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Size Is No Limit, When God Decides to Move
McPHERSON, KS (May 27, 2001) - By Craig Pinley
Countryside Covenant Church isn't the biggest congregation in the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC), but it could be the largest ECC congregation per capita in North America.
Based in McPherson County, which has just 33,000 people, the church has grown to 669 in average attendance, according to the 1999 Covenant Yearbook figures, making it the 18th largest ECC congregation. Countryside Covenant (now with 729 in attendance) is set to finish a $3.1 million sanctuary addition this summer. A building dedication is scheduled for September 3.
Pastor Rob Bloss is often asked to explain how his congregation has doubled during the past seven years, but he doesn't offer any quick-fix answers or master plans. He prefers to give credit to an extraordinary God and an open-minded congregation.
"You can't manufacture the presence of God - you can't create a worship service that manufactures it," Bloss said. "God is there because he's present in the people. The thing I hear the most (when we send out first impression cards) are two things beyond the obvious: (1) There is some word (or phrase) that says, 'I felt the presence of God' or (2) that there's an anticipation that God is going to be there.
"I think this is a place where people are proud and pleased to invite others to come and experience what they're experiencing," Bloss continued. "And that becomes by far our biggest source of contact. And people say there's a sense of community here. Because of our growth, that's not an easy thing, but our people are open to receiving people. We don't have to do tons of
invitations - most people come by word of mouth or by the reputations of people who go to church."
McPherson has a population of 13,500, a far cry from where Bloss had been before he arrived in Kansas. In November 1993, Bloss came from Elgin, Illinois, a suburb 45 minutes from Chicago, following a period of examination of what his call should be. "We went through the struggle of 'should I stay or should I go' probably every day," he said.
At first, the idea of being in a rural community seemed contrary to what Bloss had envisioned for his calling. "I've never been in a rural area and that was my image of what McPherson was going to be. But on paper, the church was developing a mission statement. That told me the church
wasn't pastor driven and it seemed like a good fit."
Bloss worked with small group ministry at Countryside and helped start a dozen small groups his first year. In year two, Bloss set about helping the church update its mission statement.
"We made a lot of changes in the first year, partly out of necessity and partly out of openness," Bloss said. "Some of it revolved around worship and worship leaders - the church had added a second service and it wasn't completely blended."
Other changes revolved around administrative issues said Bloss. The church went to a modified ministry team structure and dropped the traditional church board system four years ago.
"We went through an Experiencing God Bible study program for a year at the church during the 1995-96 academic year," he said. "That really changed some of the language of business meetings. Some of our meetings were like stockholder meetings. We've tried to change
business meetings to include worship, singing and asking the question: What does God want us to do?"
Countryside Covenant Church has taken risks during the past six years to minister to the those with little church background, adding two contemporary services on Sunday to go with its more traditional morning worship service. A church consultant who attends the church had discovered that many newcomers to church are seeking a balance between contemporary worship style and more conservative theology.
Already the first church in town to incorporate a contemporary Sunday worship service, Countryside Covenant recently added a Saturday evening service to target younger families, college students at two local campuses and factory workers who were on the night shift. It draws about 150 people per week.
"It's louder (musically), it's edgier (in worship and drama), it is more informal (in dress)," Bloss said of the Saturday service. "The sermon changes a bit, but it's more conversational and no one else was doing it. It's rock 'n roll and we do a lot more drama than we would do on Sunday
mornings. That has gone well.
"I've seen a hunger for God's word, but hunger in a way that's genuine and relative," he continued. "We live in a very 'churched' community, but I think it's functionally secular. There's a sense that 'I'm churched and I'm okay.' But we can't assume that people know the story and we have to share the story in ways that are creative and real. We have to have a passion for worship and have it make a difference in who I am."
Bloss credits the congregation's openness to innovations to parishioners who had already pioneered a move 20 years earlier. The church, founded in 1880, moved to a new location in 1980 during its 100th anniversary. "They definitely opened themselves up to a totally new mission field," Bloss said. "And that primed the pump for God to pour out His blessings. It's hard for people to change and some longtime members have given up the traditional style and have done so gracefully and encouragingly. They have a sense of what the larger church is for."
Countryside Covenant completed a $400,000 building project in the fall of 1996, adding 6,600 square feet of classroom and office space to its 15-year-old building. The congregation has put that space to good use, said Bloss, through Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) and Awana children's programs.
The church is involved in what are called 'conspiracy of kindness' projects that serve the community. Small groups are encouraged to engage in at least one daylong project locally. The congregation is also subsidizing a Christian counselor so people can receive quality counseling at reasonable prices.
"We live in a time where people are antagonistic toward Christianity," said Bloss. "The exciting part is that there's a wide-open field for harvest. People are seeing a need for that. I think it's an
exciting time, but a challenging time to do ministry."
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