COVID and the year 2020 changed everything, especially what is involved in growing a church. As an employee of INJOY Stewardship Solutions, an organization who helps churches with capital campaigns and expanding their cultures of generosity, I have a unique job in that I only talk with growing churches. Churches who are plateaued or declining do not have a need for our services. Therefore, my conversations consists of a distinct audience.
I will have approximately 100+ individual calls each month with the pastors, executive pastors, administrators, or volunteer leaders discussing their resource challenges and expansion opportunities. For my own insight, I always make it a point in each conversation to ask, “I know it’s the goodness of God, but in a world where basically nine-out-of-ten churches are plateaued or declining, what are you doing to cause the growth.”
As a result of thousands of conversations the last couple of years, the following are 10 Traits Of Post-Pandemic Churches With Growing In-Person Attendance I have gleaned from these incredible leaders. These are observations and the accumulation of significant amounts of information.
1. Post-Pandemic Churches With Growing In-Person Attendance Are Led By Spiritually Growing Pastors
Does the Attractional Model still work since COVID? Yes and No. No in that big productions, light shows, hazers, great bands, opulence, and all the bells and whistles no longer are keys to being a growing church. COVID stripped away all non-essentials. Glitz and glamour no longer satisfy. People want to know what is real. They have lost loved ones, careers, income, stability, and hope. Their world was shaken to the core. They need something of essence which cannot be shaken.
But the Attractional Model still works when those in attendance look at the preacher and say, “That man has spent time with God and he can tell me what God says about the issues of my life.” People are being attracted in large numbers to an authentic Man of God who has spent time with Him and speaks on His behalf.
This reveals a consistent theme throughout this list – You still must deliver ministry with excellence but who you are is more important than what you do which leads to the following point.
2. Post-Pandemic Churches With Growing In-Person Attendance Are Led By Pastors Who Have Their Own Personal Tent Of Meeting
Pastors of post-pandemic churches are not preaching someone else’s material or recycling old messages. The world is different and a fresh word from God is required. In fact, it always has been that way but is just more obvious today.
Exodus 33:7-11 says, “Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp. Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise up, and each would stand at his tent door, and watch Moses until he had gone into the tent. When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses. And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door. Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.”
Here’s the picture – Moses would separate from the crowd and go spend personal time with God. This is a modern-day pastor’s personal worship, prayer, and Bible-study time. God would speak directly to him as a friend talks to a friend. The people would get so excited about their time together that they would collectively worship waiting for Moses to return with the message of what God said about the issues of their lives (think Sunday sermon).
In today’s growing churches, people are excited and collectively line up to hear a pastor who has spent time with God and then delivers a fresh message from Him about the issues of their lives.
3. Post-Pandemic Churches With Growing In-Person Attendance Have Staff Who Are Hired For Calling More Than Skill
Those closest to the pastor determine the success of the pastor.
Just because you can play an instrument and/or sing does not mean you should be a post-pandemic worship leader. Just because you have great organizational, speaking, and leadership skills does not mean you should be a post-pandemic campus pastor. Just because you have a business background doesn’t mean you should be a post-pandemic executive pastor or administrator.
Once again, COVID stripped away the non-essentials. Today’s church attenders need staff who have a real and authentic relationship with Jesus and easily see through those whose with divided loyalties who are not the real deal.
Growing churches value obedience over opulence. Who you are is more important than what you do.
Now preferably you want both – calling and skill. But growing churches would rather have an average person with great calling over someone with great skill and questionable calling.
4. Post-Pandemic Churches With Growing In-Person Attendance Are Seeker Aware, Not Seeker Sensitive
This will be tough for some to hear but the church is for Christians to collectively come together for encouragement and equipping, and then they go out into a lost and dying world to serve others and tell them about Jesus. The church is not for lost people and therefore, not primary in the organizaitonal decision-making process.
For more on this read Dr. Joe McKeever’s masterpiece Ten things Christians do not ask the world.
Are non-Christians welcome at church? Absolutely!
Do we want to intentionally be offensive to them? Absolutely not!
Should the church be an attractive alternative to what people face on daily basis? Without a doubt!
In fact, that is how I became a Christian. I wanted what the people at Acworth United Methodist Church had so bad I could taste it. Many unchurched people should say the same thing when they visit our churches. But this can only be done if the people of the church are equipped for righteous living and holiness.
Growing churches prioritize personal holiness over programming and performance. Who you are is more important than what you do.
Once again, post-pandemic churches are aware non-Christians attend and sensitive to them. However, their primary focus is on equipping their members to reach those who don’t yet know Christ.
5. Post-Pandemic Churches With Growing In-Person Attendance Are Aggressively Evangelistic And Elevate Jesus Above All Else
A common thought-process pre-COVID was Jesus harms trust. Therefore, we need to host events and services where He is rarely, if ever, mentioned. Once the people trust us, then we can talk about Him.
This approach is misguided and faulty at best, heretical at worst.
People need Jesus and do not be confused, they know it. When Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field last year, people dropped to their knees in prayer. Both teams were praying. The entire nation was called to pray for this young man. Even ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky prayed to Jesus for his healing power on national television. For a full transcript, click ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky’s On-Air Prayer For Damar Hamlin (Full Transcript Included).
Here’s the thing, there was no outrage. No one got angry. The ACLU was not crying out about these overt prayers to Jesus. No Muslims, agnostics, and other streams of thought were upset. No advertising boycotts were called for. No one felt infringed upon. No one’s rights were violated. My heavens, even the Twitterverse supported praying for Damar Hamlin.
People knew when Hamlin collapsed to the ground that Jesus was the only answer. Millions began crying out asking Jesus to heal him.
In 2020, the world collapsed. People know they need Jesus. People want to know how to have a personal relationship with Him. Post-pandemic churches with growing in-person attendance are aggressively sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and seeing record numbers of people accepting Him.
Growing churches are telling their people you don’t have to wait for your world to collapse again to call upon Jesus. You can do it now and He will hear you.
6. Post-Pandemic Churches With Growing In-Person Attendance Preach Books Of The Bible More Than Felt Needs
Growing churches prioritize theology and helping their people develop a biblical worldview. This way they can separate truth from error in a post-Christian culture. The issues people are facing today require more than TED Talks with a Bible verse attached at the end. People are desperate for timeless truths which can only be found in the Bible.
Post-pandemic churches with growing in-person attendance elevate the primacy of God’s Word. They are passionate about the Bible and facilitating the opportunity for their attenders to join onsite, off-campus, or Zoom Bible studies.
God’s Word is the only thing that can change a human heart or someone’s condition. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
Felt needs should still be addressed but only as they are woven throughout the Scriptures. Which leads to my next point.
7. Post-Pandemic Churches With Growing In-Person Attendance Are Focused On Discipleship
Matthew 28: 18-20 says, “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Today’s growing churches are primarily focused on three things:
- Making Disciples (evangelism)
- Baptizing Them (obedience)
- Teaching Them (theological framework and biblical worldview)
All other areas of focus (even good ones) are secondary issues.
8. Post-Pandemic Churches With Growing In-Person Attendance Are Seeing Summertime Growth
There is a thought-process in today’s western church that you should teach books of the Bible during the summer when only “insiders” are attending and then return to felt needs in the fall when school resumes and visitors appear.
Once again, this is misguided and reckless at best and heretical at worst. Once again, Jesus and His Word are not taking a secondary role in today’s growing churches.
Because of today’s desperate need for God, churches with spiritually growing pastors and staff, who elevate Jesus and the Scriptures, and are aggressively focused on evangelism and discipleship, are seeing tremendous growth even during the summer.
9. Post-Pandemic Churches With Growing In-Person Attendance Are Led By Leaders Who Are Out In Front
You can no longer lead with full effectiveness from the green room. In fact, the lobby or parking lot is the new green room. Celebrity pastors no longer satisfy. Growing churches are led by authentic leaders and the more access people have to those individuals, the more attractive they and their churches become.
10. Post-Pandemic Churches With Growing In-Person Attendance Are Conservative
Today’s growing churches have great clarity and are mostly conservative on hot-button social issues.
Once again, they are not leading with these topics as primary and are aware people with different perspectives are in their congregations. But if you visit their websites or force them into a corner, their conservative views become apparent.
BTW – one of the fastest growing segments of churches I am seeing in America is disaffiliated United Methodist congregations.
***BONUS*** Post-Pandemic Churches With Growing In-Person Attendance Are Humble
When I ask the question, “What are you doing to cause the growth?’, the number one response I get is, “Brian, we’re doing all we can do. We’re trying to have good systems, serve our community well, put on relevant services, and do everything with excellence. But the bottom-line is we don’t know. In fact, we were in a staff meeting just last week and we were asking ourselves where all of these people are coming from.”
You would think today’s growing churches and their leaders would have a certain level of arrogance. In fact, it is quite the opposite. When I talk to leaders of growing churches they are some of the most humble, grounded, and kindest people I have ever met. They “are simply trying not to mess it up.”
COVID negated the rock star pastor. COVID reminded us that despite our giftedness, talent, platform, resume, financial resources, location, and charismatic personality, we can all be brought to knees and be forced to cry out to Jesus for His help.
Growing churches are doing all they can do but realize that without God’s divine intervention, you do not stand a chance.
In closing, who you are is more important than what you do to having a growing church in today’s world.
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