10/27/2025
I provided a survey form to congregates this morning before service began. The survey was in regard to communion practice, order of service and sermon subjects.
I thought I would share the results of the survey (which was anonymous).
There were 11 survey forms returned to me today after service, I did leave more copies on the back table by the offering can, in case anyone else would like to complete one, you can just fold it up and place it in the offering can.
7 congregates prefer to have communion served to them in the pew, while 1 would prefer to come forward to receive communion.
7 congregates are fine with using the flatbread crackers that we have been using for communion, while 3 would like to return to the whole loaf option used in the past, and 1 would prefer an actual communion wafer to be served.
6 congregates prefer to consume the elements of the communion individually as the receive them, while 4 would prefer to hold the elements until the entire congregation consumes them in unison.
7 congregates feel that communion should be offered quarterly while 4 feel that it should be offered monthly.
10 of 11 congregates responding to the survey stated that they were pleased with the non-liturgical order of service as it is.
2 congregates would like more congregational involvement in the worship service and 1 indicated that the Apostles, Creed would be a welcome reintroduction to the worship service.
8 congregates responded in favor of using a reoccurring closing hymn each week, verses a different closing hymn each week, while 2 preferred to different hymn each week. In addition, 2 congregates stated that they would like the closing hymn to be change every couple of months.
1 congregate added a note that they would like to see the return of a printed service program.
In regard to sermon subject matter, 9 congregates stated that they were fine with the sermons as they are now, and one congregate indicated a preference to focus more on the New Testament teachings of Jesus verses other subject matter options.
As I stated, there are more survey forms available and if you haven't had the opportunity to complete one then I would encourage you to do so, or feel free to reach out to me directly with your thoughts on these matters.
I intend to use this information to guide us in moving forward into a worship service that fills our needs as a congregation.
Having served this congregation as temporary pulpit supply for the last 14 years, I have had the opportunity to witness a congregation struggle to survive, then thrive, and struggle a little more.
I have been befriended by many great people here at West Prairie over those years and sadly I have watched some of them depart from us for various reasons.
I have made great friends with folks who swore they would never darken the door of a church, and I have seen folks grow in faith in the Lord as well.
In these last few years, we have had baptisms and received new congregational members and had new people stepping up to fill roles on session and to pick up the ministry of hospitality while others have declined from being able to serve in those roles.
As I have watched these things I am filled with sadness at the loss and transition, but I am also filled with the joy of hope, the future of this congregation out on the prairie that just refuses to give up, and refuses to go away.
My grandparents were from up here on the prairie and they were a stubborn people, just like this congregation that refuses to go away.
A congregation struggles with small numbers and minimal funds, that is obvious, but a congregation also struggles with success and growth and abundance.
I preached on that as a hypothetical early in my ministry days, which doesn't seem so long ago but is pushing 20 years soon.
A small church is a family and sometimes the relationship is difficult. People have different ideas, and differing ways of communicating those ideas. We are not exempt from the strife that plagues many relationships, perhaps even most of them.
As I think about how best to restructure or develop our worship service to serve our congregation, I ask that each of you would keep our congregational family in your prayers. Pray for our direction and mission, pray for our members, pray for one another, pray for a world in complete chaos and walking in darkness, but also pray that we as a congregation can continue to be warm and welcoming and fulfill our vow to Love God and serve him with everything we have, and to love our neighbor as ourself, to love and forgive others as we would want them to love and forgive us.
I have been truly blessed to have served this congregation over the last 14 years, through ups and downs, and joys and concerns in my life as well as the lives of our members.
For clarification, I am not resigning or planning to leave or anything like that, I just have a lot on my heart for our congregation lately and I wanted to share it with you all.
Pastor Jeremy
