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The Maturity of a Congregation Overview This article explores the sixth of ten stages of development in the life cycle and stages of congregational development: Maturity. The ten stages are grouped into five phases. Phase Three: Prime/Plateau involves seven to nine years of the life of a congregation. It includes the stages of Adulthood and Maturity. To understand the Maturity stage appropriately it is necessary to look at the transition from the Adulthood stage, understand the place of the organizing principles in the Maturity stage, review the characteristics of this stage, and determine how a congregation makes the passage to the Empty Nest stage. How Does a Congregation Make the Passage to Maturity? When a congregation is approximately a generation old-twenty-two to twenty-seven years old-it then moves to the second part of Phase Three, which is Plateau. Unlike some previous passages, it is not necessary for much intentional action to occur for the movement from Adulthood to Maturity to occur. The congregation makes the passage from Adulthood to Maturity simply by relaxing and taking a breath as an organism following a generation of hard work. It takes its success and its vision for granted, and assumes that it will always be present and dominant. After a generation of life, a congregation loses its sense of vision. This happens in several different ways for various reasons. First, after a generation the congregation may have achieved or fulfilled its founding vision. Second, the congregation may have grown weary of seeking to achieve or fulfill its founding vision, and thus allowed the vision to drop from dominance. Third, the people who helped cast the founding vision might not be related to the congregation anymore, and there are insufficient carriers of the vision. Fourth, the vision may not any longer be relevant to the context or situation of the congregation so it has been cast aside. Fifth, so many new people may have joined the congregation who do not understand the founding vision, and it has not been adequately shared with them, that there is no longer a critical mass of people pursuing that vision. For whatever reason, when vision is no longer dominant then the congregation quietly, without notice to many people, slips to the stage of Maturity. What is the Place of the Organizing Principles in the Maturity Stage? Maturity is that period when relationships, programs, and management are dominant. Vision is no longer dominant. Management is controlling the direction of the congregation. Congregations in Maturity are no longer living 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. Relationships are still happening in the life of the congregation, but the focus has turned to the output of Kingdom involvement, and not the input of introducing persons to a spiritual and congregational journey. Programs are the functional attempts to provide projects, ministries, services, activities, and training for people connected to the congregation by membership, fellowship, or through relationship processes. Programs may rise to their greatest qualitative height during Maturity. The momentum created during Adulthood propels many programs, ministries and activities forward to operational excellence. The financial and other resources are greater than they have ever been. The primary role of management is to provide the systems and structures that work in an integrative pattern to undergird the fulfillment of vision, and the implementation of relationships and programs. During Maturity the management factor moves into the driver’s seat as the primary initiator of action in the congregation. What are the Characteristics of the Maturity Stage? A congregation that is past its prime characterizes maturity. It is more passive than active. It is still successful in many areas. For the most part it has a positive spirit. However, it is no longer focused. It is no longer clear about its vision. The success culture of the congregation keeps it moving forward. It is blind to the fact that it no longer has an empowering vision that is fueling it forward. The quality of intentional disciplemaking processes is high. Spiritual growth is occurring in the congregation. Not as many new people are being added to the membership, or becoming connected as were added or connected during Adulthood. The worship services, particularly the music, are still considered excellent. The congregation has several programs for which it is well known in its community, metropolitan area, or county. It has quality, age-graded programs, and may have one or more age-graded programs considered the best in the area. Its formal management systems, while working well, are now in control of any movement of the congregation forward or backward. In their meetings, the agenda items of management groups focus around how to sustain and institutionalize the gains of the congregation, rather than taking new initiatives that involve risk. The feeling is that what the congregation is currently doing is working. There is no felt need to change. Besides, the finances of the congregation have never been better. In fact the congregation has probably oversubscribed its budget for the past several years. Because finances are so good, and there are few other challenges for the congregation, they decide to construct the building they had always wanted to have, but could not afford. At times this building is a new sanctuary or worship center. Other times it is a family life or leisure center. The demographic characteristics of the congregation are diverse. The congregation is continuing to age in terms of the mean and median age of members and those otherwise connected with the congregation. The fastest growing demographic group is senior adults. Children and youth under age eighteen are plateaued or declining in number. The average tenure of attenders, or length of membership may be greater than ever in the history of the congregation. In selected portions of the congregation the morale of the members and average attendee is beginning to decline. At the same time the congregation feels that it is contributing significantly to the work of the Kingdom. Some of its missions and ministries projects are experiencing greater success than ever before. More people are volunteering for missions and ministries projects than at any previous time. How Does a Congregation Make the Passage to Empty Nest? When a congregation is twenty-five to thirty-five years old, it then moves to Phase Four, which is Early Aging. This occurs when the lack of an empowering vision begins to have visible impact on the quality and quantity of programs, ministries, and activities. It is not intentional effort that moves a congregation from Maturity to Empty Nest, but the lack of it. When a congregation does not respond to the incipient qualitative and quantitative changes of Maturity, it allows the need to hold on to past gains to give more control and authority to its management systems. Congregational members and regular attendees begin to forget that it was an empowering vision that helped them to realize their greatest potential during Adulthood. A few people who realize what is happening begin to press the leaders of the congregation to respond with greater zeal to the opportunities and challenges the congregation faces. | 
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