Last Update 8th October, 2016.
When you ask the average Christian what makes a small church grow, well-meaning church members start throwing out these usual cliches:
- “Prayer grows the church”
- “We need to follow God’s leading”
- “We need to get back to the Bible”
- “If we just lift Jesus up the people will come”
- “Shine your light so bright the world will want what you have”
Most of these answers focus on praying to God for guidance and then being obedient in following that guidance.
While these sayings are true, they are also too spiritually ethereal and lack clarity to the struggling pastor of a small church.
What the pastor needs is direction in knowing which areas to focus his efforts to grow the small local church in the 21st century.
Work Hard, Pray Hard
Prayer is always the starting point. Everything we do comes out of our connection with God.
- Prayer gets us connected to the heart of God for the lost.
- Prayer helps us to hear and recognise God’s voice.
- Prayer sensitises us to prompting of the Holy Spirit.
It’s good to pray for:
- a heart for those that don’t know God
- a willingness to serve in the kingdom
- a confidence and boldness to share the Gospel outside the four walls of the church
- the small church to make a difference is also work.
Faith without works is dead. Praying is just the starting point and not the be all and end all.
Remember, that as Moses stood up on the mountain praying for the people of God, Joshua was on the ground doing the work.
We get to work in partnership with God to bring people to the saving knowledge of Christ.
3 Areas to Focus On to Make Your Small Church Grow
As you pray and connect with God, let me share with you three focus areas I believe the small church pastor should prioritise to help his small church grow:
1. Train Your Members to Evangelise
Your job as a pastor is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. Evangelism training is more than just reading a book and doing nothing about it. Get a committed core group together and teach them how to share their faith in friendship and personal evangelism.
This could include helping your members:
2. Train Your Welcoming Team
Your welcoming team give people their first impression of the church.
You don’t get a second chance at that.
People decide within the first eight minutes whether or not they are going to return to your church.
Treat your guests well, train your hospitality team and don’t just let anyone be a greeter.
If your existing members can be proud of their church they will confidently invite their friends, family and coworkers knowing that their guests will receive a good welcome and find a healthy place to grow spiritually.
3. Promote Your Church
Do people even know your church exists?
There are so many fun, free and interactive ways to get your church on the map. 80% of under 40 year old check out your website before deciding whether or not to visit.
Does your church have a website?
It’s easy to make one. Here’s my full step by step guide on how to make a church website.
Do you have good signage? Is it easy to get where you meet?
Your first step is getting people to know where you are.
Your Turn
What have you done that has helped your church grow? What ideas or suggestions do you have to share? Please share your comments below.
