Presbyterian Church Growth Conference

Last week I had the opportunity to participate in the 2^nd annual conference shared by the Presbyterian Church Growth Network (PCGN) at Knox Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati called “Finding Courage Leading Growth.” I’ve had the privilege of being part of the PCGN since its start.  The Presbyterian Church USA has been declining in numbers for more years than most of us have been alive. At the General Assembly in 2024 no information about what to do about this decline was shared. At least it was not shared with people who didn’t attend that General Assembly. A number of people around the country noticed this, and we found each other. We started having regular Zoom calls and created a Facebook page.  We then gathered at Park Ridge Presbyterian Church in Chicago to take the next step in our development and the PCGN was born. Last year we had our first conference in Englewood, New Jersey.

 Our main focus at the PCGN is to help congregations grow in mission, vitality, and people. We know the headwinds that we face. Some past groups who have advocated for growth have left the Presbyterian Church (PC(USA). We know that we have to build trust with other Presbyterians.

I have been on the Board of the PCGN since we’ve started. I know that I can speak for the rest of the Board to say that all of us are deeply committed to the PC(USA). We believe that Presbyterian congregations can flourish. We want this to happen.

The PCGN is committed to being a network of resources. We will not claim one model to help congregations grow in mission, vitality, and people. But we do want to share stories of congregations who are growing and resources to help congregations with particular issues.

The conference last week would not have happened without the leadership of Lisa Allgood and Josh Erickson. The hospitality of the people at Knox Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati was fantastic.

Jerry Cannon got the conference started with an excellent sermon on vitality. He mentioned often that spiritual growth brings numerical growth. He shared the acronym MEAE which he shared stands for Missional Ecclesial Adaptive & Experiential.

Shortly afterwards I attended a workshop on coaching by Brian Miller, who is President of Coach Approach Ministries. He talked about coaching as a collaborative conversation that helps someone think more clearly discover possibilities, and take ownership of their next steps

Josh Erickson, the extraordinary leader of the Board of the PCGN shared a talk on “Finding the Courage to Take the Next Faithful Step. IN his talk he shared the types of courage that leaders need to help their congregations continue to develop.

I spent most of Wednesday listening to Matt Mattson who is founder of “Between,” an inclusive global faith community. He shared a talk about the sacred connections between people. This space means everything. Since the conference I read his book “Sacred Connections.” I love the compassion he has for people and the desire he has for people to experience these Sacred Connections. His talk and workshop was the highlight of the conference for me.

I love hanging out with the people who attended the PCGN conference and especially hanging out with the board. These are my peeps. I don’t have to explain myself to them or share why it is important to be “all in” on growing our congregations in mission, vitality and numbers of people. 

Next year we’re gathering October 4-6 at Glendale Presbyterian Church in Glendale, California.

Until then I know that the PCGN will do our best to share resources and ideas that can help leaders in Presbyterian and other mainline congregations.