The History of Faith Lutheran Church

Info of Interest:

A Short History of Faith Lutheran Church

Moving Forward...

On March 17, 2002, Pastor Jean M. Hansen was called to be Pastor at Faith Lutheran Church. She had previously served as Director of Pastoral Care at St. Luke Lutheran Community and as Pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Sharon Center. Her first day was May 6, 2002. She was installed on June 9, 2002.

During the next eight months the congregation's "year of transitions" continued. During that time the congregation gave thanks for a number of staff members. In May, part-time office secretary Karen Bach left to pursue another career opportunity. In August Hans Zbinden retired following 36 years as music director and organist. The youth especially were sad to say good-bye to John Maroni, youth director for five years, who is pursuing his seminary studies full-time.

The congregation was glad to welcome Bob Mollard as organist in October. Judy Lee, who had been the part-time office manager, became a full-time employee whose title is Administrative Manager. Thus, the office staff role was expanded and communication within the congregation will be enhanced.

In 2003, focus will be placed on hiring a part-time youth director. There also will be an intensive education and stewardship program to discuss the importance of hiring a full-time staff person who is trained and dedicated to developing small groups and spiritual gifts within the congregation.

There are many exciting opportunities in the future as Faith Lutheran Church continues to make its vision a reality.

July 2001 to May 2002 - Church in Transition
by: Ed Rich - WebMaster

The loss of Pastor Stan was certainly hard on the congregation. It came as a shock to many and to others close to him - not so surprising. Most would agree that it certainly happened quickly. Our loss was certainly Messiah's Lutheran in Fort Wayne's gain. However, looking back over the past year it is hard for me to say that it has been a bad year. Pastor Stan said that we would be stronger for the change. At the time it sounded like the right thing to say but I am not so sure that anyone believed it. You know, he was right.

The congregation has changed in some respects. Some people stepped up and took on new responsibility, some left and some managed to keep doing their thing. The most powerful presence was that of Pastor Deborah Wissner. Pastor Deborah stepped into a church in turmoil and managed to calm the waters. She gave everyone a chance to continue to see the direction and we kept moving forward. God truly has blessed this congregation and He protected our family by sending us Pastor Deb.

The church went through the hard and time consuming process of calling a new pastor. After many meetings and a lot of prayer, the church has called its next leader - Rev. Jean M Hansen.

Pastor Stan said it best when he said, "May it (Faith) never lose its passion for making disciples and affirm its vision to share the good news of Jesus with everyone; to transform followers into disciples with a faith that works in real life; to joyfully go and share his love in the world."
Amen

From the beginning up to June 2001
by: Rev. Dr. Stanley C. Sneeringer

In the early years following World War II, the peoples of the world yearned to return to the business of life and love. As the economy of war was gradually replaced by the economy of peace, returning GI's eager to start large families after having postponed them during the war years, met up with their wives to produce the largest birth explosion yet in the history of this country. Today it is commonly referred to as the "baby boom." 75+ million births were recorded between 1946 and 1964. Since church, faith, religion were all considered by most an integral part of that new life, stagnant congregations suddenly began swelling demanding added space for Christian education, more up-to-date facilities, larger fellowship halls, etc.
Visiting European church people were fascinated by "religious America": full churches, multiple services, Billy Graham Crusades, Bishop Sheen on TV, Norman Vincent Peale's "positive thinking," printed table prayers in restaurants, etc. Ministers became "regular guys" who played baseball, went fishing with the men's group, and generally suggested that religion could be fun. The mainline churches in America grew dramatically in the 1950s and Lutherans participated in the boom. During the 50s, the church also experienced an explosion of new congregations to accommodate the new growth. Using the American Lutheran Church as an example, ten new churches were organized in 1950, twenty-three in 1951, nine in 1952, twenty-nine in 1953, forty in 1954 and the numbers kept growing each year. Whether it was a genuine revival of faith is now debated but certainly it was a revival of religion.
Faith Lutheran Church, Fairlawn, was a product of the "boom 50s". It was founded in 1954 as the Fairlawn Lutheran Mission. Northwest Akron was a natural draw for many people because of the prevailing winds of west-to-east that meant the smoke of the rubber factories blew the opposite direction. This weather pattern drew many families to the northwest to escape not only the city but also the rubber smell. The "Fairlawn Heights" opened up and people moved into the new bedroom community with its new schools, new churches and new shopping areas. More and more people wanted a share of the good life in the suburbs. Lutherans were no exception.
A second factor also contributed significantly to the initial growth of Faith. At the time of the founding of Faith Lutheran Church in 1954, there was only one other mainline protestant church in the area. This made Faith unique and highly attractive. Even the nearest Lutheran congregation was six miles to the southeast and in a day when travel was much more difficult than today, that distance was formidable.
Finally, Rev. Harry Myers, the mission developer for the new church, reported in a letter dated August 2, 1954 that Dr. Harry Weigman, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Akron, gave him permission "to go after members of Trinity church [living in the area] for the mission church." Ultimately many young families from Trinity helped form the nucleus of the new congregation. The Akron Beacon Journal newspaper reported in an October 1954 article announcing the first service of the Fairlawn Lutheran Mission that Rev. Myers had rung 1600 doorbells in three months surveying the community before planning the first worship service October 10, 1954. It was no surprise then that in just two years, June 1956, the congregation made its first major purchase--a parsonage for a new pastor.
To fill that parsonage, the Fairlawn Lutheran Mission called the Rev. Kenneth Sauer, newly ordained from Hamma School of Theology, Springfield, Ohio. The eighteen-year tenure of Pastor Sauer provided stability and sound leadership that eventually led to the construction of all three of the current church's major building units. The first unit which now houses the Fellowship Hall and kitchen was completed in 1960, the second educational unit in 1963 and the third unit comprising the main worship center and offices in 1969. No one thought a thing of taking out a mortgage that committed half of the congregation's yearly income to making bank payments. Growth was forever.
The decade of the 1960s, however, proved that assumption false. In hindsight it is clear the religious boom of the mainline churches in America was coming to an end. Statistics now reveal the rapid growth of the churches was slowing down. In 1964, eighty-four new missions were begin, in 1967, twenty-five and in 1969 only eighteen. By the mid-70s, less than five new churches were started each year nationally. The Lutheran Church in America, the parent denomination of Faith Lutheran Church showed its first drop in membership in 1968 when it lost 8520 members. In 1969 it lost 21,880 members, in 1970 28,698 members, in 1971, 38,048 members, in 1972, 34,964 members. (The membership decline decreased less sharply after that but still continued until 1980.) Something significant was impacting American Protestantism. In the 1960s and 1970s, it was apparent the baby boom generation raised in the 1950s was dropping out of the mainline churches, the majority to never return again.
In his 1989 book, America's Religion, pollster George Gallup looking back concluded the decade of the 50's was more an anomaly than the beginning of a trend. Indeed, he saw religion of the 1960s as merely a return to the prewar religious environment of the 1930s. In other words, he says, we cannot gauge the contemporary success or failure of the institutional church by the benchmark of the 1950s. That period in history was unique.
Meanwhile, other forces were at work impacting the church of the 60s. While the popular piety of the 50s largely ignored the social implications of the gospel, the 60s church was being challenged to face them by the coming-of-age baby boomers. The decade of the 60s witnessed the shouts of angry African-Americans using arguments quoted straight from the Bible pricking the consciousness of many church fathers and mothers. The Korean and Vietnam conflicts caused many more to further question traditional American standards and institutions including the church. The continuing cold war and the Watergate scandal further undermined faith in institutions once held so dear. The church not only suffered from the general mistrust of all institutions by the young baby boom generation but also by its failure to address the social ills of the day. Its staunch support of "tradition" was understood as support for the "status quo." More and more the church was seen as boring, even irrelevant by the new majority generation.
Meanwhile, Faith was in the midst of its own boom--building. This goal plus its conservative suburban location tended to insolate the congregation form the current cultural influences that surrounded it. However, it could not remain so for long. Even as Faith reached the highest average worship attendance in its history--353 in 1969, in 1970--the year the new sanctuary was completed--average worship attendance suffered its first decline. Continuing for the next decade, this drop was first attributed to the change of pastors in 1973 and to the completion of the "identifiable goal" -- the new worship center. (Rev. Kenneth Sauer left to become Bishop of the Ohio Synod, Lutheran Church in America. He is now retired and living in Columbus, Ohio.) But it is important to note that mainline Protestantism was in general declining everywhere during this time in history as fewer and fewer baby boomers returned to take the place of their parents in the church.
In looking back on the 1960s, several facts are now obvious: 1) the mainline denominations in the United States started to decline in numbers everywhere; 2) the social ills plaguing America were not going away; 3) the population boom of the 1950s had come to an end; 4) the pastor who provided so much of the direction and stability during Faith's growth years was leaving.
Enter in 1973the Rev. Dr. J. Peter Pelkonen. "Pastor Pete" was different in personality and style from his predecessor. He had been a seminary professor at Hamma School of Theology, Springfield, Ohio before coming to Faith. During Dr. Pelkonen's ministry the congregation continued its gradual decline. Many in the congregation expected the continued steady and constant growth that had characterized the previous two decades and were disappointed when it did not happen. Modern church observers have since noted that following a long-tenured founding pastor of a congregation can be difficult if not impossible. Others note that after 20 years, the typical congregation plateaus in attendance and can remain there for 10, even 20 more years. The typical reason identified by Win Arn of the Institute for Church Growth is staffing--or more correctly, the lack of staffing. For every 150 persons over 13 years old in worship, the thinking was that a church should plan on one full-time program staff pastor. A church may grow beyond 150, he says, but will usually plateau at 175-200 average Sunday attendance.
To address the need, Faith called its first associate in 1976 to respond to its declining attendance now 283 (which included children) in 1975. The Rev. Jonathan Edwards stayed only two and a half years. (Pastor Edwards now serves a church in Augusta, Georgia.) Lyle Schaller wrote in his book Hey, That's our Church that often the first associate leaves due to the tension and frustrations encountered when a parish trained to relate to only one pastor is presented with two "leaders" for the first time (often with very different styles and temperament). Others comment that particularly Protestant seminaries tend to produce "solo" pastors rather than "team" players. In any case, the attendance average continues to decline after the first year of Pastor Edward's ministry. This led to disagreements between the senior pastor and certain members of the congregation, which in turn accelerated the membership exodus.
In 1982, this pastor arrived to replace Pastor Pelkonen (now retired and living in Surprise, Arizona). I was presented with a congregation that had lost much of its former enthusiasm. There was a definite need for healing and mission development. Even the building, in great need of repair reflected the spirit of the congregation. The first ten years of my ministry at Faith was given to healing and revitalization. A preschool was started, new member outreach reinstated, adult education reinitiated, fellowship suppers begun, the sponsoring of a mothers' support group, and the addition of support groups like AA. An intern program with Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus was initiated. The Church Council appointed a Long Range Planning Committee to prepare a Statement of Mission to be included in the congregation's newly revised constitution. They also completed a four-year plan, which included, among other concerns, the development of community life, outreach and additional program staff. This effort yielded substantial membership and financial growth. However, even with this effort, the average Sunday attendance continued to plateau between 200 and 225.
In December 1986 Faith called the Rev. A Elaine LePoris as its second associate pastor to again address that concern. She came to Faith from a medical facility where she served as a chaplain. She had previously served in two parish settings. Her new portfolio at Faith consisted of responsibility for the educational, congregational life and social ministries of the congregation. Worship and pastoral duties were equally divided. One of her first innovations was to enhance the Cottage Groupings of the congregation to create care groups to help members become better acquainted with one another. With her presence, more direct attention was given to developing the congregation's service and congregational life ministries. She revitalized, for example, the congregation's lay shut-in and hospital visitation ministry. Pastor Elaine was also active in Synodical committees most notably the Ohio Candidacy Committee.
Once again, Faith was tripped up by the addition of an associate. She left in 1989 to pursue ministry in Southern Ohio. (After serving several other congregations, Pastor LePoris unexpectedly died in early 1998.) In spite of all that she had added to our parish, Faith still remained on its attendance plateau. Add to this the unexpected economic downturn of Akron's industrial community, it quickly proved financially impossible for Faith to support two full-time clergy. It was also gradually dawning on this pastor that our culture was once again shifting. No longer were the old rules governing church practice serving as they once had. A new paradigm for ministry was necessary! So my last ten years were devoted to developing a new model for doing ministry.
It seemed to this pastor that a development of a more extensive lay ministry was the key to our future. In 1991, Mrs. Kathy Zbinden, wife of organist Dr. Hans Zbinden, was hired as Faith's first Coordinator of Volunteers to assist in the assimilation of new members and the involvement of existing members. However, even though Faith was now experiencing a steady stream of new members, their numbers were only sufficient to replace, unfortunately, the equal number of members leaving due to job transfers and losses from the dramatic downturn of the Akron economy in the late 1980s and early 1990s. One after another, foreign competitors bought out the rubber companies headquartered in Akron. Only Good Year has survived. During these years, not only Akron but also Faith struggled to survive.
Faith Lutheran Church also burned its mortgage in 1991. In addition to a new program staff person, much needed remodeling and repair could finally begin. Architects were hired in 1992 to begin the process of assessing the needs of the physical plant. Information was generated and incorporated into a design model for later reflection and refinement. Faith's "New Dimensions" were launched in 1994 to remodel the existing facilities. The project, which included the Fellowship Hall and Kitchen areas, was completed in 1997. Finally, Faith could turn its attention from building maintenance to people ministry.
In the fall of 1997 after two years of study and heated conversation, Faith held its first contemporary worship. A non-liturgical, free form worship service, it includes very practical sermons, praise music, weekly Holy Communion amidst a relaxed atmosphere. It is still held in the newly remodeled Fellowship Hall rather than the traditional sanctuary. Led by a lay member and a small band directed by my wife, Linda, the service has fostered a new spirit of outreach within the congregation into the community. It has become an integral part of the ministry. For the first time in more than two decades, the average Sunday worship attendance increased, growing 17% in four years. At the same time the Sunday School--Explorers' Club--literally exploded along side the new service. Also in 1997, Faith hired its first youth director John Maroni who literally turned around this vital part of our ministry. John now plans to attend Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus to become an ordained ministry. (John will be the second person from Faith during my tenure to attend seminary. Dee Miklos graduating in 2001 is now serving Trinity Lutheran Church, Norton, Ohio.)

1997 was a year of tremendous change. In September of 1997 we entered the world of the Internet. FaithLutheranChurch.org has continued to grow each month. The Sermon Archive is probably the most visited section but we have a great collection of links, and just this month we re-published the King James Version of the Holy Bible. Ed Rich pioneered the website and with his vision has guided it into a world class form of outreach. We know that some who visit our site also visit our services and have in some cases joined the congregation. We get emails from all over the World. In 2000 we invited a Archiglass - A Russian choral group to sing at the church - after they first found us on the Internet. We routinely have over 600 different computers logging onto our website each and every week to use the vast amount of information contained within its walls. www.FaithLutheranChurch.org has certainly given us a world outreach capability we never had before expanding our reach beyond the typical brick and mortor.
Then in 1998, Faith began a new process of transformation. After adopting a new statement of mission, vision, and values, it has begun the process of abandoning its committee structure in favor of ministry teams. A new small group adult ministry known as LIFE groups (Living in Faith Everyday) was initiated. Several new weekday adult Bible fellowship groups are now alive and well throughout the congregation. The Church Council revisioned itself as "the keeper of the vision" rather than "gatekeeper of the ministry." In other words, members of Faith are now free to initiate their own ministries provided they are in accord with the mission, vision and values of Faith. To help that process, leadership development is now an integral part of the ministry of Faith Lutheran Church. Gradually a new paradigm for doing ministry is transforming Faith's culture.
In reviewing this history, it is apparent to this pastor that Faith Lutheran Church does not and cannot exist without being aware of the current cultural milieu in which it finds itself. We always live in a context that if ignored is done so at its peril. The times they are always changing. To believe ministry must always be done the same way is shortsighted particularly if your mission is to "make disciples for Jesus Christ" for each new generation. It is a different world today than the 1950s when this congregation had its start. What meets the religious needs of adults born the first half of the last century no longer works for those born the second half. Risk and experimentation is necessary. But Faith has been willing albeit cautiously to do just that. May it never lose its passion for making disciples and affirm its vision to share the good news of Jesus with everyone; to transform followers into disciples with a faith that works in real life; to joyfully go and share his love in the world.