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 So you want your church to grow? |
Da Sheik |
Of course you do. We all do. I pastor at one of the larger congregations by COG standards. No, we are not a megachurch , but we are large enough that we don't attend church growth conferences anymore. Let me preface my remarks by saying from the outset that I have pastored several churches that absolutely would not grow. I bear the responsibility for my lack of leadership skills but there are a ton of reasons why churches don't grow. Anything from facilities, to location, to lack of talented music leaders, stigma from previous iterations and predecessors, etc.
Here are some things that are pushed at almost every church growth seminar that absolutely will not bring about sustained growth. These things include (but are not limited to): "Invite a friend day", "free (insert prize here) for the first 200 visitors, inviting the latest and greatest singing group (whatever your demographic prefers) for a "free concert" (with love offering being the only fee associated). "Free movie night" "Make a gigantic evangelistic push on special days" (Easter, Christmas, Super Bowl Sunday, etc.) You might see a surge on that day, but when the following Sunday comes, you'll be ready to call the overseer and ask for a transfer.
This is not profound, and I don't have all the answers, but here is something that has worked for us.
#1 Love and pastor the people you have now to the best of your ability
#2 Encourage your people to foster genuine relationships with others so that they will come to your church for more than just the Super Bowl party. I mean genuine
#3 Be visible in the community doing acts of service that are not aimed at trying to "rope them in"
#4 As a senior pastor, make sure you are training up every available person that you feel has leadership potential and "release" them to do it without micromanagement
#5 Make gradual changes.
#6 Foster an extreme emphasis on hospitality. And I don't just mean handing someone a packet when they come in the door. Learn people's names
#7 Don't be afraid to have a time of food, coffee, and fellowship in order to foster those connections. The problem is rarely getting them in the front door- it's closing the back door!
#8 Be content with slow and steady growth. After all, Jesus is building the church- not you!
#9 This should be a given, but let your teaching and preaching be solid and biblical- forget about fads and the latest books
#10 Set up a system of follow up on visitors that allows them to do this on their terms. In other words, don't demand e-mail addresses, phone numbers, and mailing addresses. Watch and see what happens- which leads me to...
#11- Let that system be an attendance sheet that everyone in the church uses. At first, your people may be reluctant, but in the long run it will prove productive. You will be able to track your regular's attendance, and you will also give the visitors an opportunity to give you their contact info on their terms and timetable. There are tons of attendance registers you can order online that leave blanks for names, emails, phone numbers, addresses, etc. By doing it this way, there is no threatening or conspicuous method of obtaining it. I have come to despise the "if you're a first time visitor here, put your visitor card in the offering plate " appeal. I guarantee that 99.9 percent of the time they will either not fill it out- only put their name (no other contact info), or they will put on there that they are already a member of another church.
These are just some things that have helped me over the years. If this comes across as prideful I apologize, but I am so tired of seeing pastors struggle and be depressed over this one issue. Hope this helps. Feel free to take me to the proverbial woodshed now  |
Acts Enthusiast
Posts: 1860
10/14/15 4:05 pm
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Eddie Robbins |
,,,,,......
Last edited by Eddie Robbins on 10/30/15 4:39 pm; edited 1 time in total |
Acts-pert Poster
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10/14/15 4:31 pm
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Cojak |
Very good and thoughtful post. I am sure not everything works for everyone. I will say you are absolutely right about #11... I guarantee that 99.9 percent of the time they will either not fill it out- only put their name (no other contact info), or they will put on there that they are already a member of another church.
_________________
Some facts but mostly just my opinion!
jacsher@aol.com
http://shipslog-jack.blogspot.com/ |
01000001 01100011 01110100 01110011
Posts: 24277
10/14/15 8:23 pm
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Da Sheik |
Thanks guys! I thought I would add a few more. Again, this is not an exhaustive list and there may be things that just wouldn't work for everyone. I'm just sharing what works and has worked for us. So here goes:
I encourage churches to print a bulletin. Now I know that scares a lot of us Pentecostals because we don't want to come across as if we are "putting God on a timetable" (as if that were possible). You don't have to be narrow in your bulletin. Just a simple order of service stating the sequence of what's going to happen (visitors like that). Something simple like:
#1- Call to worship or opening prayer
#2- Praise and worship (you can list the songs or let your worship leader do this verbally)
#3- Greeting time
#4- Message (maybe include sermon title if you have one with your text)
#5- Response (altar call, time of prayer, etc.)
#6- Offering
#7- Closing Praise
#8- Benediction
This is just a sample. None of these things restrict you to a timetable whatsoever and still leave room for the Spirit to move as He pleases.
Now this is important!:
Make sure that your bulletin clearly marks where the restrooms and the children's areas are. Going to a new church is intimidating enough and you want people to feel like they know how to navigate the campus.
Make sure your church has a website. They are very reasonable and affordable these days. There is no excuse for your church not to have a website. Don't opt for one of those "free" websites that look awful. Your church's website is the modern "front door" of the church. Get someone professional to design it so that it doesn't appear tacky. People will judge you by the appearance of your site. Goofy looking dancing graphics, news and weather apps all give a bad impression.
Include only pertinent information. Service times. Location. Location. Location (including directions to the physical campus). A list of staff members with bio's if relevant. A simple doctrinal statement (the 12 articles are not necessary to list on the website unless you just can't live without posting them). If you have a nice-looking facility, post a picture of it. If it's not so great- you don't have to post a picture of it!! Don't post a ton of slick photoshopped pictures of yourself plastered all over the site. It conveys that you are an untouchable celebrity (a legend in your own mind ).
One last thing for now. Regardless of the age of your facilities...make sure they are neat and clean and the grounds are kept well. If that means you have to take care of it (for now) then do it. I have cleaned my fair share of toilets, mowed lawns, dusted for cobwebs, picked up drink cups, cleaned gum off of pews, etc. |
Acts Enthusiast
Posts: 1860
10/15/15 9:44 am
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| Re: So you want your church to grow? |
Methocostal |
OH MY GOSH YOU HIT A GRANDSLAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Far too many times, I see pastors looking past the ones in the pews while they are hoping to get new one's to come! BLOOM WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED!
I am not a pastor, or even a preacher, but I do know a thing or two about business. I hate to relate Church growth to business, but for lack of a better term, similarities exist. You must SERVE your current clientel (parishoners) before you ever think of serving future "prospects". Although I'm not a pastor, I am the son of a pastor that started 11 Churches in a 20 year ministry before he passed away. You hit the nail on the head.
Too many times, people want a quick solution without putting in the time to serve the ones sitting on the pew that pays the current bills. You mentioned adopting change slowly. I will approach that issue in regards to moving to Contemporary P & W from older songs. Far too often, the latest fad is shoved down the throat of those in attendance because the pastor saw at the latest conference what SOMEBODY else did to achieve success. In no way, do I mean we should not change, but change should be instituted slowly to gain the trust of the existing people and to let them feel some sense of ownership in the process. You showed tremendous wisdom in that statement.
Frankly, I am NOT a fan of mega churches. It is too much of an entertainment based event with VERY little knowledge of the person sitting next to you. People can easily leave and the congregation will never know the difference. I think eventually this FAD of megachurches will cease and people will want to return the real relationships that smaller churches can offer.
You are showing wisdom in letting your members know each person is responsible for providing ministry.
I can see tremendous wisdom in your post and I hope Pastors will be wise to heed your wisdom. You've been there done that, and wise people will heed what you have said.
| Da Sheik wrote: | Of course you do. We all do. I pastor at one of the larger congregations by COG standards. No, we are not a megachurch , but we are large enough that we don't attend church growth conferences anymore. Let me preface my remarks by saying from the outset that I have pastored several churches that absolutely would not grow. I bear the responsibility for my lack of leadership skills but there are a ton of reasons why churches don't grow. Anything from facilities, to location, to lack of talented music leaders, stigma from previous iterations and predecessors, etc.
Here are some things that are pushed at almost every church growth seminar that absolutely will not bring about sustained growth. These things include (but are not limited to): "Invite a friend day", "free (insert prize here) for the first 200 visitors, inviting the latest and greatest singing group (whatever your demographic prefers) for a "free concert" (with love offering being the only fee associated). "Free movie night" "Make a gigantic evangelistic push on special days" (Easter, Christmas, Super Bowl Sunday, etc.) You might see a surge on that day, but when the following Sunday comes, you'll be ready to call the overseer and ask for a transfer.
This is not profound, and I don't have all the answers, but here is something that has worked for us.
#1 Love and pastor the people you have now to the best of your ability
#2 Encourage your people to foster genuine relationships with others so that they will come to your church for more than just the Super Bowl party. I mean genuine
#3 Be visible in the community doing acts of service that are not aimed at trying to "rope them in"
#4 As a senior pastor, make sure you are training up every available person that you feel has leadership potential and "release" them to do it without micromanagement
#5 Make gradual changes.
#6 Foster an extreme emphasis on hospitality. And I don't just mean handing someone a packet when they come in the door. Learn people's names
#7 Don't be afraid to have a time of food, coffee, and fellowship in order to foster those connections. The problem is rarely getting them in the front door- it's closing the back door!
#8 Be content with slow and steady growth. After all, Jesus is building the church- not you!
#9 This should be a given, but let your teaching and preaching be solid and biblical- forget about fads and the latest books
#10 Set up a system of follow up on visitors that allows them to do this on their terms. In other words, don't demand e-mail addresses, phone numbers, and mailing addresses. Watch and see what happens- which leads me to...
#11- Let that system be an attendance sheet that everyone in the church uses. At first, your people may be reluctant, but in the long run it will prove productive. You will be able to track your regular's attendance, and you will also give the visitors an opportunity to give you their contact info on their terms and timetable. There are tons of attendance registers you can order online that leave blanks for names, emails, phone numbers, addresses, etc. By doing it this way, there is no threatening or conspicuous method of obtaining it. I have come to despise the "if you're a first time visitor here, put your visitor card in the offering plate " appeal. I guarantee that 99.9 percent of the time they will either not fill it out- only put their name (no other contact info), or they will put on there that they are already a member of another church.
These are just some things that have helped me over the years. If this comes across as prideful I apologize, but I am so tired of seeing pastors struggle and be depressed over this one issue. Hope this helps. Feel free to take me to the proverbial woodshed now |
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Friendly Face
Posts: 496
10/15/15 11:41 am
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Methocostal |
I meant to add. My wife and I served as care group leaders several years ago. My pastor said we were the best care group leaders he had ever seen.
We started our group with 4 people and within a year, it had grown to over 30 and we had to split it. We did it using many of the concepts you mentioned. But, it boils down to CARING FOR PEOPLE period. End of Sentence. Not growth for the sake of growth, but CARING.
We were able to get a man who refused to darken the Church doors for over 30 years to come to Christ. He saw we were "real" people. Eventually, he let his wife have the service in his home. From that, he started going to the monthly meetings and eventually went to church, where he was saved. That is the ultimate goal and we did it without being "preachy". We had a short devotional, but we concentrated on fellowship. We REALLY knew the people in the group. They weren't just names and a superficial, "how are you doing". It was by RELATIONSHIPS that we were able to grow.
Those relationships do not happen with the superficial handshake during intermission. People need to know you are there for them and care for them.
Just my 2 cents, but I've seen it work. |
Friendly Face
Posts: 496
10/15/15 11:50 am
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Methocostal |
It is called "organization". I don't know about the COG, but the COGOP always printed a "program" with time tables for the General Assembly. I don't see a difference.
We had a wonderful State Overseer in Wyoming (Paul Thompson) that was fond of saying "Start on Time, Stop on Time, Stay in the Will of the Lord"
I loved it.
God is a God of order and not disorganization. It doesn't mean one has to quench the spirit, it may mean making a sermon shorter or whatever, if indeed the spirit takes over. But, I see nothing wrong with having organization. The Bible says to "study to show thyself approved, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed" (If I quoted correctly). The point being, I don't think God is honored by lack of planning and preparation.
| Da Sheik wrote: | Thanks guys! I thought I would add a few more. Again, this is not an exhaustive list and there may be things that just wouldn't work for everyone. I'm just sharing what works and has worked for us. So here goes:
I encourage churches to print a bulletin. Now I know that scares a lot of us Pentecostals because we don't want to come across as if we are "putting God on a timetable" (as if that were possible). You don't have to be narrow in your bulletin. Just a simple order of service stating the sequence of what's going to happen (visitors like that). Something simple like:
#1- Call to worship or opening prayer
#2- Praise and worship (you can list the songs or let your worship leader do this verbally)
#3- Greeting time
#4- Message (maybe include sermon title if you have one with your text)
#5- Response (altar call, time of prayer, etc.)
#6- Offering
#7- Closing Praise
#8- Benediction
This is just a sample. None of these things restrict you to a timetable whatsoever and still leave room for the Spirit to move as He pleases.
Now this is important!:
Make sure that your bulletin clearly marks where the restrooms and the children's areas are. Going to a new church is intimidating enough and you want people to feel like they know how to navigate the campus.
Make sure your church has a website. They are very reasonable and affordable these days. There is no excuse for your church not to have a website. Don't opt for one of those "free" websites that look awful. Your church's website is the modern "front door" of the church. Get someone professional to design it so that it doesn't appear tacky. People will judge you by the appearance of your site. Goofy looking dancing graphics, news and weather apps all give a bad impression.
Include only pertinent information. Service times. Location. Location. Location (including directions to the physical campus). A list of staff members with bio's if relevant. A simple doctrinal statement (the 12 articles are not necessary to list on the website unless you just can't live without posting them). If you have a nice-looking facility, post a picture of it. If it's not so great- you don't have to post a picture of it!! Don't post a ton of slick photoshopped pictures of yourself plastered all over the site. It conveys that you are an untouchable celebrity (a legend in your own mind ).
One last thing for now. Regardless of the age of your facilities...make sure they are neat and clean and the grounds are kept well. If that means you have to take care of it (for now) then do it. I have cleaned my fair share of toilets, mowed lawns, dusted for cobwebs, picked up drink cups, cleaned gum off of pews, etc. |
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Friendly Face
Posts: 496
10/15/15 2:28 pm
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| Re: So you want your church to grow? |
Nick Park |
| Da Sheik wrote: | | I have come to despise the "if you're a first time visitor here, put your visitor card in the offering plate " appeal. I guarantee that 99.9 percent of the time they will either not fill it out- only put their name (no other contact info), or they will put on there that they are already a member of another church. |
I'm wondering if this is a cultural thing?
We give visitors a welcome pack containing, among other things, a free book and a Prayer Request Card. We ask them to fill out the Prayer Request Card and put it in the offering basket. Over 90% of them do so and include their contact information. Of those who fill out the cards, over 75% are not regular attenders at any other church.
However, in our culture an Attendance Sheet would be considered an outrage in any church. This is because our nation has a history of no separation between Church and State, and in previous generations church attendance was recorded and used as the basis for fining non-attenders or by shaming them by reading their names aloud from the pulpit.
_________________
Senior Pastor, Solid Rock Church, Drogheda
National Overseer, Church of God, Ireland
Executive Director, Evangelical Alliance Ireland
http://eaiseanchai.wordpress.com/ |
Acts Enthusiast
Posts: 1021
10/16/15 9:18 am
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| Re: So you want your church to grow? |
sonofasoldier |
| Nick Park wrote: | | Da Sheik wrote: | | I have come to despise the "if you're a first time visitor here, put your visitor card in the offering plate " appeal. I guarantee that 99.9 percent of the time they will either not fill it out- only put their name (no other contact info), or they will put on there that they are already a member of another church. |
I'm wondering if this is a cultural thing?
We give visitors a welcome pack containing, among other things, a free book and a Prayer Request Card. We ask them to fill out the Prayer Request Card and put it in the offering basket. Over 90% of them do so and include their contact information. Of those who fill out the cards, over 75% are not regular attenders at any other church . . . |
That's true for my culture too, in the bible-belt. |
Acts-celerater
Posts: 589
10/16/15 10:39 pm
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| Re: So you want your church to grow? |
Dentanner |
| Da Sheik wrote: | Of course you do. We all do. I pastor at one of the larger congregations by COG standards. No, we are not a megachurch , but we are large enough that we don't attend church growth conferences anymore. Let me preface my remarks by saying from the outset that I have pastored several churches that absolutely would not grow. I bear the responsibility for my lack of leadership skills but there are a ton of reasons why churches don't grow. Anything from facilities, to location, to lack of talented music leaders, stigma from previous iterations and predecessors, etc.
Here are some things that are pushed at almost every church growth seminar that absolutely will not bring about sustained growth. These things include (but are not limited to): "Invite a friend day", "free (insert prize here) for the first 200 visitors, inviting the latest and greatest singing group (whatever your demographic prefers) for a "free concert" (with love offering being the only fee associated). "Free movie night" "Make a gigantic evangelistic push on special days" (Easter, Christmas, Super Bowl Sunday, etc.) You might see a surge on that day, but when the following Sunday comes, you'll be ready to call the overseer and ask for a transfer.
This is not profound, and I don't have all the answers, but here is something that has worked for us.
#1 Love and pastor the people you have now to the best of your ability
#2 Encourage your people to foster genuine relationships with others so that they will come to your church for more than just the Super Bowl party. I mean genuine
#3 Be visible in the community doing acts of service that are not aimed at trying to "rope them in"
#4 As a senior pastor, make sure you are training up every available person that you feel has leadership potential and "release" them to do it without micromanagement
#5 Make gradual changes.
#6 Foster an extreme emphasis on hospitality. And I don't just mean handing someone a packet when they come in the door. Learn people's names
#7 Don't be afraid to have a time of food, coffee, and fellowship in order to foster those connections. The problem is rarely getting them in the front door- it's closing the back door!
#8 Be content with slow and steady growth. After all, Jesus is building the church- not you!
#9 This should be a given, but let your teaching and preaching be solid and biblical- forget about fads and the latest books
#10 Set up a system of follow up on visitors that allows them to do this on their terms. In other words, don't demand e-mail addresses, phone numbers, and mailing addresses. Watch and see what happens- which leads me to...
#11- Let that system be an attendance sheet that everyone in the church uses. At first, your people may be reluctant, but in the long run it will prove productive. You will be able to track your regular's attendance, and you will also give the visitors an opportunity to give you their contact info on their terms and timetable. There are tons of attendance registers you can order online that leave blanks for names, emails, phone numbers, addresses, etc. By doing it this way, there is no threatening or conspicuous method of obtaining it. I have come to despise the "if you're a first time visitor here, put your visitor card in the offering plate " appeal. I guarantee that 99.9 percent of the time they will either not fill it out- only put their name (no other contact info), or they will put on there that they are already a member of another church.
These are just some things that have helped me over the years. If this comes across as prideful I apologize, but I am so tired of seeing pastors struggle and be depressed over this one issue. Hope this helps. Feel free to take me to the proverbial woodshed now |
As an ordained bishop with the Church of God and a career appointed missionary I am disappointed and concerned to see no mention of Missionary Support or Foreign Mission emphasis on this list of how to have a growing church. I once heard Randy Hurst, with the AOG, speaking at our General Assembly say that a 'church's vision or burden to reach the local community will be directly related to its vision or burden to reach out or do Foreign Missions". Churches often remain small because of their failure to evangelize and disciple new believers. IMHO they also remain small because they fail to enlarge their vision and mission to include Foreign Missions. I read in these responses much effort and emphasis on inward ministry. The bulletin, the greeting, community service, respect for the pastor, and an attendance sheet... I would be interested to know how many of our growing churches have a missions program that focuses on supporting missionaries, sending out missionaries, and supporting special projects outside the local community? How many of those churches would relate their growth to the missions emphasis and mission services? (ie Cooper City Floriday). How many of the smaller churches have no mission emphasis?? I would estimate a great percentage of the larger growing churches are involved in and doing foreign missions.... While, not to offend in any way, but I would also estimate that a larger percentage of the smaller churches have no foreign missions involvement outside the 'dues' they send to International Offices.
_________________
Dennis Tanner
Administrative Bishop Scotland
Church of God Career Missionary |
Hey, DOC
Posts: 97
10/17/15 5:01 pm
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| Bro Dentanner |
Cojak |
I believe the thought is you must get the folks in church before you can introduce them to missions, I was raised by a pastor that always supported missions, and many times it was by EXAMPLE that he lead folks to mission giving. His churches always grew!
BUT yes, I believe missions support should always be considered. 
_________________
Some facts but mostly just my opinion!
jacsher@aol.com
http://shipslog-jack.blogspot.com/ |
01000001 01100011 01110100 01110011
Posts: 24277
10/17/15 8:15 pm
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| Re: Bro Dentanner |
Dentanner |
| Cojak wrote: | I believe the thought is you must get the folks in church before you can introduce them to missions, I was raised by a pastor that always supported missions, and many times it was by EXAMPLE that he lead folks to mission giving. His churches always grew!
BUT yes, I believe missions support should always be considered. |
Thanks Cojak, for the clarification. And thanks for your prayers and support.
_________________
Dennis Tanner
Administrative Bishop Scotland
Church of God Career Missionary |
Hey, DOC
Posts: 97
10/17/15 9:33 pm
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Da Sheik |
Bishop Tanner,
In no way did I mean to intimate that support of home and foreign missions was not a component of healthy church status. My comments were more aimed at practical things that we can do on the local level. Our church supports numerous missions abroad and I am a firm believer in that ! As I stated in my post, this was not an "exhaustive " list of things that churches need to do. I'm sure our church falls short in many ways. This was just a compacted list of things that we have done that have helped us. |
Acts Enthusiast
Posts: 1860
10/18/15 5:33 pm
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Cojak |
| Da Sheik wrote: | Bishop Tanner,
In no way did I mean to intimate that support of home and foreign missions was not a component of healthy church status. My comments were more aimed at practical things that we can do on the local level. Our church supports numerous missions abroad and I am a firm believer in that ! As I stated in my post, this was not an "exhaustive " list of things that churches need to do. I'm sure our church falls short in many ways. This was just a compacted list of things that we have done that have helped us. |
I like the sound of your church. God Bless you all more and more... It is wonderful when a church and pastor are a match, and things start to spark interest in the kingdom.
_________________
Some facts but mostly just my opinion!
jacsher@aol.com
http://shipslog-jack.blogspot.com/ |
01000001 01100011 01110100 01110011
Posts: 24277
10/18/15 5:41 pm
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Dentanner |
| Da Sheik wrote: | Bishop Tanner,
In no way did I mean to intimate that support of home and foreign missions was not a component of healthy church status. My comments were more aimed at practical things that we can do on the local level. Our church supports numerous missions abroad and I am a firm believer in that ! As I stated in my post, this was not an "exhaustive " list of things that churches need to do. I'm sure our church falls short in many ways. This was just a compacted list of things that we have done that have helped us. |
Thanks Sheik, appreciate the explanation and I did not mean seem critical of your suggestions. AND, I do appreciate your prayers and support for Foreign Missions and Evangelism.
It is just that in so many churches there is little emphasis places on Foreign Missions, missionaries, or mission conferences or mission support. Cooper City and Dwight Allen have remarked that Missions and Mission Conference have been important if not integral part of their growth. Chillicothe Missouri have attributed their growth and increased ministries to missions. I was just at New Life Church in Easton, near Columbus Ohio where Chuck Noel is pastor, he will attribute much of the growth and the new excitement in the church to their emphasis on Missions. Giving and attendance are up and they are giving record amounts to World Missions! I grew up in a church where missionaries were heroes and missions conferences were held every year and were a time of celebration and adventure. Maybe that is old school but somehow in trying to adjust to the times and become more "Missional" we have lost the focus on World Evangelism and support of cross cultural ministers. Could that be the reason our churches remain small and do not grow? When will we learn the biblical truth "we must go if we want to grow"!
_________________
Dennis Tanner
Administrative Bishop Scotland
Church of God Career Missionary |
Hey, DOC
Posts: 97
10/18/15 8:35 pm
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Nature Boy Florida |
Where was the mention of 24 to double at?
Is that over now?
Is it over because when you double you leave the COG for greener pastures?
Just wondering? 
_________________
Whether you like it or not, learn to love it, because its the best thing going today! |
Acts-pert Poster
Posts: 16619
10/19/15 3:33 pm
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Da Sheik |
NBF, that would be covered under the "gimmick" umbrella. There is no magic formula for growth. The things I listed are not some guarantee that you will see substantial growth. But you will be prepared for it if and when it comes. While thinking about this thread, I wanted to share something else and feel free to take it or leave it. This is in regards to social media:
I notice pastors (particularly of smaller churches) who use social media to celebrate attendance markers. It is not uncommon for me to see status updates such as "Praise God we had 50 in attendance today". I'm not saying milestones should not be celebrated, but I think it sends out a subtle message to your friends and followers on social media. Much in the way a football juggernaut doesn't storm the field and tear down the goalposts when they defeat a far inferior opponent.
Be careful with event "invites" as well. I get lots of invites from other ministers to their church events and when I click on the event I see that only 5 people are attending (and two of them are the pastor and their spouse). If you know in advance that you only have a few people committed to attend a special event, it might be better to simply share the event as a status update as opposed to creating great fanfare by creating an actual "event" and sending invites to all 1500 of your FaceBook friends. |
Acts Enthusiast
Posts: 1860
10/21/15 11:39 am
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Cojak |
| Da Sheik wrote: | NBF, that would be covered under the "gimmick" umbrella. There is no magic formula for growth. The things I listed are not some guarantee that you will see substantial growth. But you will be prepared for it if and when it comes. While thinking about this thread, I wanted to share something else and feel free to take it or leave it. This is in regards to social media:
I notice pastors (particularly of smaller churches) who use social media to celebrate attendance markers. It is not uncommon for me to see status updates such as "Praise God we had 50 in attendance today". I'm not saying milestones should not be celebrated, but I think it sends out a subtle message to your friends and followers on social media. Much in the way a football juggernaut doesn't storm the field and tear down the goalposts when they defeat a far inferior opponent.
Be careful with event "invites" as well. I get lots of invites from other ministers to their church events and when I click on the event I see that only 5 people are attending (and two of them are the pastor and their spouse). If you know in advance that you only have a few people committed to attend a special event, it might be better to simply share the event as a status update as opposed to creating great fanfare by creating an actual "event" and sending invites to all 1500 of your FaceBook friends. |
Nice! I do remember trying to use gimmicks, ads and suggestions from HQ (that I sorta thought were 'orders').
But it is always smart to get suggestions from those who have tried and proven that the effort is worth it. 
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| Three things, maybe for |
Mark Ledbetter |
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