(Note: the blue horizontal menu bar directly above lists the subsections of "Your Congregation's Public Profile." Be sure to read each of these subsections before moving on to the next primary section, "Constructing the Story.")

Your Congregation's Public Profile

The inner life of a congregation—its life when it gathers to worship, meet, eat, celebrate, mourn, decide, and care—is only one-half of its story. Unfortunately, most congregational histories tell only part of the first half and leave out the second half entirely. The second half of the story occurs when the congregation disperses after the benediction or closing hymn. Discovering this side is more difficult because the traces of the congregation's life in the world are so scattered. But there are ways to bring portions of this life into view, even if we can never recover all of it.

One way is to take a stance similar to the one that led us into Faith Lutheran Church in the previous chapter. But this time, instead of standing across the street and watching the people move into their place of worship, stand on Faith's front step and (without making judgments) track the congregation as it leaves the building. Where do people go?

Once upon a time, we might have glibly answered, "home." After Sunday worship, the people went home for Sunday dinners, family visiting in parlors, and quiet time for Scripture reading and Sabbath keeping as Christians came to reinterpret the Jewish practice. Nowadays the dispersal is much more varied. Some might still return home for a specially prepared Sunday dinner. But others just as likely will be found on their way to places of employment or to leisure activities.

Most of the time, we lose sight of the congregation as soon as this dispersal occurs, acting as if the congregation ceases to exist once people leave its building. But as congregational historian, you can follow the lead of Luther, who wrote of the priesthood of all believers, and St. Paul before him, who described the church as the body of Christ made up of many members with many gifts. You have the opportunity to correct our vision, to help us see how far the congregation reaches into the world.

Congregations reach out into the world in two basic ways. Acting as a whole, congregations do things like sponsor food pantries, march in protest rallies, petition legislatures, or run schools and day-care centers. Congregations also make an impact on the world through what individual members or small groups of members do in the homes, offices, ballparks, schools, nonprofit organizations, and businesses of the land.