 Issue 37: May 2007, Page 7< Page 6 | Table of Contents | Page 8 > Thoughts from the Lifespan Program Director:Are We Prepared?Rev. Phillip Lund Reducing something that is essentially intangible — like the health and vitality of the religious education programs in our congregations — to mere numbers is not necessarily the best way to measure the overall success of lifespan faith development in our district. But when those numbers reveal robust growth? Well, it’s a little hard to not brag a bit. So here, then, are the latest facts and figures regarding religious education enrollment in Prairie Star. When the Unitarian Universalist Association’s annual certification process ended on February 28, 2007, fifty-four out of fifty-eight reporting congregations in Prairie Star provided figures for children and youth enrolled in their religious education programs. The numbers ranged from three to 410, for a total of 3603. This represents an increase of 182 children and youth over last year’s figure of 3421, which gives us a growth rate of slightly over five percent (5.3% to be exact). While it’s not as high as the nine percent growth in RE enrollment we enjoyed the year before, it is still substantially higher than our seven-year average growth rate of 1.72%. This increase of 182 children and youth is slightly larger than the one-year increase of 180 new adult members in our congregations — which means that last year’s rate of growth in children and youth enrollment was more than twice the rate of growth in adult membership. The really, really good news here is that growth in Prairie Star District is not confined to either children and youth or adults. Rather, there seems to be a healthy mixture of growth in all age groups in our congregations: children, youth, and adults. And that kind of balanced growth in numbers may be an indication that the religious education programming in our congregations truly is lifespan. So, what does this all mean? I can think of a couple of things. One, Unitarian Universalism in the plains and prairie states of our district is not only surviving, it’s thriving. And two, the fact that we’re growing in all age groups could mean that our congregations are attracting a sizable number of new families. Of course, this kind of growth presents us with a new set of challenges. Do we have the programs necessary to meet the faith development needs of those who are coming to our congregations? Are we prepared to truly minister to a wide range of ages? Can we offer families with young children the kinds of resources for living that will make them want to stay and raise those children to be lifelong Unitarian Universalists? These are the challenges we face, in our congregations, in our district, and in our association. Do we have what it takes to succeed? I believe we do. But we need to be clear about why we’re here and what we have to offer. It’s something to think about as the current church year winds down. I hope we’ll all find some time this summer to relax our bodies and renew our spirits, so when September comes around, we’ll be ready for the next 300 to 400 children, youth, and adults who may very well be joining us for this amazing journey of life. What Does PSD Do?If you are interested in how Prairie Star District operates or what the District does with the Fair Share dollars your congregation contributes to the District, check out some new documents on the Web site:
|