Do you find yourself attending your church every Sunday and watching less and less people show up? I have been going through this for the past few years. I attend a very small church in the small community where I live. Each month, it seems like less people are coming to church to worship our lord and saviour Jesus Christ. So, what can we do about this? How can we help our churches that seem to have less of an audience each month?
Work On Your Welcome
At one point in time you were the new person in church. You may have had your worries such as if anyone would talk to you, what happens if your child cries, or even something as small as where to sit. Did someone greet you at the door or at your pew and make you feel welcome? This is the type of thing that will bring more people to your church, the passion and interest of your fellow church-goers and pastor. If people feel as if they are not being welcomed with open arms, they aren’t going to continue to attend and they won’t bring in newcomers. If you are trying to bring more people into your church, make sure they are feeling welcome. Call them after church and thank them for attending and ask them if there is anything they can do.
Add An Extra Service
According to research, once 80% of the seating in a venue is in use, the congregation stops growing. New people don’t want to walk into a church that is full because they may feel uncomfortable or unwanted. So, this is why if the option is available, add a new worship time or move into a larger building. You can also add morning and evening services. You may notice that attendance will quickly fill up in the new service without any difference to the other services. Sometimes, people just can’t make it to a morning service which is why the afternoon or evening service may be better for them.
Invest In Young People
More than 80% of Christians make a commitment to Christ before they are 18-years old. So think about it, if you recruit younger members, they will most likely stay with the church for a longer period of time. If the younger people are purposefully placed into visible leadership roles and provided mentoring, they will be successful in their roles within the church. The church should be invested in reaching and keeping young people active in the community.
Prayer
Yes, praying for church growth is an option. When you see a church growing, that means that there is a solid foundation of prayer being the strategies and programmes. For most churches, the first key into their transition to growth is emphasised on prayer. One thing to remember is that praying for growth also means that expectations are going to rise. Churches tend to forget what it feels like to grow when they become inward-looking.
