A few weeks ago I had lunch with an old friend. He was concerned because his church had been plateaued for an extended period of time. It was hard to understand why. The preaching was superlative. The music was great. The church was theologically sound. So why was the church not growing?
Several options were introduced as solutions – location, a sense of community, promotional items, etc…
I then asked the million dollar question, “When is the last time you brought a friend a church? Let me go further, when is the last time any of the staff or elders brought a friend to church?” The problem is to identify the problem. The solution then becomes obvious.
It is our nature to want to blame someone or something for unmet expectations. However, at the end of the day, a church grows from visitors. A person is most likely to visit your church when asked by a friend.
Attractional churches are attracting crowds with less and less frequency. You can have great preaching, relevant music, light shows, hazers, wonderful children and youth ministries, effective systems, a pastor with tattoos, and plenty of parking. But if no one invites their friends, your church will never reach its full redemptive potential.
After having lunch with my friend, a received an interesting email from another friend later in the day. He told me about a project he led for his congregation. A survey was conducted of the congregation asking the people why they began attending the church. Thinking of a myriad of reasons of people were coming, an astonishing (or not so) 97.4% said, “They were invited by a friend.”
The easiest thing you can do to grow your church is for your people to start inviting their friends.
But surprisingly, it appears the most difficult thing for those in your church to do is invite their friends because so few are apparently doing it.
Genius is making the complicated simple, not the simple complicated. Sheep reproduce sheep. All the systems and structures close the back door. But the front door works best when people ask their friends to walk through it.
Create an invite culture. Make it easy for those in your church to invite their friends. Promote relevant sermon series. Promote the biblical value of evangelism. And celebrate those who bring their friends. Because that is what will grow your plateaued or declining church.
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