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The Childhood of a Congregation Overview This article explores the third of ten stages of development in the life cycle and stages of congregational development: Childhood. The ten stages are grouped into five phases. Phase Two: Late Growth, involves ten to twelve years of the life of a congregation that carries it from about five to six years old to seventeen to eighteen years old. It includes the stages of Childhood and Adolescence. To appropriately understand the Childhood stage it is necessary to look at the transition from the Infancy stage, understand the place of the organizing principles in the Childhood stage, review the characteristics of this stage, and determine how a congregation makes the passage to the Adolescence stage. How Does a Congregation Make the Passage from Infancy to Childhood? When a congregation is about five to six years old it then begins to face a new set of issues. Many of these revolve around better organization for the congregation. At first this organizational energy is focused on the need to better structure the program, ministries, and activities life of the congregation. The stage that follows Infancy is Childhood. Dominant vision and programs characterize this third stage. Relationships diminish as programs becomes the new dominant factor that joins with vision to fuel the next several years of a congregation. The energy and resources that were going into relationships now go into programs. To successfully navigate the passage from Infancy to Childhood, a congregation needs to begin acting like a congregation in Childhood. When it can do so without thinking about it, then it has probably navigated the passage. It has now left Phase One: Early Growth, and the numerical growth rate may slow down until potential strong surges some years later. What is the Place of the Organizing Principles in the Childhood Stage? Childhood is that period when vision and programs are dominant, but relationships and management are not. The period of Childhood lasts five to six years. Congregations in Childhood are continuing to live out the vision that God has given them for a congregation that ought to be present in a certain place or target group of people. Vision is the fuel or energy that will drive the congregation forward throughout the growth side of the life cycle. Programs are the functional attempts to provide projects, ministries, services, activities, and training for people related to the congregation by membership, fellowship, or through relationship processes. Childhood congregations engage in programs, ministries, and activities that may represent an intentional developmental plan. Necessary relationships are continued, but this factor does not have the same emphasis or excitement about it. Management continues to be accomplished informally, unless the size and complexity of the congregation requires formalized management systems. Where this is the case, management is still done based on the personality of the managers, and not according to many formal, written systems. Something about structured management systems does not feel right, so they are avoided. What are the Characteristics of the Childhood Stage? The Childhood stage of a congregation is characterized by an urgency to build programs, ministries, and activities similar to a full service congregation. Energy and resources that were dedicated to an intentional disciplemaking system during Infancy are now dedicated to program development. It appears that the congregation has decided that it is going to be around for a long time. Therefore, it feels that it needs a more visible program, ministries, and activities structure. At first these are simply to give form to the informal disciplemaking activities of Infancy. Later success of these programs, ministries, and activities may become the desired end results for the congregation. During the Childhood stage significant emphasis is given to broadening the scale, and deepening the scope of the programs, ministries, and activities for the chosen high priority target groups. In a family/household-oriented congregation, this can result in major emphasis on programs, ministries, and activities for children under eighteen years of age. It is interesting to note that in many family/household-oriented congregations during these crucial program development years little, if any, emphasis is given to single adults, marriage enrichment for young and median age adults, and programs for senior adults. Some congregations who have thought deeply about the needs of their congregational members may be an exception in one or two of these areas. An implication is that later when an emphasis on these stated groups is overdue, the development of adequate programming may come out of some crisis or conflict when a specific program is demanded by the members and regular attenders. Several resource issues arise during Childhood. First is, what programs, ministries, and activities do we have budget and special gifts dollars to support? What can we fund through undesignated gifts, what will require designated gifts, and for what will we have to charge a fee? Second, how should we focus our staff resources? Many congregations at this juncture have a pastor, secretary, and music director. Some will also have added a youth director. Several of these may not be full-time, if any are. A key question will be what staff responsibilities to add next. Third, facilities will be an issue. Few congregations can accurately predict exactly what type of facilities they will need for future programming. Facilities may need to be renovated, programs groups moved around within the facilities, new facilities added, and new parking added. A key change and transition in the life of the congregation will be that more new members and regular attenders will indicate that it was the programs, ministries, and activities of the congregation that attracted them, rather than other elements. How Does a Congregation Make the Passage to Adolescence? When a congregation is about ten to twelve years old it then begins to move forward with new power potentially created by the success of its programs, ministries, and activities established during Childhood. For the past five to six years it has struggled to provide the programming that fit its image of the potential of the congregation. Now its hard work is beginning to pay off, and it shows signs of qualitative and quantitative success. Some of the sense of fellowship and informality of Infancy begins to join the high task orientation of Childhood to create a new sense of energy about the future of the congregation. The stage that follows Childhood is Adolescence. Dominant vision, relationships, and programs characterize this fourth stage. To successfully navigate the passage from Childhood to Adolescence, a congregation needs to begin acting like a congregation in Adolescence. When it can do so without thinking about it, then it has probably navigated the passage. | 
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