[Buddha-l] How to help the Dharma grow in the USA

[Richard Hayes]

Dear denizens,

I begin every year feeling convinced thatthis will surely be the
lastyear in which people continue to show an interest in Buddhism and
other Asian religions and philosophies. The baby boomers are returning
to their cultural roots, and their children and grandchildren never
shared their parent's fascination with alternatives to Western
materialism anyway. For most young people in the xenophobic culture of
the United States, everything good about Asia has already found its way
itno restaurants, video games and action movies. Who needs to study
Asian languages, history and culture? (Who, think most young Americans,
needs to study ANY languages, history or culture?) 

Buddhist temples, churches and centers are growing increasingy empty,
populated only by a few pot-bellied former pot-smoking hippies who just
can't let go of their misspent youths. The Zen cushion has given way to
the wheelchair. Can Buddhism survive another year in America? 

The following article from the Christian Science Monitor suggests a
solution. If the aim is to fill dharma centers again the answer may be
to provide more drums, more guys and less reverence. (But hasn't Zen
already been doing that for decades?)

Have a noisy year beating your Dharma-damaru,
Richard

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Click here to read this story online:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0103/p01s01-ussc.html

Headline:  From US churches that are growing, a sound of drums
Byline:  G. Jeffrey MacDonald Correspondent of The Christian Science 
Date: 01/03/2007

Churches with rising attendance numbers have a lot in common with one 
another - a lot more than denomination, location, or even theological 
approach.
According to a new study, success stories often involve men, drums, a 
joyful environment, and a concerted effort not to be too "reverent."
That's the conclusion of a December report from the Hartford Institute 
for Religion Research, a nonprofit research group at Hartford Seminary 
in Hartford, Conn. While most US churches continue to be predominantly 
of one race and to count more women than men in their pews, the HIRR 
survey of almost 900 congregations found growth is most likely when:
*A church is multiracial.
*Men make up at least 60 percent of regular participants.
*Leaders describe worship as "slightly to not at all" reverent.
*Drums or percussion are always used in worship.
Such innovations make churches exciting places to be, says report 
author Kirk Hadaway. It also explains why atypical churches, which are 
prone to innovate, often lead the pack in growth, he adds.
"If it's not uplifting, interesting, provoking ... it's perfectly 
acceptable in American society to not go [to church] anymore," says Mr. 
Hadaway, director of research for the Episcopal Church USA. "Churches 
that are providing a more uplifting worship experience and community 
are those that are growing. And those that do it well are not typical 
anymore."
For many congregations, learning to grow is a matter of survival. Six 
mainline denominations, all of which have been losing members for 40 
years, saw worship attendance figures drop by as much as 12 percent 
between 1999 and 2004, according to a November report from the 
Presbyterian Church (USA). The United Methodist Church (UMC) lost about 
34,000 weekly worshipers, or 1 percent, from 2004 to 2005.
"We have a sense of mission to reach new people with the Gospel and to 
minister to people's needs - that's why we exist - and we realize that 
we're failing in our mission," says John Southwick, director of 
research for the General Board of Global Ministries for the UMC. "We 
need to turn the ship around, and that means to start growing again."
For stagnant or declining congregations, Hadaway says, the new 
findings, based on data collected in 2005, offer hope because churches 
can usually cultivate at least a few attributes correlated with growth. 
But, church experts caution, this prescription for growth won't work if 
a congregation doesn't also lay the necessary groundwork.
"You cannot simply introduce tactics in worship design and hope to 
increase the number of males or become more cross-cultural," says 
Thomas Bandy, president of Easum, Bandy & Associates, a Texas-based 
church-growth consultancy. "It requires a certain kind of leader" to 
build consensus and trustworthy spiritual authority, or else other 
changes in congregational life become mere superficialities.
What's more, according to Bandy and Hadaway, changing a congregation's 
attributes often creates stress and conflict, which HIRR found to be 
the No. 1 factor when attendance takes a dive.
But perhaps the bigger danger in racing to emulate growing churches is 
losing sight of more primary priorities, according to theologian Philip 
Kenneson.
"I don't think there are any bonuses just for getting people in the 
door," says Mr. Kenneson, an associate professor at Milligan College in 
Tennessee and co-author of "Selling Out the Church: The Dangers of 
Church Marketing." "I want my children to be formed by a community of 
believers [that shape] a certain kind of people. It's not enough to 
just be there being counted."
Still, atypical congregations of many stripes are counting their 
blessings as new worshipers beef up the flock's ranks. On the liberal 
side, gay-friendly Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto recently 
hosted the largest Christmas Eve service in Canada with nearly 2,500 
attendees. With more than 30 ethnic groups represented in the pews, the 
congregation expects to keep building its average weekly attendance 
from 580 today to about 875 within the next three years.
More-conservative congregations are also benefiting from ethnic 
diversity and joyful environs. Granger Community Church, a drum-loving 
congregation near South Bend, Ind., has seen weekly attendance grow 
from about 2,000 in 2000 to 5,700 in 2006. First Baptist Church of 
Wheaton, Md., has boosted average weekly attendance over the past four 
years from 190 to about 225, an 18 percent gain. Bringing minority 
faces up front to lead songs and prayer has helped make the church 50 
percent nonwhite, according to Larry White, minister of spiritual 
formation. Another plus: Professional musicians, including a drummer, 
have helped increase the ranks of young adults.
"The universal language of rock 'n' roll sets the stage for people of 
many different backgrounds to be comfortable in our setting," Mr. White 
says. Although electric guitars have turned off some older members, 
White says, most have been willing to tolerate it as an important 
drawing card for younger newcomers.
In some cases, old-fashioned pastoral care still wins attendees. When 
newcomers visit Assembly of God Brazilian Church, a growing Pentecostal 
congregation in Abington, Mass., lay evangelist Fausto de Rocha follows 
up with a home visit. There, he prays with them. If they don't speak 
English, he makes calls to set up phone and cable television service. 
The church also offers language classes and helps newcomers find jobs.
"These are immigrants far away from their home and the love they knew 
there," Mr. de Rocha says. But they tend to relax, he says, around top- 
notch singers, horns, and drums at Sunday services.
(c) Copyright 2007 The Christian Science Monitor.  All rights reserved.