Minnesota Methodists Say Rebooting Churches Can Be Helpful but Comes with Peril

(RNS) — Two years ago, Vineyard United Methodist Church was in trouble.

Attendance had been dropping steadily for years, and the handful of members keeping things running was growing exhausted. While the church was still making its budget, the writing was on the wall for the aging congregation of about three dozen in Hutchinson, Minnesota, a 90-minute drive outside of the Twin Cities.

Plans were made to welcome a pair of new pastors to lead Vineyard and merge the congregation with a larger church in town. When the merger fell apart, the young pastor-couple and their older congregants had a choice: change or close.

They chose to change. They pulled out pews installed by members’ grandparents. They cancelled events like an annual turkey dinner, a beloved community tradition, to focus on discussions about the church’s vision. They gradually tweaked services Sunday over Sunday. 

The first few changes were the hardest, according to Hein. But each one built trust for the next.

“Everything we did, every meeting we had, every conversation we had, we just tried to be kind of like cheerleaders almost,” said co-pastor Jim Hein.

While painful for many longtime church members, advocates say a restart can help reverse shrinking numbers and breathe new life into congregations. But leaders have to be careful not to alienate older members of the congregation, who may feel they are…