A Marin Conclusion:
'Ambiance' Trumps Theology

By Bruce Pettit

San Rafael -- April 4, 2006

Evangelical churches claim that they grow and get great worship attendance because they are rooted in orthodoxy -- a discipline giving people assurance. They claim that liberal churches languish because they are just feel-good places.

But Aldersgate UMC in San Rafael -- seeking to be a growing church -- reached another conclusion last year after it did some comparisons: Worship "ambiance" trumps theology.

In Marin County -- lampooned in the past for its supposed excess of hot tubs among the nouveau riche -- two Southern Baptist congregations draw crowds that dress in jeans or chinos (no creases or cuffs), no neckties or skirts. Jackets, if worn at all, tend to be leather.

Aldersgate -- also in trendy Marin, but moderate to liberal in theology -- was much more conservative in its dress than the two Southern Baptist churches: sport coats, neckties, creased slacks. Women had more skirts and slacks, and spent a lot more time on hairstyle and makeup than the Baptist women.

That was just one observation, but one of the most startling to the Rev. Scott Wylie. It came after challenging his church to an experiment: find out why -- even though worship attendance is low in Marin County -- there are still some churches there that are growing and thriving, thank you. How could Aldersgate -- average worship attendance about 60 -- aspire to be among them?

He sent members out to observe 17 items in worship: Go to four churches that have both larger worship attendance than Aldersgate's and a higher percentage of people under age 55.

Reporting collective findings, Aldersgate found five major factors that separated it from the more thriving congregations:

(1) Number of worship services. The thriving churches tended to have two worship services a week -- each with greater attendance than Aldersgate's one.

(2) Musical instruments leading congregational singing: Thriving churches: Usually five instruments -- piano or keyboard, two or three guitars, bass guitar, drumset. Aldersgate: Three: organ, piano, guitar. Others: no organ. Aldersgate: no drums.

(3) Number of songs during worship: Thriving churches: 6 to 10, all light rock. Aldersgate: four -- two "traditional," two from The Faith We Sing.

(4) Video projection of song lyrics, videos, event announcements, sermon illustrations: The thriving churches all had projection. Aldersgate did not.

The Aldersgate observation committee easily concluded which church type that families with youth likely would choose -- leading to an ultimate finding . . .

(5) Worshipers younger than age 55: The thriving churches: 50 to 80 percent. Aldersgate: 5 percent.

But isn't theology the raison d'etre for churches?

Rev. Wylie said he tended to preach on the Bible and its counsel. The other pastors -- of supposed Bible-thumping churches -- spent more time telling the congregants how to live, citing what Wylie regarded as little to no scripture.

Names? The Baptist congregations called themselves Bay Marin and Quest. They likely came across to seekers as related to their surroundings, or related to spiritual seeking. Aldersgate United Methodist Church? Age and tradition.

Not to despair, however. Aldersgate UMC had some things going for it on which to build from these observations. "We know we have a warm spiritual environment, and visitors always comment on this," said Wylie. "In worship, we are blessed to have an adult choir of 10-15 voices, under the competent leadership of Gloria Bland, our music director, and her husband Peter, our organist."

$30,000 Upgrade

Aldergate held an all-church retreat about these issues, and decided it needed to change things in worship. It launched a fundraising drive of $30,000 to upgrade sound, which it completed last year, and to initiate video projection, which it hopes to complete with a special Easter appeal this year. Almost all the money has been raised internally, Wylie said, with some from a use fee from a second cell phone antenna on its high rooftop. He was pleased that, contrary to many churches' experiences, regular pledge giving did not go down with the special drive.

In 2006, Aldersgate has made the fourth Sunday of every month a contemporary service. On any fifth Sunday, the service is a hymn-sing from both the regular UM hymnal and The Faith We Sing -- taking note of what people request for use in future services. It brought in outside musicians for January 1 and February 26. It did a series of mini-dramas with minor costuming during Lent -- with Wylie first role-playing John the Baptist, and then other congregants playing Martha and Mary, and Pontius Pilate. It will be Mary at the empty tomb on Easter.