David R. Ray

Associate Minister for Small Church Development Annual Report – 2003 -2004

It was just a year ago that you, the Maine Conference, called me as your first half-time Associate Minister for Small Church Development and welcomed me to Maine. You are to be commended for being the only conference in the United Church of Christ to have such a position. My work on your behalf has taken me from Calais to Jackman to Weld to Alfred and many places in between. I’ve been asked to primarily serve the sixty-five churches which have less than three-quarter time pastors. In addition our Conference ministers have asked me to provide assistance to others of our smaller churches. Most of my work has been with pastors; with search committees; as a preacher, program leader, or speaker with associations and congregations; with Bangor Seminary; as staff to our Small Church Mission Team and our Parishes of Promise program; and with the rest of our Conference staff.
I like to point out that my title is Associate Minister for Small Church Development, not Associate Minister for Small Church Survival. It’s easy for a church to fall into a survival mentality as it struggles to keep the doors open, the bills paid, and a pastor in the pulpit. But if that’s its only focus, church closure is often just around the corner. The cornerstone of my ministry and approach to smaller churches is that no church needs to settle for mere survival. I like to point out that no church has ever closed for lack of money. Churches close due to lack of faith, courage, and creativity, and with these, any church can develop into a strong and healthy church. It can do so by focusing on what it can do rather than on what it can’t and by going about being a church in faithful ways that fit its size.
I’ve helped twelve of our churches in their search for pastoral leadership. Eleven of them have called pastors and the twelfth is getting close. These pastors include young and old, male and female, straight and gay. What they share in common is a love for God’s church, especially smaller ones, and gifts for ministry. There is great hope in these churches as they move into a new time with new leadership.
One of my hopes in this position is to assist in developing new models of ministry for our smaller churches. We are talking with Bangor Seminary about starting a lay pastors training program in northern New England. I will be exploring developing a cooperative ministry involving several of our churches in mid-coast Maine. These are only two of several possible models that churches may consider as they look for the form of ministry that may be most advantageous for their particular situation. What we develop in the United Church of Christ in Maine will be useful to other conferences and other denominations.
Serving your smaller churches has been a joy. I’ve seen churches care deeply for their young and old. I’ve seen churches dig deeper in order pay their pastor fairly. I’ve seen churches worship prayerfully and powerfully. I’ve seen churches show great courage as they made unconventional decisions. I’ve seen churches engage in serious mission in their communities and beyond. I’ve seen churches move from surviving to thriving. And I expect to see more of this in the time ahead.
Thank you Maine Conference for calling me to serve you in this capacity. I look forward to continuing to serve you.

Respectfully,
David Ray