Pastor looks for ways to draw the unchurched

The Rev. Deb Conklin is helping two small Spokane churches attract new, younger members in two of the poorest neighborhoods in the state.

Conklin began serving Liberty Park United Methodist Church in the East Central neighborhood in 2007, half-time along with Deer Park United Methodist Church.

In July, she was shifted from Deer Park to St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, which recently sold its West Central neighborhood building at 1620 N. Monroe St.

After coming to Liberty Park, Conklin became aware that the 15 people, all over age 60, who worshipped in the 200-seat sanctuary had “a sense of being the last remnant.”

So last year – knowing young people are drawn by other young people, and not by worship in a traditional setting with older people – she started “Faith Conversations,” a discussion group for people in their 20s and 30s.

The idea came from her 26-year-old son, Chris, when she asked what it would take for him to be part of a church.

The group meets Thursday evenings for conversations on how faith affects their involvement in the community and world. They recently explored what was happening to labor in Washington when the governor of Wisconsin was trying to drive out unions.

“Young adults wonder why churches aren’t speaking out as they did in the 1960s, leading the civil rights and anti-war movements,” Conklin says. “They ask: Why aren’t churches taking leadership on living wages? Why do people accept blaming unions, when unions won the 40-hour workweek and health care, and protect us from the power of multinational corporations?”

After St. Paul’s sold its building in May to Christ Our Hope Bible Church, it began sharing space at Salem Lutheran Church, 1428 W. Broadway Ave., to stay in the neighborhood.

Now the congregation is joining Salem Lutheran and Holy Trinity Episcopal in beginning steps to form The Oak Tree, a new ministry seeking alternative ways for unchurched people in their 20s to 40s to enter denominational churches.

Organizers envision small groups to discuss contemporary issues, coffee-house conversations, door-to-door relationship building led by a community organizer, using Internet tools, offering community events and involving people in social justice and community service.

Conklin believes churches in the 21st century need to offer more than attractive buildings and quality Sunday worship. Today, what church members are doing in the community and world is more likely to draw people to come alongside those who are doing the work of Jesus, she says.

She welcomes the Worldwide United Methodists’ recent decision to include “transformation” in the mission for congregations, which are now called “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”

“A church that takes ministry seriously is integrated into its neighborhood, is involved in social justice issues and spends time with people who are struggling with issues of the day,” Conklin says. “The church’s role is to nurture members so they go out to nurture others.”

She describes Liberty Park and St. Paul’s as having been healthy, successful churches for more than 100 years, then both becoming victims of an inability to adapt to cultural changes after the 1950s.

“As long as the cultural norm was to go to church on Sunday, we did well with a church in nearly every town and neighborhood,” Conklin says, “but we forgot how to do evangelism.

“People died and were not replaced. Older people had less to give. Budget problems led many churches to focus inward rather than asking where God was calling them to serve the world.”

Conklin says Liberty Park, 1526 E. 11th Ave., is a “true” neighborhood church, because there is no parking lot. People walked to church.

Its long-term rental agreements with a Montessori preschool and the Spokane Alliance – which helps congregations serve their neighborhoods – gave it partners to help support the building.

St. Paul’s, which started the Women’s and Children’s Free Restaurant, spun it off as a separate nonprofit. The church also prepares a monthly dinner for Crosswalk, a downtown drop-in center and shelter for teens on the streets.

Both churches rented a plot in the Grant Park Community Garden for the Crosswalk teens.

Conklin finds St. Paul’s members – which range from two families with children to people in their 90s – more optimistic now that they no longer are a few people sitting in front of a sanctuary that seats 350. They fit in the fireside room of Salem Lutheran.

“They feel they are in a community with a future,” she says.

“Today Christians in post-Christian America are like the Jews in exile in Babylon. We need to heed the prophet Jeremiah’s instruction to care for the communities where we live because our welfare is tied to the welfare of our communities. Young adults want to be involved.”