What are the Challenges to Renewing the Life of a Retirement Congregation?
Renewing the life of a Retirement congregation is perhaps the biggest challenge of the entire life cycle and stages of congregational development. It is more difficult than a Maturity congregation, an Empty Nest congregation, or an Old Age congregation. Here are some of the challenges: First, it takes longer than many people are willing to accept. The renewal process takes three to five years. Many people expect something significant and lasting to happen within two to three years. It is not possible when the redevelopment process must address relationships first and programs second before vision can be successfully cast. Second, the focus of the permission-giving people may still be on the restoration of past glory rather than risky undertakings that seek to move the congregation forward to a new, partial life cycle. Long-tenured members may not reveal their wish for a return of past glory until major time and effort has been put into a redevelopment effort that they stop supporting.
