Keys to Church growth – part 3

Perhaps nothing keeps a church small than a small mindset.  Too many churches and Pastor’s think small and therefore will remain that way.  We must think like a larger church.  For example:  You may not need nursery for every Sunday evening service – but you should plan on having a nursery for every Sunday evening service!  You should have someone scheduled to take it, turn the lights on, and look like you are expecting children.  There is nothing worse that having a young couple show up with an infant or toddler in tow and the ladies start discussing between themselves who should take the nursery.  This shows a complete lack of planning and organization.

Dr. Lee Roberson was quoted as having told more than one Pastor to “Pastor your town”.  Make sure people know who you are and where the church is.  Be the pastor the town calls to do a funeral or offer a prayer when they don’t know who else to turn to.

Don’t use a classroom instead of the auditorium on evening services.  Don’t ask for ushers to take up the offering during the service – have them planned before the service begins.  When our church was very small, we had a Sunday School teacher for the primary class and had NO STUDENTS for it.  Every Sunday she came into her class, turned on the lights, had a lesson prepared, and waited at the door for her students until about five minutes after the hour when she would make her way into the adult class.  It wasn’t too many months before she had one, then two, and within a couple years she had double digits in her class.

Think bigger.  God doesn’t want every church to run thousands; we know that.  But God wants us to expect people that need the Gospel to come to church and for us to be ready for them!

Keys to church growth – Part 1

Following are some simple keys to attracting and keeping prospective members to your church. Some are spiritual and some are practical.

1. Be very clear about WHO you are. Don’t be vague on your stand and convictions. By being very bold about what kind of church you are and what position you take – you will attract those that are looking for that kind of church and you will also keep away those who wouldn’t agree with your church anyway. For example: If you use traditional music, put that on your website or in your brochure and advertising. There are many people looking for sacred music in their worship services and want to avoid churches that use more modern instruments and lyrics. Be clear about who you are!

2. Keep your facilities attractive and clean. This is so important and everyone knows it, but not everyone does it! Make sure your nursery and children’s rooms are appropriate and well received by the parents and children. Those rooms are literally your first impression of the building. Warm colors, clean carpet, no broken toys or furniture, empty waste cans, corner protectors, etc. These are all very important signs of maintenance to a new attendee. Keep your restrooms well marked and very clean! We cannot always provide new buildings, but we can provide clean ones!