It is the opinion of the Learning Team that our church is ready to grow and has the pieces in place that are necessary to make that happen. Furthermore, due to population shifts in the Quad-Cities, in demographic terms, our church is better positioned to grow than ever before. The population is becoming more like us and is moving closer to us.
        Our minister is fully behind seeing the church grow; that was part of his calling. The church leadership is behind growth. It is true that our congregation is mixed and we sense some hesitancy and uncertainty. Some members are behind growth while others are ambivalent. There are some members who appear to be against growth, but there is no strong opposition. Those who are against growth are more against the prospect of change than of growth itself. Rapid change could disaffect some existing members. However, with a program of planned growth, the changes will be gradual enough that this should not happen to any significant extent.
        With the addition of a membership coordinator, we will have the infrastructure in place that we need at our current stage to pursue a policy of intentional growth. We are adequately staffed and have an effective system of communications in place. Each year we offer more types of the small group and social activities that help newcomers and existing members alike to find a place to fit in and make connections. In Twelve Keys to an Effective Church, Kennon Callahan writes that a congregation of our size has visitation and outreach well in place when it meets certain levels of visits to members, unchurched people in the community, and the hospitalized and homebound by the pastor and representatives of the church. We are meeting those standards. Through the Cool Campaign we have the means to make needed improvements to our building and grounds.
        Even if the intent hasn't been voiced, this church has been on a gradual movement from pastoral to program sized church for several years. The addition of Wonderful Wednesdays under Fran Dew was a big step in adding new programs. When we called Roger, we knew that his talents were well suited for a program type church. Since then, we have continued to act more and more like a program-sized church through such things as expanding RE and adding Connection Circles.  Not only has this helped attract and retain some new members and friends, it has also made the church a more interesting place for existing members. Few, if any, of us would turn the clock back on any of these changes.  In fact, we look forward to other new programs in the works that will continue to make our church a rewarding part of our lives. However, if new leadership is not found, the new programs we are creating will die out as those leading now burn out or move on.
         If we intentionally plan to grow, our church will change. But, if we do not intentionally plan to grow, our church will still change, even if overall membership size remains about the same. For example, at present our membership is growing and getting younger.  One part of planned growth is attracting new members and adding new programs. Another part of planned growth is ensuring that existing members continue to feel connected to the church.
        Even without trying to grow, we attract new members and those new members are gradually changing the fabric of our church, as new members do to any organization. Over time, those changes may not please all long-time members. A danger of unplanned growth is that some parts of our church community may be forgotten while other parts demand our focus. Without planned growth, we could end up with a church that is about the same size as it always has been, but still somewhat different in make-up, purposes, activities, and membership.
        The lack of a clearly-voiced intent to grow does not stop changes from happening in our church; it simply makes it more difficult to react to the changes already taking place. Planned growth, on the other hand,  allows us to create a framework that keeps everything in perspective and meets the needs of all members of our church community. Regardless of what we do, or whether we do nothing at all, this church will be at least as different five years from now as it is today compared to five years ago. The question is whether or not we want to manage that change. We believe we are ready to do just that.