{"id":30648,"date":"2021-03-02T10:00:26","date_gmt":"2021-03-02T15:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sharefaithblog.wpengine.com\/?p=30648"},"modified":"2021-03-22T15:17:56","modified_gmt":"2021-03-22T19:17:56","slug":"how-to-grow-a-church-the-ultimate-guide-for-a-new-millennium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/how-to-grow-a-church-the-ultimate-guide-for-a-new-millennium\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Grow a Church: The Ultimate Guide for a New Millennium"},"content":{"rendered":"

The challenges associated with growing a church have changed. It used to be about drawing people that had some history with the church, but this is rapidly shifting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Statisticians have been warning us about a decline in church involvement for some time. The Pew Research Journal reported that between 2009 and 2019, the number of Americans who attended religious services once or twice a month <\/span>dropped about seven percent<\/span><\/a>. Over the same period, the share of Americans who rarely (if ever) attended church rose by the same degree.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Gallup, nearly a quarter of all American adults have absolutely <\/span>no religious affiliation of any kind<\/span><\/a>. Percentage-wise, this was much higher among Millennials than Gen X and Boomers. And moving forward, the trajectory doesn\u2019t look encouraging.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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COVID throws gas on the fire<\/span><\/h2>\n

This course would be cause for alarm on its own, but COVID has only exacerbated the issue. Pandemic-related shutdowns made it a challenge for churches to gather safely, and many struggled to get their services online.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Months later, Barna Group reported that among practicing Christians (people who attended church at least once a month and said their faith was important to them), <\/span>53 percent say they\u2019ve streamed their regular church\u2019s services<\/span><\/a> online. A little over a third admitted to streaming other church services, and 32 percent said they hadn\u2019t done either. This seems to suggest that habit and momentum kept them attending church, and when the pandemic forced a shift in routines, the inertia was lost.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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NOTE:<\/b> If you\u2019re interested in learning more about how COVID is changing the Christian landscape and how to respond, check out our free ebook <\/span>Churches in the Wilderness: Navigating COVID-19 and the New Normal<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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This helps to make sense of the data from Barna\u2019s <\/span>State of the Church 2020 project<\/span><\/a>. This report found that when people were asked if they were tired of the typical church experience, 45 percent of practicing Christians strongly or somewhat agreed compared to 44 percent who somewhat or strongly disagreed. If half of church attendees feel like they\u2019ve been going through the motions, COVID would have been just the excuse they needed to take a step back.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So what do all these distressing statistics have to do with growing a church? Hopefully, they can prepare us to really think about our goals and potentially encourage us to push the reset button. In this new millennium, church growth will require more than making dramatic changes to your facilities or copying effective programs in other churches. We\u2019ll need to start from the bottom up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the challenges churches face going forward is walking the line between older congregants who might be bigger givers but want services reminiscent of what they\u2019re accustomed to, and younger adults who are looking for something different.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s dig into some changes churches need to make to flourish in this new environment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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1. Give people a purpose and a mission\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

More and more young adults view themselves as activists (<\/span>52.5 percent<\/span><\/a>), but very few of them have faith in traditional structures for creating meaningful change. This distrust extends to the government . . . and the church.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead of passing judgment on the causes young adults embrace, churches need to recognize and affirm their longing for true and meaningful change. Thankfully, the church\u2019s mission to create world-changing disciples and care for others dovetails perfectly with this generation\u2019s concerns.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Practically speaking, this means that churches need to:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0a.) Craft an action-oriented mission and vision\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Clearly defining who you are and what you\u2019re about as a church is more essential than ever, but the end result <\/span>needs<\/span><\/i> to be action-oriented. Your mission has to be more than, \u201cWe want to create a comfortable space where everyone feels loved where they are.\u201d While this is certainly a laudable goal, it\u2019s becoming increasingly important to communicate the actions your mission inspires you to make.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When people visit your website or social media platforms, the images and language should communicate what you\u2019re working together to accomplish. They should see it as an invitation to take part in the work you\u2019re doing, not to just come sit and listen.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 b.) Make total involvement the goal<\/span><\/h3>\n

You won\u2019t be able to turn everyone into a volunteer, but that should be the objective. And maybe that means restructuring your perspective on staffing. Maybe the goal is less about hiring people to do the work of ministry and more about using staff to mobilize and manage volunteers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It could also mean changing the way you see church ministry. Typically, churches are known for pushing people to classes and small-group ministries. And these are essential, but that means that getting more involved in church inevitably means doing more of what you\u2019re already doing, feeling like a spectator. Some of the most dramatic communal breakthroughs happen as people work shoulder to shoulder on common goals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When you increase the number of people actually serving others, the other elements start to take on a new life. Small groups are no longer just gathering to talk about yourself, and teaching becomes increasingly practical and useful.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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NOTE: <\/b>You can explore some of these themes a little more in the free ebook <\/span>The Practical Guide to Recruiting and Retaining Kidmin Volunteers<\/a>. <\/span><\/i>It\u2019s focused on children\u2019s ministry, but many of the principles are applicable across the board.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u00a0 \u00a0 c.) Focus on action as much as information\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

A good theological education is essential, but churches going forward will need to be more strategic with how they teach. The goal should be to inform and invite people to get more involved in the church\u2019s (action-oriented) mission.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy for churches to get into the habit of focusing on imparting knowledge without giving people an outlet for using what they\u2019re learning. This is incredibly vital if you want to get people engaged.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 d.) Change your church\u2019s relationship with the building\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Luke gives a very dramatic picture of the church in its infancy:<\/span><\/p>\n

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved <\/span><\/i>(Acts 2:42\u201347).<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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These new believers didn\u2019t have church buildings to gather in\u2014and remember, there were more than 3,000 believers in Jerusalem at this point. And while having your own church facility can be an amazing benefit, it\u2019s not the center of the church\u2019s identity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the last several decades, the church has developed an \u201cif you build it, they will come\u201d mindset. Attracting visitors has often boiled down to catering to perceived preferences, adding a coffee shop, a huge children\u2019s playground, or a professional theater-style sanctuary.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is becoming less and less of a draw for Millennials, and for some, it can be a turnoff. They\u2019re more drawn to what you\u2019re doing than what you\u2019ve built. And they want to know that their effort and their giving is having an impact on others and isn\u2019t just going toward infrastructure and overhead.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t require a lot for churches to change how they view this critical tool. Rethinking a church\u2019s relationship to its building is as simple as:<\/span>
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