Believers versus non-believers and churched versus unchurched are the two dichotomous groups that the church sees and seeks to reach in one way or another. It is in this environment populated by believers and non-believers and churched and unchurched that the church seeks to grow and develop. Many competing elements impact this notion of church growth; not the least of which is the declining interest of Christians to evangelize. Be that as it may, the Christian church can grow. There are certainly enough people to go around! But what must the church do? Here are five of many suggestions.
1. First Priority—Prayer!
- Count on prayers to be answered. Do members of your congregation feel encouraged to pray individually and corporately? Prayer is the single-most important action that will facilitate God’s vision to expand the church. Encourage members to establish specific times to pray for church growth. Set aside special times for corporate prayer to happen. Create a sense of urgency among the pray-ers, and you will see the difference it makes. Congregations become more engaged and apt to be part of the solution when they are led to pray for any common goal established to benefit the church.
- Pray specifically for resources to fund the vision. People will see, pray for, and support the vision when it is clear and compelling. Growing the church so that you can help more people—learning center, family life center, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, bless the children, and more. I have found that money goes where vision shows. Prayer enables
2. Sermons that Make People Listen
- Assure relevant, lively, and interesting sermons. No one wants to hear a boring sermon. The Gospel message does not change—continue to preach but changing the method cause the sermon to resonate more with the listeners. Keep in mind that most people stop listening after a few minutes; so they need something to make them listen.
Three articles provide this startling truth. Time Magazine article “You Now Have A Shorter Attention Span Than A Goldfish” says,
The average attention span for the notoriously ill-focused goldfish is nine seconds, but according to a new study from Microsoft Corp., people now generally lose concentration after eight seconds, highlighting the affects of an increasingly digitalized lifestyle on the brain.
A 2015 post on ethos3.com says,
If your audience is still paying attention after the first 8 seconds, you have approximately 4 minutes and 52 seconds until their attention spans are exhausted.
And a July 13 post by Anne Fisher on Fortune.com says,
“The average adult attention span has plummeted from 12 minutes a decade ago to just 5 minutes now.….”
Because of the digital age, there is demand for faster, relevant, and more impactful messages than ever that will reach all members (old and new) of your congregation to be and do better.
3. A Very Cool Children’s Ministry
- Remember technology. Children are exposed to videos, games and their fast-moving images. So when they come to church, present them with some of the same things to catch and keep their interests. Be sure to choose dynamic teachers who are prepared to make Christian learning just as or even more exciting than their academic experiences. This is a high-energy ministry so train enough people to be teachers to eliminate burn-out. Be sure to include a call to salvation in all of what you do as you teach them the great songs of the church, Bible stories, prayers they can remember, and more.
- Pay attention to the environment. Keep it clean! Make it colorful! See that it’s friendly, godly and very cool. They will and look forward to coming back each week and may even bring some of their friends.
4. Head-Turning Marketing: is Not a Bad Term for the Church
- Promote your church. How about a TV commercial? Public Access television may be available to you. Also, you have a built-in marketing team—your congregation. Each one can spread the word in their own communities or on their jobs and distribute brochures about your church and its activities. Spend a few dollars on invitation cards, tee shirts, and other items that will draw attention to your church.
- Publicize your church’s reflection of God’s excellence. Be sure to have up-to-date messages on your church sign and your website. Shiny, new digital signs are great if you can afford them but regular signs are just fine if you cannot afford digital ones. The point is to have a sign that people can see; a website that is inviting and has compelling and friendly words. Put up eye-catching images, sermon titles, and special invitations. Make the surroundings of your physical sign and your website beautiful. They are often the first thing people see about your church.
- Social media Rocks! How many people in your church are on Facebook, Twitter, and other media? Encourage them to invite their “friends” to worship or to Bible study at your church. Be sure to maintain your own social media sites on a daily (but at least weekly) basis so that the word gets out about how fabulous your church is. The Church is the last to catch up to modernity! There are many other social media outlets available for spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ. Search them out and use them! You’ll be surprised at the audience you will attract.
5. Stand Out in the Community
- Who knows you? Partner with the community in doing good works. Matthew 5:16 encourages to do this, so get it done! Adopt families, schools or classroom within the school. Let surrounding residents see your “light” and know you exist.
- Know your community leaders. They should know you as an organization concerned about poverty, homelessness, voter rights, and other issues that exist in communities. Let the leaders know you are interested in these issues and form a partnership that benefits everyone.
Every church wants to grow in some way; both numerically and in popularity; but most certainly spiritually. So check your internal processes, make sure they are relevant, and invite the world to come to your church because you are an excellent example of what it means to do church. Let people know you plan to grow and be ready when they come!
References:
You Now Have a Shorter Attention Span Than a Goldfish
How to Conquer Short Attention Spans
Giving a Speech? Conquer the Five-Minute Attention Span
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ethel Canty Bothuel (Dr. Ethel) is a certified church consultant. She is Founder of The Center for Faith-Based Advancement—a church consulting ministry designed to help build strong Christian ministries through consultations, workshops, and publications. Dr. Ethel is an ordained minister with extensive experience in and knowledge of the Church. She is author of “Preparing a Plain Path: Nurturing Son and Daughter Ministers on Their Christian Journey” Self-published via Create Space, Charleston, 2012, and has written and published many articles relevant to ministry.
.
.
