Leading, Growing, and Sustaining God’s Church

Strategies for Winning People and Growing the Church

Have you ever wondered what pastors of growing churches know that pastors of non-growing churches do not? Do growing churches pray and fast more? Do they have more services? Do they hand out more tracts and invite more people to church? You would be surprise that small non-growing churches tend to have more prayer meetings, hand out more tracts, and may even have more services than larger churches. So, what is the secret to growing a church? Surprisingly, growing your church is not a secret. It is knowing how to develop and use ministries and programs effectively.

In this book we noted that one of the reasons ministries should be developed is to meet needs in the church. Creating ministries meet both internal and external needs. This means when a pastor decides to create a ministry in the church, he must have in mind how this ministry will cater for the needs of individuals in the church as well as individuals who are not yet members of the church. Let us examine some ministries and how they can work to grow your church.

Create a Vibrant Children's Ministry

If your church is strategically planning for growth, part of that planning process must include contributions from the children's ministry. If your church has no children ministry, it already lacks the capability of meaningful and sustainable growth. A healthy children's ministry is the growth force of your church. There are several reasons why a healthy children's ministry is extremely vital to the growth, health, retention, and sustainability of the church.

Children's Ministry Attracts Children and Unchurched Families

If children love your church, they will want to stay, and their parents will also stay. In contrast, if children are unhappy and bored at your church, this may result in families leaving your church. One of the primary concerns that most families have in their search for a home church is the type of programs a church has for their children. Pastors often make the mistake of believing that because a person accepts Christ and is baptized at their church, they will automatically stay. They might stay for a while until they find a church that caters for the needs of their children. Another mistake some pastors make is believing that the primary reason families are drawn to their church is the quality of their sermons and soundness of their doctrines. While these are important, believe it or not, they may or may not be the primary reasons why most families join or leave churches. Newcomers to a church are usually not theologically educated to assess the soundness of the doctrines of a church. They are drawn for many other reasons, and one of those reasons is a healthy and vibrant children's ministry.

Children's ministry involves more than having children repeating memory verses or singing songs when your church gathers for its regular service. While these activities are good, a vibrant children's ministry includes much more that these. It lays the foundations for healthy development, not only in the spiritual life of children, but also in their social, emotional, and intellectual life. In addition, children's ministry not only positively impact the children themselves, but also influences changes in their family life at home. When families become aware that their family life is being impacted by changes in their children, chances of them wanting to be part of such church or remaining would be extremely high.

A healthy children's ministry will bring life and vitality to your church. Without a children's ministry, your church is already stagnating. Where there are children, there are young families, and a church that has young families is a church that is positioned for growth and sustainability. The future of any church is found in the young families who are members of that church.

A Children's Ministry Requires Investment

For a children's ministry to grow and flourish it needs the right type of leadership, environment, programs, innovation, and creativity. The church should provide a rich and nurturing environment for its children's ministry. Taking your children's ministry seriously requires that your church pour effort and investment into it. Some churches put more effort in ensuring that their physical worship space or sanctuary area is properly decorated and equipped with the latest technology but put little or no effort in the children's classrooms and ministry areas.

The children of todays are different from when we were growing up. They are stimulated and motivated by different things than those that stimulated children thirty years ago. For example, both at home and school they are exposed to different types of innovation and technology. Technology and innovation play major roles in their learning and social experience at school. At church technology and innovation should also be part of their ministry experience. Children get bored easily, their attention span is short, and because of this care and understanding must be put into the type of environment, innovation, and programs created and implemented for them.

Create an Effective Hospitality Ministry

Probably one of the most important ministries in the church that impact growth is hospitality. The ministry of hospitality is responsible for much more than greeting, welcoming, and seating visitors. The ministry is responsible for creating the type of pre-service and post-service atmospheres that give visitors a sense of acceptance. The ministry oversees such things as food and refreshment, parking, and visitors’ satisfaction, among other things. If you can think of what a full customer service looks and feels like, this would be what you would expect to experience when you visit a church with an effective hospitality ministry. If the guests to your church had a pleasant experience, they will not only come again, but they will recommend it to their friends, family members, and colleagues. If your church is doing it right, those visitors will not realize that they are advertising the church; they will simply rave about what a great experience they had. This is where hospitality plays a big role in making visitors feel accepted.