"I feel so welcome and so at home at Spirit of Faith. It is a church for everyone, not just the congregation, but everyone is welcome, new people, people from the community, and people outside the community. Pastor says every Sunday, 'all are welcome here, all the time.' That is so true!" These words are shared by Kacee Polly, a new member at Spirit of Faith in Woonsocket, South Dakota.

Spirit of Faith Church on a recent new member Sunday. Photos courtesy of Spirit of Faith facebook page.

Polly officially became a new member of the congregation on Sunday, November 6, 2022. She was joined by 44 other new members this year.

"This is a Sunday that we look forward to each year. We call it New Member November. We pick a date in November to celebrate all the new members that decided to join us throughout the year," said Pastor John Anderson, Spirit of Faith Church. "On Sunday, we had a welcome liturgy. We had cake, ice cream, and all kinds of other celebratory things. It was a very good, blessing-filled day.

In a time of declining church membership, Spirit of Faith, an ecumenical Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) and United Methodist congregation is seeing a steady increase in membership. Since 2020 they have welcomed 115 new members—41 in 2020, 29 in 2021, and 45 in 2022. 

Why is the growth happening? People like Kacee Polly and her family feel welcome. 

"We really focus on the phrase 'all are welcome'," said Anderson. "The word all does not have an asterisk next to it. We do not say, 'but these people really aren't', it's all. God means all, and we mean all people are welcome, and they know that anybody that walks in that door is not going to be judged, will not be looked at any differently, or be treated any differently. We are very clear that all are welcome!" 

All but four of the 45 new members are under the age of 40. According to Lifeway Research, young adults comprise 23% of the population but only 14% of churches. Spirit of Faith has about 325 members. The 40 new young adults that joined in 2022 decreased the median age of members of the congregation in Woonsocket.

"This year has been a youth movement. The younger couples come together and want to go to worship. A group of friends started coming, and they invited another couple of friends. The next thing you know, they're there," said Pastor John. "It's very cool that the young group wants to be involved and active. They do not just want to come to church, but they want to be ushers, greeters, readers, and do outreach. They are here to participate."

The invitations and the welcoming spirit make a difference in not only the number of people who are part of the church but actively participating. 

In his sermon at new member Sunday, Anderson challenged each person to build faith by being an active member. "In the body of Christ, there are no useless parts! And that's the important thing to keep in mind today: this body of Christ is changing with the addition of each one of these new members: changing in beautiful and hope-filled ways. What will you be? What part are you supposed to be? The body is only complete with every necessary part. Through each of you, we might be gaining something we've been missing."

Spirit of Faith took a leap of faith six years ago. The congregation built a new building. They had been meeting in two older buildings that needed repair. They voted to demolish the buildings and create a new church home. 

"Six years ago, they took a leap of faith to tear down the old buildings to merge into a single congregation. People hoped that this would work out. So many people here at that time have told me we are now seeing what we had hoped and prayed to happen. To have 115 new members in 2.5 years in Woonsocket, South Dakota, is remarkable," said Pastor John.

Attracting new members is a goal of the congregation. In 2022 the goal was to recruit 25 new members in Woonsocket. A community with a population of 665.

"The council always sets a goal. They ask, how many people can we reach? How many people can we welcome each year? In 2020, when we had 41 new members, we thought that was a pretty good first year. Last year we had 29 counting baptisms. We thought that was a pretty good year," said Anderson. "We thought, in Woonsocket, we would be running out of people soon. But the spirit of welcome is contagious, and more new people are invited, show up, and hear of God's love for them."

Seeing the younger generation pledge themselves to be church members brings the spirit of hope for the future.

"I thank God for these people. They are amazing. They feed my soul," said Pastor John. "It's them welcoming me into their community, lives, and lives of faith. People feel welcome here. I feel welcome. The thing is, it's not just me welcoming others. The congregation does this work of inviting, welcoming, loving, and encouraging which is exactly what Jesus wants us to do."