Church Atmosphere Winter 1999

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We all know what it's like to sit in the living room, feel a chill, and get up to adjust the thermostat. In the same way, church leaders must not only monitor but adjust the temperature in their congregations. Every church has a climate, often intangible, but felt within minutes of walking in the door. Some aspects of the atmosphere we enjoy and encourage. Others— quick, raise the windows!

To understand church climatic conditions, Leadership editors Marshall Shelley, Eric Reed, and Craig Brian Larson gathered three pastors who know a thing or two about regulating spiritual temperature.

Gary Fenton has served for nearly eight years as pastor of Dawson Memorial Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, where four years ago they added a weeknight contemporary worship service. Gary is co-author of Mastering Church Finances (Multnomah & Christianity Today International, 1992).

Randy Frazee is pastor of Pantego Bible Church in Arlington, Texas, a community wedged between Dallas and Fort Worth. After a severe decline during four years without a pastor, the church has experienced revitalization and growth under Randy's nine years of leadership. Randy has authored a book with Lyle Schaller, The Comeback Congregation (Abingdon, 1995), which chronicles the church's turnaround.

Gary Simpson, a graduate of Union Seminary in New York, has served for nine years as pastor of Concord Baptist Church of Christ in Brooklyn, New York. The church is more than 150 years old, and Gary's predecessor is the legendary Dr. Gardner C. Taylor.

How do you begin to gauge your church's unique climate?

Randy Frazee: If I had one day with a congregation to gauge its climate, I would do five things.

1. Meet with the leaders to hear what they're talking about—is it controlling dissension or reaching out, internal or external issues? Is the prominent focus on evangelism or discipleship? Are their dreams for the future bigger than the memories of the past? What consumes the leaders' thoughts will reveal a lot about the environment.

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