Being Proactive Makes the Difference

A New Life Ministries Report
by Steve Clapp and Kristen Leverton Helbert

This report is based on extensive research done by New Life Ministries in cooperation with Christian Community involving over 1,400 congregations and over 250,000 members.

Being Proactive

Churches which are growing are proactive! These churches are:

1. Proactive in identifying the needs of their ministry area. They seek ways to help the community in the name of Christ. They become known for their compassion and concern.

2. Proactive in identifying people who are not active in any congregation. They don't wait for these people to seek out the church; the church reaches out to them through programs, service, and invitations to attend church.

3. Proactive in teaching members and constituents how to talk about their faith and how to invite others to share in worship and other events.

4. Proactive in welcoming new people to the congregation and extending Christ's love.

5. Proactive in following up on visitors, always within 48 hours of the visit.

6. Proactive in integrating new people into the congregation and using those persons in leadership, based on their interests and talents.

7. Proactive in evaluating the worship services, Sunday school, other programs, and physical facilities from the perspective of a visitor–and making changes when needed.

8. Proactive in identifying entry points into the church in addition to worship and Sunday school. They recognize that children's programs, choirs, youth groups, volunteer service projects, support groups, and many other opportunities are potential entry points to the church for new people. They cultivate new entry points and follow up on people who have contact with the church through any of these activities.

"I would ask Betty to visit our church, but I'm just sure she wouldn't want to come. She grew up in a big Roman Catholic Church, and we're just too different from that." Thus Elizabeth felt it wouldn't be helpful to invite a neighbor to visit her congregation, even though Betty had not participated in any church for many years.

Such logic is sometimes right. Not every church is right for every person. Most of us know people who:

And no congregation can be a match for ALL of the above items. But there is one question asked more than any other by people who visit a congregation:

If the answer is YES, they may not be as concerned about other characteristics. If the answer is NO, they won't be interested no matter how good a match the church is in other ways.

Elizabeth did end up inviting Betty to join them one Sunday for worship and brunch. She did; she kept returning to the church; and she ended up joining! We shouldn't too readily assume that people will not like our congregation! We need to reach out with warmth to those who do not have a church home–and let them decide whether or not they want to become part of our church family.

Resources

To learn more about common barriers to church growth and what you can do to overcome them, read the book Overcoming Barriers to Church Growth by Steve Clapp.  This book gives clear guidance in dealing with the kinds of issues identified in this report.  A study guide is available for group use.

To help your members and constituents feel more comfortable talking about their faith, involve them in study of Sharing Living Water by Steve Clapp and Sam Detwiler.  This book offers comfortable, nonmanipulative strategies for faith-sharing.  That book is also included in the module Sharing Our Faith which is a comprehensive guide to helping your congregation become more comfortable reaching out in Christ's name.  

To purchase any of these produces, go to our online order form or call us toll-free at 1-800-774-3360.  

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This report is published by New Life Ministries, a nonprofit corporation, and is mailed without charge to clients and friends  Our partner organization, Christian Community, provides much of the content for this publication.  Persons receiving this publication may reproduce the contents in local church and regional judicatory bulletins and newsletters.  Please request permission for other reproduction from:

New Life Ministries, 6404 S Calhoun St, Fort Wayne, IN 46807
Phone: 1-800-774-3360 • E-mail: NLMServiceCenter@aol.com
Internet: www.NewLifeMinistries-NLM.org

Being Proactive Makes the Difference. New Life Ministries Report. © 2000

Bulletin Insert: The following material is provided as a bulletin insert. Feel free to copy it for use in your congregation or download a Microsoft Word file to print and copy.

Do you want to see your church reach out more effectively to new people and grow? In almost all congregations, the vast majority of members would like to see outreach improve but aren't sure how to help.

New Life Ministries and Christian Community have conducted extensive research on factors related to the growth and decline of congregations. Obviously church growth is helped by things like:

And so the list can continue. But the single greatest difference between churches which grow and those which do not is this: In churches which are growing, both the church and its members are proactive in reaching out to others. Active church members in 1400 North American congregations were asked to identify how frequently they volunteered time to help their churches outreach to nonmembers by visiting in homes, making phone calls, inviting people to church, following up on visitors, etc. The differences between the overall average and congregations which are growing is striking, as noted in the accompanying graph.

 

Here are proactive things you can do to help your congregation in its outreach efforts:

1.  Pray! Pray for the outreach efforts of your congregation. Pray for people you know who are not involved in any congregation. Pray for God to give you opportunities to reach out to others.

2.  Make a list of people you know who do not belong to any church. You can use this list as a basis for your own outreach and also can share the names with your church.

3.  Study books and take training through your church to learn how to more comfortably share your faith and invite others to church.

4.  Invite a person, couple, or family you know who does not have a church home to come to church with you and be your guest for brunch or dinner afterwards.

5.  Follow up on the person, couple, or family you invite to keep them involved in your church. If your church really isn't right for them, express your thanks for their having given it a try. One visit, however, usually isn't enough for people to know. Encourage them to come several times, and be sure you introduce them to others in the congregation. Then invite other new people!

6.  Let your pastor know you would like to help with outreach in whatever ways you can. You may be able to help prepare brochures about the church, to make visits to persons who have come to your church, or to do other tasks.

7.  Take the initiative to welcome new people who come to your church. Don't wait on them to approach you-go to them.

8.  Learn to be less judgmental and to appreciate the differences among people, and encourage others to do the same! If your church grows, it will become more diverse with people of different ages, economic levels, educational backgrounds, appearances, and interests. Celebrate differences!

9.  Be supportive of efforts your pastor and others may make to change worship and programs to be of greater interest to new people.

10.  Help your church with outreach to the community through service projects.

This bulletin insert is provided without charge by New Life Ministries. For more information, call 1-800-774-3360 or visit our web site: http://www.NewLifeMinistries-NLM.org

Other New Life Ministries Reports • Other Online Resources

Being Proactive Makes the Difference. New Life Ministries Report. © 2000

 2000-2010 New Life Ministries (www.NewLifeMinistries-NLM.org). All Rights Reserved.
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