Two weeks into collecting Commitment Cards following our Season of Stewardship we are in the process of evaluating the “Responsibility-Ability” of our parish. This is a “faith-audit” – a necessary prerequisite that must precede ministry planning for 2007.

The Book of James says, “Faith without works is dead.... Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works, I will show you my faith.” A check-mark on a Commitment Card does not quite express the work of faith. But, it at least expresses a good faith intention.

(For more information about our Commitment Card see the previous post.)

Speaking of the previous post, an anonymous parishioner responded with this perspective:

There will be some on the sidelines waiting to make their financial pledge until they see what has come in so far. Right or wrong, it's a fact that must be considered. Is it a fact that must be considered? Really? I don’t think so.

We don’t care about people’s money. We care about people’s lives. If there are folk “on the sidelines” waiting to make a pledge, our interest is not their pledge. Our interest is to help them find – what? The faith? The courage? to risk trusting God’s promise. Our interest is to invite them from the sidelines into the center so they can experience the power of God.

Their money provides little value if we do not have their hearts.

Speaking of hearts, what does our faith-audit reveal about the hearts of our parishioners?

To date we have received 186 Commitment Cards. In the analysis below, remember a Commitment Card represents a household. Thus, the number of individuals represented below add up to more than the number of cards turned in. (A household sometimes includes two adults.)

109 have committed to pray daily for their fellow parishioners.

120 are already supporting fellow parishioners in a Shepherd Group.

16 have requested help finding a Shepherd Group.

We have roughly 390 adults in worship on Sundays, (see previous post). Of the 212 committed to Sabbath Keeping, 120 are also committed to participation in a Shepherd Group. Of those committed to worship twice a month, 11 are in a Shepherd Group.

This suggests (roughly) 32% of parishioners gathered for worship on any given Sunday, are also supporting one another with significant, real-world, no nonsense support.

Another 27% are committed to pray for fellow parishioners.

What does this mean?

In assessing this data it is important to remember that we live in a deeply isolated and alienating society. A recent study reports that over the last 20 years, number of people who have four or five discussion partners” in their life, has gone from 33% of the population down to 15% of the population. Those who report having 6 or more discussion partners is down to 4.9% of the population. (Social Isolation in America: Changes in Core Discussion Networks over Two Decades, American Sociological Review, 2006, VOL. 71, June:353–375)

Quoting the Study:

Social scientists know that contacts with other people are important in both instrumental and socio-emotional domains (Fischer 1982; Lin 2001). The closer and stronger our tie with someone, the broader the scope of their support for us (Wellman and Wortley 1990) and the greater the likelihood that they will provide major help in a crisis (Hurlbert, Haines, and Beggs 2000). These are important people in our lives. They influence us directly through their interactions with us and indirectly by shaping the kinds of people we become (Smith-Lovin and McPherson 1993).

So, in our society only 20% of the population is in a relationship with other people who really know them and really care about them. Understand this: 80% of the people in our society live lonely lives. Most have made accomodation for their loneliness. Many may not even remember what it feels like to love and be loved.

According to our Commitment Cards, in our parish, 32% of the people who gather to worship with us on a Sunday represent a relational network 50% greater than the society at large. I find this very encouraging indeed.

Do we have more work to do encouraging people to make supporting their fellow parishioners a priority? Of course we do. But given our mission context, we are relational equiped reach out to others with real support. The sociological data is deeply troubling. We can have confidence knowing we are working the right problem.

Encouraging our neighbors to risk genuine friendship with us, may be the most important thing we do.