity and pastors who know that “business as usual” is no longer an option for us.

More than anything, I find hope in an awareness that we are richly blessed, and in my conviction that God never gives a blessing as a reward for past service. Rather, God gives blessings as a means of equipping us to serve God and others in God’s name.

In my last sermon before retiring as pastor of Glen Mar UMC, I told members of the congregation that I was trying to discern how the blessing of our years together had equipped me to serve God in the future, and invited them to do the same.

God is good, and within one month it seemed I had received my answer. The personal call I’ve sensed is to use the blessings God has given me to work to turn around the declines in worship attendance, baptisms, professions of faith that threaten the existence of the church we know and love. But isn’t that really the call for all of us who claim the name of Christ?

I invite you to join me in turning around a decade of decline. Explore the learning and training opportunities that are being offered in the coming year to find one or more that “fit” your congregation. Talk with your pastor and local church leaders about ways you can begin, or continue to grow and reach more in your community for Christ.

The message of the Bible is unmistakably clear; the story portrayed in Acts 2 and throughout the New Testament is one of spreading the faith, reaching ever more people with the good news of the Gospel. The inescapable conclusion is that God wants the church to grow, not decline. With God’s help we can turn around; through us God can make a difference in the lives of countless children, youth and adults who have not yet experienced God’s love for them.

In some ways the adventure we’re being called to join is a lot like hiking in the Swiss Alps. Surrounded by both the greatness of God and the challenges of our surroundings, we can see where we are called to go but know the way will be filled with obstacles and require great effort. But we are not alone; God is with us and will provide whatever it takes.

The Rev. Andy Lunt is director of the Grow Congregations team for the Baltimore-Washington Conference.

What Can You Do?

Send a team to your region’s Leadership Days. Consider participating in one of the workshops that offers suggestions and strategies for reaching new people in your community or bringing new energy to worship. (Visit www.bwcumc.org/microsites/g/2011leadershipdays)

Attend the Prodigal Worship Conference sponsored by the BWC at Glen Mar UMC on April 2 to hear outstanding keynote speakers and learn best practices in workshops about transforming worship that inspires, captivates, and engages all people. Register at www.bwcumc.org/prodigalworship. Group discounts are available.

Consider sending a team to the Exponential 2011 Conference in Orlando April 26-29 to learn and be inspired by those engaging in “best practices” for planting new and healthy faith communities. Scholarships are available from Grow Congregations.

Make sure your congregation is represented at the MissionInsite training being offered in various locations May 18 and 19. MissionInsite is the new demographic program purchased by the BWC for use by local churches to help them explore their area and find segments of the community with high potential for outreach and evangelism.

Send a team to the 2011 School for Congregational Development July 27-31 in Dallas. The school will focus on creating missional, disciple-growing faith communities, with a theme of “Transforming Your Church Culture.”

Send a team to the Church of the Resurrection Leadership Institute hosted by the largest United Methodist church in America September 28-30 in Leawood, Kansas. Scholarships are available from Grow Congregations.

Send a team to the Grow Your Congregation workshop at the Baltimore-Washington Conference Mission Center November 19-20.

Invite the director for congregational development or your guide to talk with your leaders about whether you are ready to parent a new faith community, extend worship to a multi-site, or start a new worship service.

Growth Strategies

Start a new worship service especially aimed at those in your community who do not currently attend worship.

Begin a new small group in which everyone brings one other person who is not currently involved in a faith community.

Hold “Coffee Mornings,” where you provide free coffee at a local coffee shop while talking with those who come in about their life issues and inviting them to some event at your church.

Plan to become a multi-site church by starting a new worship service or activity at an additional location.

Decide to plant a new church, either as a single-parent or in combination with one or more other congregations.

Redesign your church website to be more creative, engaging and user-friendly.

Use MissionInsite to find the people in your community who are not currently involved in any faith community and design an effort to reach out to them.

Invite unchurched members of the community to participate in your congregation’s mission trips or projects.

Sponsor a community fair or forum about an important issue facing the community.

Hold a public celebration to thank teachers, police and firefighters, or other public servants in your community.

Hold a public prayer service at the beginning of the school year to pray for students and teachers, or at the end of the school year to give thanks for a year of learning and growth.