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Hoosier United Methodist News Archives
| Hoosier United Methodist News |
February 2002 |
Who is my neighbor?
What the Church can
learn from the U.S. Census
By Kevin R. Armstrong
Special to the Hoosier UM News
Federal law prohibits the US Census from asking citizens about their religious affiliation, but the Census does provide some important insights to one of our most enduring questions of faith: Who is my neighbor? Complete Census 2000 information will not be available in every Hoosier community until summer, but preliminary results already signal the opportunities and challenges facing Indiana Area United Methodists.
An aging population
All 92 Hoosier counties experienced an increase in median age over the last 10 years. In 1980, the median age of Indiana's population was 29.2, increasing to 32.8 in 1990, and 35.2 in 2000. Analysts at the Indiana Business Research Center note that Brown County had the state's highest median age (40.8), followed by Parke, Vermillion, Pike, Henry, Blackford and Martin counties. College counties Tippecanoe (27.2), and Monroe (27.6) had the lowest median ages in the state.
What does this mean for your congregation? Being faithful is not the same as being demographically representative of the larger community, but it may be instructive to compare the median age of your church with the median age of your county or city. The typical United Methodist congregation will have one-and-half to two times as many worshippers over 65 as they will between the ages of 19 and 35. If bridging the gap between these generations is your goal, you might consider how other forms of outreach could bring people together. Some congregations sponsor community fairs, develop daycare programs linking children and seniors, and create educational and mission ministries that are intentionally intergenerational.
North UMC in Indianapolis discovered congregational members and neighbors of all ages are drawn to a church-sponsored Farmer's Market that includes not only fresh produce, but also a health fair, live music and clown ministry. Robin Jackson, director of community ministries at North reports that the parking lot where people usually pass one another is transformed into a place where seniors and teens sit alongside each other clapping to the music and watching the youngest children dance. "Farmer's Market is a glimpse of how God can bring together people of many ages and from a variety of backgrounds."
Although many aging Hoosiers have access to unprecedented medical care, issues of health and spiritual well being remain a growing concern for our aging citizens. Baby Boomers, who experienced the fastest growth rate since 1990 (28 percent) and added more than 387,000 people in our state, are increasingly mindful of their health needs as well as the medical needs of their aging parents. The state's 85 and older population, which grew 27.6 percent and added almost 20,000 citizens, is equally concerned about access to healthcare, medical advice, and companionship. Many congregations are finding that their parish nurse is helping meet these critical needs.
Registered Nurse Pat Thorlton started a parish nurse program at Greenwood UMC in 1997 after she completed a parish nursing course at the University of Indianapolis. Her first year, she distributed refrigerator magnets listing the warning signs of a stroke. Later, a parishioner who had the info-magnet with her sensed she might be having a stroke and was directed by Thorlton to the hospital where an apparent stroke was arrested in an early stage. Few interventions are as dramatic, but parish nurses who regularly phone the homebound, offer health screenings, or design exercise and nutrition programs are responding to a growing population that will continue to seek medical and spiritual comfort.
Home alone
Where to learn more |
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Pastors who comply with John Wesley's admonition to "visit every household" already know what the Census reports: There are more houses with fewer people living in them. The average household size declined in 91 of 92 Indiana counties. Elkhart County was the exception with a very modest increase in household size, while Perry, Martin, Decatur, Hancock and Miami counties experienced the largest declines.
This decline in household size reflects the fact that more people are living alone, living as single parents, or living as married couples without children. The so-called traditional household consisting of married couples with their own children now represents less than 1 in 4 Hoosier households, down about three percent since 1990. The more dramatic story, however, may be that of the single-father household.
Described by the Census Bureau as "single male householders with children," the number of these single fathers increased from 30,000 in 1990 to over 51,000 in 2000 for a growth rate of 73 percent. These single dads account for about one in four households headed by a single parent.
Dr. Wallace McLaughlin, director of the Father Resource Program at Wishard Hospital in Indianapolis, says most church congregations think only about single mothers with children, if they think at all about single-parent families. The single-dad phenomenon cuts across cultural boundaries. "Look around your own congregation," McLaughlin urges. "Are there fathers trying to make it on their own? Are there fathers on the edge because they don't have anyone to talk to, anyone to support them, anyone to teach them basic skills from reading to job-hunting to feeding a small child?"
McLaughlin is pastor of a small, Indianapolis congregation that has teamed up with another local church to provide support and services to these fathers. This partnership allows one congregation to reach beyond its walls, the other to reach within its walls, and gives them both an opportunity to support men who often are overlooked.
¿Donde est la Iglesia?
The substantial growth of the state's Hispanic population is unsurprising. As expected, the number of Hispanics in the state has increased from about 99,000 in 1990 to almost 215,000 in 2000, a growth rate of 117 percent. Marion, Lake, Elkhart, Allen, St. Joseph, Tippecanoe and Porter counties together account for 70 percent of the state's Hispanic population and for 68 percent of the state's growth in Hispanic population.
A sense of community is especially important to any people displaced from their homeland. Late nineteenth century German, Italian, Greek and Irish immigrants to Indiana consciously reinforced the culture of the old country in their new land, including the establishment of new congregations or the redevelopment of old ones. Today's Hispanic immigrants also look for places that are welcoming of their family and their culture.
St. Mark's UMC in Carmel has partnered with Vida Nueva UMC in Indianapolis for several years as the two congregations share regularly in meals, musicals and mission projects. In Jasper County, DeMotte UMC began a relationship with Latino immigrants working on the county's many dairy farms. Pastor John Weeks and North Conference Hispanic Ministries Coordinator Oscar Ramos visited the farms and invited workers to attend a music and praise concert at the church.
That first encounter led to inviting Latino participation in the Church's Scouting program, and the development of a Spanish-speaking Alpha program. Pastor Weeks urges Anglo congregants to remember that any program begins with relationship. "You must spend enough time listening before you get to planning."
United Methodists should not assume that Hispanic immigrants are looking for a Roman Catholic congregation to call home. Many Hispanics are culturally attached to Catholicism, but a growing number are drawn to Protestant congregations. Evangelical groups throughout the state have made particular efforts to reach Hispanics, providing social support to families, and a strong sense of belonging. Keep in mind that some immigrants are looking for permanence and stability and will become deeply involved in congregational life while others are semi-migrant, seeking a place of welcome and comfort during a time of transition.
Hoosiers also should not overlook the fact that while Indiana is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse, population in minority categories still represents a small portion of the state's population. This homogenous ethnic culture may motivate some congregations to make an extra effort to reach out to their neighbor. It could just as easily cause us to forget, or even stereotype, those with whom we have little contact.
The least of these
The U.S Census gives us a glimpse not only of the "big picture" but also of the patterns and pockets of smaller groups we often overlook. The number of Indiana children, for instance, has grown more slowly than the overall state average, with growth rates of 6 percent for children under age five and about 9 percent for school age children (5-17). While these two groups together comprise a sizeable population -- and give us some sense of what lies ahead -- they currently are underrepresented in the social, political and religious arenas.
The Bishop's Initiative on Children and Poverty emphasizes this point and encourages congregations to explore the needs of children, and the gifts they bring to our life together. Centenary Church in Lebanon discovered the struggles and triumphs of local children and families when congregational members agreed to provide childcare for mothers who were participating in the Church's Survival Skills for Women class. Church members picked up the families from home, cared for the children for three hours each week, and returned the families to their home after every session.
"Members put a face and name and house with the local statistics of poverty," according to the Rev. Jessi Langlie, chair of the South Conference Task Force on Children and Poverty and a Survival Skills instructor. "They discovered that poverty was present in rural areas, and not just in the city." Langlie believes the "hidden" people can often reveal a great deal about our life together. "When we reach out to other people's children, the children will lead us."
Other often-overlooked Hoosiers are those living in group quarters (college dorms, prisons, nursing homes, etc.), a population that grew from 162,000 in 1990 to 178,000 in 2000. These persons frequently represent the least known and long forgotten members of our community. Catholic theologian Henri Nouwen once speculated that college students are the largest group of homeless people in our communities. They are separated from their family, often distanced from their homeland, and almost always cut off from people younger and older than themselves.
Local congregations may discover an important opportunity for practicing hospitality among these lesser-known citizens. Jail ministries to inmates and their families, intergenerational visitation and worship opportunities among nursing homes and prisons, and letter-writing and "care package" ministries to students often engage both the recipients and the providers of these gifts.
First steps
Census results are only a tool for learning more about a community. Careful analysis is critical. And no new ministry should be initiated without bringing to the table the people you have "discovered." The mildly curious may ask, "Who is my neighbor?" The wildly faithful will gather with friends and strangers and ask, "How shall we be neighbors together?"
Last updated on 01/14/2004Kevin R. Armstrong is Minister of Faith and Public Life at North UMC in Indianapolis; he also directs the Religion and Public Teaching Project at The Polis Center at IUPUI.