THE SELF-STUDY PROCESS
Purpose of the Self-Study Committee
Members of the Committee
The Committee Process

FINDINGS ABOUT CCC
A Beloved Community
The Congregational Survey
The Surrounding Community

TABLE ON DEMOGRAPHIC DATA (not available on the web)
Our Physical Environment
A (Partially) Declining Plateau

TABLE ON CCC MEMBERSHIP, WORSHIP ATTENDANCE, 
AND STEWARDSHIP, 1982-1996 (not available on the web)

SUMMARY OF RECEIPTS AND DISBURSEMENTS, 1982-1996 (not available on the web)

ASPIRATIONS FOR OUR FUTURE

Note: Several charts related to this report are unavailable on the web. If you would like to see this information, please contact David Ackerman.

***************************************

CHRIST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH/UCC 1996-1997 SELF-STUDY
PART I: GENERAL FINDINGS
THE SELF-STUDY PROCESS

The Self-Study Committee was created in early 1996 by the Church Council. This is the fourth self-study the church has done during its existence; previous analyses were done in 1959, 1969, and 1982. Particularly in light of the church's celebration of its Jubilee Year in 1994, the Council deemed this an appropriate time to do a serious examination of our church and our situation in order to develop whatever recommendations might be necessary to ensure that we remain a strong and vital Christian community.

This report is the first part of the Committee's response to its mandate. It provides an overview of the self-study process, sets forth the data and findings the Committee has deemed important and relevant about CCC and our situation, and describes the seven aspirations that the Committee is using to shape its recommendations. The Committee will soon publish a draft of the second part of its report -- Aspirations and Recommendations. That part will summarize the Committee's provisional recommendations for our church's future. Both parts will serve as the basis for extended discussions with the congregation through the winter and early spring. At the Annual Meeting on January 26, 1997, and at a special congregational meeting in early spring, the Committee will ask the congregation to approve a final set of recommendations.

In the selection of its members, Moderator Bud Denny (1995) sought to make the Committee reflective of the diversity in the church. The thirteen members who agreed to serve were as follows: Bill Arnold, Merlene Bagley, Jim Conklin, Doreen Dennie, Caroline Fukuda, Sheila Linden, Neville Platt, Claire Stedman, Ralph Watkins, Anne Weissenborn, and Bill Withuhn, with Dave Ackerman and Mary Stone serving as co-chairs. Moderator Peg Hood (1996), Moderator-elect Jim Walters (1997), Rev. Jim Todhunter, and Rev. Joey Noble have all participated ex officio. The Committee also gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Jim Henkelman and Jackie Bahn, who helped serve as facilitators of a weekend retreat for the Committee and periodically shared their wisdom and expertise regarding the Committee process; of Dave Main, who helped immeasurably in making the mass of congregational survey data manageable; and of Dick Meyer and Tony Hudson, who provided valuable information relating to our properties and community demographics, respectively.

The Committee first met on January 22, 1996, and at the Annual Meeting of the church on January 28, 1996, asked for and received a budget of $3000 out of unallocated Jubilee funds for our work (if necessary). Through the winter, spring, and summer of 1996 the Committee met about every 3-4 weeks. During this time we divided into subcommittees to gather as much data as we could about CCC, the community, other churches, the national denominations, etc. Part of that effort involved a survey of our congregation. We refined the two questionnaires that had been used in two of the previous self-studies, distributed them to the congregation, and then tabulated and tried to make sense of the results. The Committee delighted in the fact that 261 members of the congregation took the time to complete the questionnaires. But that very enthusiasm made the data-compilation and entry process a particularly arduous undertaking. Bill Arnold of the Committee led the survey process.

In April Jim Todhunter, Jim Henkelman, and Jackie Bahn led the Committee in a weekend retreat at Briarpatch that proved to be a highly significant experience. During that time we experienced anew what it means to be part of this church: We each shared our own spiritual journeys, joined in some theological reflection, and sought to identify what at CCC has been helpful, and not so helpful, in our spiritual journeys. This retreat materially shaped our sense of our task as a Committee and has provided continuing inspiration and direction for our deliberations.

During the summer the Committee formulated seven areas of aspiration for CCC to provide a framework for our recommendations. In the late summer and early fall the Committee met frequently to formulate our findings about, and provisional recommendations for, CCC.

We then sought to engage the congregation in dialogue. Through publication of a series of articles in Newsnotes, in meetings with the Council and each of the Boards, and two adult education sessions, the Committee shared its tentative findings and recommendations and sought comment and feedback. This process found both a gratifying warmth of response and numerous useful comments and suggestions on the future of the church.

The congregation's feedback, in turn, led the Committee to further refine its findings and recommendations. In January, 1997, the Committee is publishing this part of its report plus two recommendations it plans to bring to the Annual Meeting on January 26, 1997, and is making them available to all members of the congregation. At the Annual Meeting the Committee will report on its work to date and ask the congregation to establish a separate task force to re-vision and restructure CCC's program for children and youth -- one of the Committee's seven areas of aspiration for CCC. The Committee will also recommend a budget allocation and the creation of a task force to do a detailed study, with the help of a consultant, on the feasibility and cost implications of making our present facilities and location more adequate for our current and future ministries. The Committee believes both of these processes need to get underway as soon as possible, and need not be delayed until the Committee presents its final plan of action.

In February the Committee intends to publish a draft of the second part of its report -- Aspirations and Recommendations. That draft will provide a comprehensive summary of the Committee's provisional recommendations for the future of CCC. The Committee will then schedule numerous opportunities for discussion of its recommendations with the congregation and in the spring will put a final plan of action before a special congregational meeting for adoption.

Not surprisingly, the Committee has found in its study of CCC that this is a wonderful church, much beloved by its members and its staff. We are blessed with able and inspirational ministers, a remarkably active laity, and extensive and diverse programming. Sustained by a loving God, we care about one another, abide with each other in joy and sorrow, and reach out in service to others. All of the Committee's recommendations build on this basic sense that this is a church community of faith, strength, and purpose. We are a people of God, and the Committee's efforts have been devoted to furthering that commitment.

As noted, the Committee in late spring sent two questionnaires to the congregation, one asking for such information as age, gender, length of membership, income, number of children, church involvement, and employment status; the other seeking responses to various questions -- some of them open-ended -- about church life and worship. The questionnaires essentially repeated questions asked of the congregation in previous self-studies in 1969 and 1982, with some modifications and additions by the Committee. The Committee received 261 responses -- an impressive 47 percent response rate. The Committee believes that the respondents were skewed to some extent toward the older members of our congregation but that the following findings are nonetheless valid (see the Appendix for a detailed presentation of the survey data):

(1) As was true in 1982 (but not in 1969), CCC members come from a variety of religious backgrounds. Only a little more than a third of the respondents in 1996 belonged to the UCC prior to joining CCC. Two-thirds of us are ex-Catholics, ex-Methodists, ex-Presbyterians, ex-Baptists, ex-....

(2) Our gender composition is shifting. In 1969 and 1989 we were about 55% female and 45% male. In this survey we were 66% female and 34% male (and that is consistent with our membership rolls as a whole -- we checked).

(3) We are increasingly well-educated, even more so than the County as a whole (see the following section for a comparison with the County). College graduates increased from 2/3 of the congregation in 1982 to 4/5 in 1996, and those with postgraduate degrees from 27% to 40%.

(4) We remain a predominantly Caucasian congregation -- 95% in this survey (earlier surveys did not ask the question).

(5) We are a more far-flung congregation. Two-thirds of the respondents now live more than 3 miles from the church, compared to 54% in 1982 and 44% in 1969. As a result, 96% of us now say that we drive to church.

(6) More of us are retired now -- 22% in 1982, 32% now. But more of us are also working -- 54% in 1982, 58% now. Fewer of us are homemakers (12% in 1982, 6% now).

(7) We are at least as affluent as the County as a whole. Median household income for the County in 1994, according to census statistics, was $59,085. Of those responding to the survey, 62% indicated a household income in excess of that amount.

(8) We remain a pretty stable group of people. Similar to 1982, 97% of us have lived in the Washington metropolitan area for more than 6 years (87% more than 10 years), and 74% of us have lived in our present home or apartment for more than 6 years (56% more than 10 years).

(11) We generally like our worship experience and find value in different kinds of sermons. But we are not attending worship as frequently as before: Those saying they attended three times a month or more totalled 82% in 1969, 78% in 1982, and 64% in 1996.

(12) We believe that we are generally a warm, welcoming congregation but that it also can be difficult for a newcomer to break into our assorted "cliques."

(13) Those responding to the survey value highly the work of our Boards and Council, but many expressed uncertainty about what they do and would like to have better means of finding out.

(14) We find the multitude of programs and activities offered at CCC appealing. Respondents to the survey lifted up 64 different programs and activities as especially meaningful.

(15) We continue to believe the church should be actively engaged with a broad spectrum of social and political issues.

(16) Our sense of the special challenges and opportunities facing us in the next decade has changed somewhat. In both 1982 and 1996 respondents identified the need to attract new young members as the most obvious challenge. But in 1982 we also focused on our impending ministerial transition and meeting the needs of the poor in the community as major concerns. In 1996 we most frequently mentioned financing of our programs and staff and preparation of our youth for adult life as major concerns.

Although a number of CCC's members reside in D.C., Prince George's County, Howard County, and even Virginia, the Committee deemed data about Montgomery County and particularly about Silver Spring/Takoma Park/Four Corners/White Oak/Wheaton as particularly relevant to CCC's future. That data shows that CCC exists in an area whose population is affluent, growing, aging, well-educated, fairly stable, and increasingly diverse. In comparison to the County as a whole and the areas near the church, CCC's members are older, more female, less racially and ethnically diverse, at least equally affluent, even better educated, and more likely to be living in married couple households. The Committee is intrigued by some of these differences, particularly with respect to gender and diversity, but we don't see any dire threats in the demographic data of the area in which the church exists. Challenges, yes -- an aging population, the continuing travails of downtown Silver Spring, racial change, etc. But on the whole the Committee believes that CCC is fortunate to exist in such a vibrant and diverse community.

According to census data Montgomery County:

-- remains one of the most affluent counties in the nation (the median household income was $59,085 in 1994, nearly double the national median of $31,241);

-- continues to grow (the population increased by 6.2% between 1990 and 1994, a rate less than that of the 1980s but still twice that of the 1970s);

-- is rapidly becoming more racially and ethnically diverse (the percentage of the population that is white declined from 85.6% in 1980 to 74.1% in 1994, the County's Asian and Hispanic populations nearly tripled and its black population increased by 53% during that time, and the percentage of the population that is foreign-born increased from 12.1% to 18.6% -- a much higher percentage than the Washington area as a whole, the state of Maryland, and the U.S.);

-- is remarkably well-educated (55.6% have at least a bachelor's degree, and more than a fourth have a graduate or professional degree);

-- is having a mini-baby boom (children aged 5-19 increased from 18.1% of the population to 19.5% between 1990 and 1994);

-- is growing older (the median age increased from 32.1 in 1980 to 35 in 1994, and those over 65 increased from 10% to 12%);

-- is fairly equally divided between men and women (48.8% male, 51.2% female in 1994);

-- remains predominantly married (64% of the County's households in 1994 consisted of married couple families, 9% were single parent families, and 26% were nonfamily households, the same as in 1987);

-- has a high level of home ownership (72% in 1994, compared to 70% in 1987); and

-- is cybernetic (47% of households have computers, more than twice the nation as a whole).

In comparison to the County as a whole, the population in the areas near the church (Silver Spring, Takoma Park, Four Corners, White Oak, Wheaton) is slightly older, slightly more female, more racially and ethnically diverse, slightly less affluent, equally well-educated, less likely to live in married couple families, somewhat less cybernetic, and has children at the same rate. CCC appears to differ from the County and the areas near the church most markedly in our gender composition (34% male, 66% female) and our racial and ethnic composition (96% Caucasian).

The following table sets forth some of the comparative data:

The Committee took a close look at our location and our properties (other than the Retreat House) and identified numerous shortcomings. Outside our church facility it is apparent that the immediate physical environment has become an increasingly serious limitation. Colesville Road has changed dramatically from the bucolic country road it was when CCC was first established; it is now a major north-south six-lane highway with heavy traffic that generally exceeds the posted speed limit of 40 mph. As a consequence, we can no longer park on Colesville Road on Sunday; access to and from the church at Brewster Avenue is at times hazardous; pedestrians are at risk when crossing the road; and our activities inside the church are at times impacted negatively by the noise generated by the traffic. This heavy use of Colesville Road will unquestionably continue and even worsen in the future, and may eventually lead to the elimination of the median on Colesville Road -- a feature that now provides some protection to pedestrians crossing the road and that facilitates access to and from Brewster Avenue. Even now, the state is again studying the possible conversion of the median into a busway or light rail line.

Because most of us now drive to church, parking has become a severe problem and, perhaps, a serious constraint on our ability to grow. We have only 48 off-street parking spaces available in our lots now (with an additional 18 if the lot at 312 Indian Springs can be developed); as noted, we can no longer park on Colesville Road; and weekday and weekend parking on the neighborhood streets by us and the various groups that use our facility seems to be incurring a rising level of neighborhood resentment (a phenomenon that is occurring throughout the County and, indeed, the nation). Moreover, there does not appear to be any room to easily expand off-street parking beyond what is now planned, as all of the lots that adjoin the church are occupied by residential buildings.

Within the church building more problems are evident. The presence of steps throughout our facility makes full access for the disabled virtually impossible to attain even if an elevator were to be added. The sanctuary lacks air conditioning, in some parts has problematic acoustics and lighting, and has limited flexibility for worship. Our church school is growing, needs more space for classrooms, and has air quality problems in some of the existing classrooms. Our youth lack an inviting place to meet. We have no playground for young children. The church's numerous entrances and lack of signage make it difficult for visitors and newcomers to find their way around. Security is becoming a growing concern. Accessibility problems and shortcomings in our kitchen limit the use of the Social Hall for fellowship purposes.

The Committee believes these matters raise issues that need to be promptly addressed.

The Committee also compiled and carefully examined data concerning the church's membership, worship attendance, stewardship, and budget allocations. These critical indicators suggest that CCC is not a growing church and, indeed, may be on a partially declining plateau. Our formal membership has dropped from 1212 in 1982 to 677 at the end of 1996; average worship attendance has declined from 240 in 1982 (and from a high of 290 in 1985) to 198 in 1996; and the number of stewardship pledge units has diminished from about 360 in 1982 to 269 (as of January 7) for 1997.

The Committee is aware that some of the 44% decline in our formal membership rolls may simply be due to the fact that the church has been particularly rigorous during these years in making the rolls reflect active membership. But the general downward direction of our formal membership is of concern. Even more significant, we believe, are the other two factors -- the 17.5% decline in worship attendance since 1982 (or 32% if measured from the peak year of 1985) and the 25% drop in the number of pledge units supporting the church. Church growth experts such as Lyle Schaller, it might be noted, regard average worship attendance as the best indicator of a church's size and vitality.

Other data, however, suggest that the metaphor of a declining plateau is not fully descriptive. Our church school, for instance, is burgeoning. The Committee could not locate pertinent data for the years 1982-1990, but since 1991 enrollment has increased every year -- from 140 in 1991 to 240 for 1996-97. Moreover, since 1982 our pledging and overall finances have increased at a rate in excess of inflation, even without counting the New Futures and Jubilee campaigns. Inflation since 1982 has totalled 64.3%. But our stewardship pledging has increased by 83.8% since then, and on top of that we have given a total of $168,478 in the New Futures Campaign from 1985-87 and $157,434 in the still-ongoing Jubilee Campaign.

But ... since 1990 our stewardship pledging has increased only 13.5% -- less than the 21.3% rate of inflation during this time. Moreover, despite the substantial increase in pledging since 1982, our operating budget situation appears to have deteriorated. Increases in the size of our staff -- converting the Director of Ministries to Children and Youth from a half-time to a full-time position as of 1987, adding a part-time Property Administrator in 1991 -- and a long-overdue effort to pay our staff more adequately than was true at the time of the previous self-study and in keeping with denominational guidelines consumed virtually all of the increase in pledging during this time (pledge income increased by $168,200 during this time, while personnel costs increased by $164,500). We still managed to increase our allocations for mission by 66.4%, a rate slightly in excess of inflation over these 14 years. But in the last 6 years the increase has been only about 4% -- less than the 21.3% rate of inflation during this time. Moreover, expenditures on programs operated by our boards and committees increased minimally during this time, and not at all in the last 10 years. And allocations for property maintenance similarly have been virtually stagnant since 1982 (with the exception of 1996). Perhaps most alarming, in 10 of the 15 years since 1982, the church has operated on a deficit budget. In the eleven years preceding 1982, that occurred only three times.

Although we do not have precise data, it should also be noted that we appear to be having some difficulty providing meaningful programming for our burgeoning population of children and youth. We are blessed with a number of dedicated and inspiring church school teachers and youth group leaders. But in our exceedingly busy society, volunteers appear to be increasingly difficult to recruit. One of the camp programs last summer, the Committee notes, had to be cancelled for lack of volunteers. The Jubilee Fund allocation for children and youth has also remained unused.

The following two tables set forth (1) data concerning our membership, worship attendance, and stewardship since 1981; and (2) data concerning our operating budgets during that time period:

This table should display as a Word document. (It should download automatically and open a Word document after you click on RUN.) If you can't view it, and would  like to see this information, please contact David Ackerman.

This (partially) declining plateau, it should be noted, is not unlike what is happening to other UCC churches and, indeed, we compare favorably in some respects. In the Central Atlantic Conference of the UCC total membership dropped 15% in the decade from 1984-94, from 48,880 to 41,310. Worship attendance dropped even more markedly, from 15,035 to 10,344 (31.2%) -- considerably more than CCC since 1982 but about the same from our peak attendance year of 1985. Total expenditures increased about 50% during that period -- from $13,675,659 to $19,964,188, but were completely stagnant from 1990 to 1994. Pledges also increased by about 50% between 1984 and 1990 (from $9,905,916 to $14,224,725), but then they declined by 20% between 1990 and 1994 (from $14,224,725 to $11,466,182). CCC's experience has been significantly better.

At the national level the total membership in the UCC declined from 1984-1994 from 1,695,000 to 1,495,00, and church school enrollment dropped from 440,000 to 380,000. Total expenditures increased from about $440 million to $621 million but also remained virtually stagnant after 1990. Basic support for OCWM remained virtually the same over the entire time period -- about $31 million a year.

Nor is the national UCC experience unique. In fact, mainline Protestant denominations generally have been losing members for the past generation. The denominations that have been experiencing rapid growth in recent decades are generally the more conservative denominations -- the Assemblies of God, the Church of God in Christ, the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons), the Jehovah's Witnesses, etc. -- and the nondenominational mega-churches (although that growth appears to have slowed in the last decade). Many of the long-established mainline Protestant denominations -- Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists, UCC, the Disciples of Christ, etc. -- have been losing members consistently for the last three decades. One recent study found that membership in eleven mainline Protestant communions had declined from 13 percent of the U.S. population in 1968 to 7.8 percent in 1993 -- a 40 percent decline.

Moreover, giving to benevolences -- regional, national, and international activities outside the local church -- appears to be declining among both mainline and evangelical Protestant communions. A recent study found that church members devoted 0.66 percent of their income to benevolences in 1968, but that by 1993 that figure had declined to 0.43 percent -- a decline of 35 percent.

Notwithstanding all of this company elsewhere in the UCC and in mainline Protestantism, the Committee believes the data about our worship attendance, stewardship, and operating budget since 1982 raise issues that need to be addressed.

ASPIRATIONS FOR OUR FUTURE

During the course of its deliberations the Committee has developed a series of aspirations for the future of CCC. These aspirations provide the framework within which the Committee is formulating specific recommendations. The first four aspirations are substantive and describe both what the Committee believes to be our Christian mandate and our hopes for CCC:

We want CCC to be a church that ...

(1) helps each of us grow in our spiritual life;
(2) bears active witness in the community;
(3) builds and sustains a caring community; and
(4) cherishes, educates, and supports our children and youth.

The other three aspirations focus on the practicalities of what is needed to support the foregoing aspirations:

We want CCC to be a church that ...

(5) has adequate funding to support our staff, program, mission, and properties;

(6) has well-designed and maintained properties adequate and appropriate for our needs; and

(7) has a structure and organization for church governance that facilitates what we want to do.

As noted earlier, specific recommendations relating to these aspirations will be put before the congregation both at the Annual Meeting on January 26, 1997, and at a special congregational meeting in the spring.