Negosentro.com | 5 Tips for Increasing Church Attendance | Although the United States population has continued to grow over the past two decades, the percentage of American church members has declined, and buildings that once housed worship services are being converted into family homes.
The general decline in attendance doesn’t mean you should expect or accept a decline in your services. Churches can thrive and grow by taking advantage of modern resources to raise their profile in their communities. Many Churches are using church management software and many things to keep people’s communication with the church so that everybody will be aware of all kinds of activities.
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Communication
Take advantage of modern technology to communicate with your members and potential newcomers. Create a website that features your mission statement. Provide information about your services and special resources that may be available. For example, if you have a sign language interpreter available at a specific service, that could prompt people who have hearing issues to attend that service.
Use Peerly Peer to Peer Texting to send reminders to your congregation about upcoming services and special events. People are busy, and those who work different shifts may forget that a service is coming up. A texting app allows you to communicate clearly with all members to ensure everyone knows about services and events.
You can also use social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to post information about upcoming services
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Welcoming Committee
One of the reasons people join groups or church communities is to feel included. Individuals are unlikely to return to a church if they do not feel welcome.
Form a welcoming committee at your church. Focus on recruiting members who have excellent social skills and are comfortable chatting with new people. Your welcoming committee can offer new attendees a tour, answer questions, and provide resources and information. When established members notice someone knew and interact with them, they are telling that person that their presence matters.
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Community Service
Contribute to your local community. Ask members to volunteer to pick up garbage at local parks or from roadways. Operate a soup kitchen or food bank to provide for people in need. Provide facilities where people experiencing homeless can shower. Collect suits and dress clothes people can borrow for job interviews.
Your church may also have land or other resources that can be put to good use. If your church has land, build a community park local people can use. Your facilities can include walking trails, sports fields, and a dog park. Creating public facilities is a way to welcome people from the community to your facility, which may increase their interest in your church and prompt them to attend services.
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Additional Services
Decades ago, most businesses closed on Sundays, and most parishioners could attend services that day. Now that businesses are open seven days a week, it’s hard for one day of the week to accommodate everyone. Add Saturday evening services for those who don’t like to get up early. Consider hosting a midweek service for individuals who work weekends.
You can also increase church attendance by modifying your sermons to accommodate unique parishioner needs. For example, some individuals may have medical conditions that make it hard for them to sit or stand for prolonged periods. Be sensitive to individuals with disabilities and the elderly when asking your congregation to stand up to sing or pray. Educate members about the unique needs some people have to prevent those who can’t stand from feeling judged. You may also want to prepare short sermons. People are busy, and those who do not have a lot of free time may feel discouraged from attending your church if your services are always long.
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Aesthetics
Impress your community by maintaining your building and church grounds. Caring for your landscaping and maintaining your facilities is a way of preparing for potential guests. Newcomers may be discouraged from visiting your church if it is in disrepair or if the plants are overgrown because it suggests a lack of activity at the facilities.
You can also impress potential newcomers by wearing appropriate attire. Invest in a clergy collar or robes to ensure you’re dressed professionally for your services to increase the church attendance.
One final way to make a good impression is to have members park out front. Show your community that you are hosting events that many people are attending. Potential newcomers may be curious about your events and decide to check them out.
