Living Wills For Congregations: A New Approach to Church Life Transitions

Living Wills For Congregations: A New Approach to Church Life Transitions

DMin dissertation by Delia M. Fahnestock, May 2008. Electronic PDF document. 121 pages.

Abstract: Market Street Church experienced several decades of declining membership and structural decay to the church facility prior to adopting a simple Living Will, written by lay leaders, which guided its journey to closure. The intent of this study is to document Market Street Church’s experience with the congregational Living Will as a means of presenting an intentional approach to significant church life transitions such as closure. This study examines the current literature regarding compassionate care for the dying and those sources that regard the ebb and flow of congregational lifecycles. It finds that there is a lack of material that offers a helpful link between those two bodies of writing, thus addressing compassionate care for dying congregations. The documented journey of Market Street Church is offered as such a link. The distinctive context of Interim Ministry is also examined and found to be significant for the introduction of a congregational Living Will. This single-case history is offered to the ecclesiastical community as a reference tool for congregations approaching significant life transitions in all stages of organizational life but particularly for those facing similar situations of decline and closure.

Fahnestock, Della M.

Lancaster, PA: Lancaster Theological Seminary

2008

(c) Della M. Fahnestock; posted by permission

Church closures

Dissertation

electronic document (PDF)

https://library.lancasterseminary.edu/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=120016

English