If there is a recipe for success in church growth, it all begins with picking the right ingredients. Like any recipe, there are "ingredients" that belong or "make" the recipe successful.
Let's look at a practical example you can relate to. Your church is hosting a community Super Bowl party. You will be ordering about 50 pizzas from the neighborhood pizza parlor. What toppings are you going to choose for the majority of the pizzas?
I will guess and say pepperoni, sausage, and cheese for most of them, as they are the most popular and appeal to the broadest audience. You will probably shy away from the lower desired toppings such as jalapenos, ham, and anchovies. Sure some people dig those, but you want to appeal to as many people who come as you can.
You want to appeal to the majority and make a great impression on as many people as possible so they might visit you next Sunday. Or, at the very least, leave feeling full and their hunger satisfied.
In the same line of pragmatic thinking: (solving problems in a sensible way that suits the conditions that really exist now, rather than obeying fixed theories, ideas, or rules.) We can look at the top ten reasons people attend church and extrapolate what we SHOULD BE SERVING as a church. What types of things will have the biggest draw and success for church growth this fall? What ingredients do we make sure we have on our recipe list?
TOP 10 REASONS PEOPLE ATTEND RELIGIOUS SERVICES
See the graph below. While it is a little dated "2017," the importance and relevance of the reasons are still sound.
Ingredient #1: GOOD Preaching: This is the main ingredient for any growing church. Four of the top five reasons for attending church pertain to the self and personal growth. "Closer to God, Be a Better Person, Find Comfort, and Valuable Sermons." These reasons mostly begin at the pulpit with the pastor and his Sunday morning sermon.
Good preaching is the foundation you will build everything else around. There are no substitutes for good preaching. Show me a growing church, and I will show you a great pastor, preacher, minister, priest, etc. Good preaching is biblical. "Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching..." 2 Timothy 4:2 NLT
Over 25 years of helping churches grow with postcard marketing services, the one common ingredient in our clients who experience dramatic growth is the GREAT PREACHING.
Ingredient #2: A REASON to Visit: Three more of the top ten reasons for attending church pertain to the children and community. "A Moral Foundation for My Children, To be Part of a Community of Faith," To Socialize." If you want to see real church growth, you MUST HAVE programs and ministries for children and adults. Paul wrote about the importance of it in his letter to Ephesians. You will need ministries that heal, comfort, build up and "equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up." Ephesians 4:12
Ingredient #3: A REASON to Return: People want community. Parents want their children around positive role models and peers. People are looking for recovery from addictions and healing in their marriages. People want a connection to God and other believers. Sound biblical sermons, programs, and ministries HELP PEOPLE CONNECT and give people a REASON TO RETURN. I am sure you have heard this before, but "Neutral is NOT a gear; you are either growing or declining."
Ingredient #4: A way to let your community know all the GREAT things you have for them at your Church:
I usually get a couple of responses regarding attracting or informing people about your church and trying to get them to visit it on Sunday. Response #1: Marketing the Church is Unbiblical! If you have a problem with the term Church Marketing, I would encourage you to read the definition below and apply it to your knowledge of the bible and see if it fits. If you still need clarification on this, email me @ john@truthadvertising.org, and I will send you a free copy of my book. Marketing Like God. Developing & Implementing a Biblical Marketing Strategy for Church Growth.
“Church marketing is the action of spreading or promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the use of various types of communication, media, or strategies to capture attention, engage, educate, and finally, persuade people to take action.” John Squiric
Reason #2: Our Church has NO Marketing Budget! This may be the case. for some of you, and I pray for blessings in your church finances. However, does your church have a "Missions" or a "Communications" budget? If so, you should use those funds to invite your local community to church. As your church grows and multiplies, more funds will be available for missions and communications.
What should you use to invite people? WHATEVER WORKS. Use everything you can to tell the community about your church and INVITE them to attend. - Social Media
- Flyers
- Postcards
- Bill Boards - Yard Signs - Invitation Cards
Some products will work better in some markets than others. Test them out, and see what works for your church.
John Squiric
COO Truth Advertising "Successful Church Marketing is not about products. Successful Church Marketing is about people and how to use biblical principles to attract them and ultimately bring them into a relationship with Jesus."