I have never met a pastor who said, “I like our church size just the way it is. I do not want to reach anymore people. This is it. Stop the evangelism. I like this.” I have never heard that and neither have you.
Pastors and church leaders want their churches to grow. But the question for four out of every five churches who is not growing is “How do you do it?”
Randy Ongie, President of MAG Bookkeeping, wants to help you. He is writing a four-part series on the practices of growing churches do. I want to bring you the first two characteristics of growing churches:
Growing Churches Are Relevant And Practical
Randy says, “The truth is that people don’t attend church as much anymore out of tradition or cultural pressure. People go because they want to get something out of their corporate worship time.
If the worship and teaching doesn’t help them deal with the realities of their lives, such as parenting, employment, marriage, finances, etc., they won’t attend regularly, if at all, and they certainly won’t invite others.”
He continues, “In order to cover those types of relevant topics, teaching should not be theoretical. It is important to teach biblical truth, but it must be done in the context of real life so people can apply these concepts to their lives quickly and easily. Teaching should not assume that people come with a deep understanding of biblical stories or people. Pastors should take the approach that if they preach to the unchurched person, they will catch everyone.”
Growing Churches Are Interested In The Next Generation
Randy points out, “The next generation of young people is a totally different animal than your traditional church member population. Churches that are growing have committed themselves to the interests of this group through facilities, communication, budget, vision and more.
Here are some of the best ways to do this:
- Create enticing environments. Children’s spaces should be creative and inviting. Youth spaces should be designed with that age group in mind. These children’s groups don’t do as well in adult spaces, and youth don’t do as well in kids’ spaces. When visiting a church with a great next generation ministry, often there’s an attractive and inviting entrance to this space with good security and welcoming volunteers.
- Actively recruit those welcoming volunteers. It’s important not only to recruit, but also to train, deploy and encourage them to be involved in next generation ministries. With these efforts, volunteers will work hard using their gifts and abilities. Larger groups that break into smaller groups are popular, and adults have the opportunity to engage kids in a safe, fun and relational manner.
- Have an appropriate budget. Next generation ministries should be an item in the budget like any other ministry. They should be celebrated publicly and regularly. Next generation ministry should not ever be out of sight, out of mind.
- Attract young families. Young families can create tremendous momentum at a church. This is a season of life when a family may be considering which church to attend for the first time. Many young adults feel a renewed sense of concern and interest in exploring spiritual things when they are faced with being responsible parents and making decisions for their children. When churches provide practical teaching and support for parenting and marriage, it enhances this even more.”
To learn more about Randy, follow him on Twitter by clicking HERE. And if you are looking for bookkeeping assistance, contact MAG Bookkeeping and look into their virtual services. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.