How to Generate Momentum for Your Church
By Raul Rivera
Much like the beginning of a new year, the arrival of the fall season brings about the same feelings of newness. It is a chance for a fresh start and the turning of a new leaf.
Many families are gearing up and preparing to send their kids back to school. It is usually during this time when families are looking to get back into a regular routine. For some families, this means they are wanting to get back in the routine of attending church, therefore many families will be searching for a new church family to join.
Perhaps for you, it is a chance to pursue God’s calling on your life to start a church or ministry. For this reason, whether you are a seasoned pastor or getting ready to start a church, I want to talk to you about a few things, that will help you and your church to generate momentum going into the fall season.
Plan to get people involved
On the brink of a new school year, many families are searching for a chance to get involved and to create a new schedule that their families can adhere to. They are looking to get back into a routine.
As a church, it is vital that you and your leadership team discuss and plan out ways for these families to feel welcomed when they come to your church.
At times, it can be difficult for churches to find their “niche” with new members because after endless forms to fill out for school, sports, dance classes, piano lessons, and attending a handful of parent teacher conferences, the last thing many new churchgoers want to do is feel bogged down with more of the same stuff when attending church.
So, here is one thing to remember when attracting newcomers: keep it simple.
Now, let’s figure out how.
3 simple ways to generate church momentum
Below are 3 simple ways in which you and your leadership team can generate momentum this fall as you launch your church.
I believe these 3 ways will help your church to establish quick wins when it comes to generating church momentum.
1. Host a Fall Family Fun Night
This is a great way to get the whole family involved and to meet new people in a relaxed, “non committed” environment. Your new members will get a chance to feel connected and even meet other families at the church, giving them a sense of community and involvement.
2. Make Small Groups a Priority
It can be tough to get small groups going but once started, they typically become self sustaining and can be one of the most impactful tools your church will use in order to help people feel like they are part of the bigger picture.
Attendance on a Sunday morning is important and it no doubt energizes us as pastors, but it does not always keep those new families coming back. This is why kicking off the fall with small groups is so crucial to generating momentum.
3. Plan a Night for Q&A
A dessert and coffee bar within a relaxed environment can be a great time for new families to ask questions that are important to them when deciding on a church body to join. It is amazing what happens when a room full of people come together and are willing to be transparent with their goals, their struggles, and their plans for a new ministry.
It might be scary to be vulnerable, but I assure you it will be worth it!
The people in your community are not only looking for a place where their kids can grow and have fun, but they are also looking for a place where their kids can plug in and get spiritually fed. Chances are, they are also looking for a place where they understand the heart and soul of the ministry itself, and can support the mission of the church and feel as though they can contribute to the church body.
At the end of the night, challenge those in attendance to be all in with you. This challenge should even be extended to your board and staff members, and long time church members.
There is nothing like a church body that is fired up and committed to the vision and dream that God has given you for the church when it come to generating church momentum.
Building on a solid foundation
No matter what stage of ministry you are in, there are thousands of thoughts racing through your head on a regular basis.
- “How do we best reach our community?”
- “How do I get people to come to the church?”
- “How do we get people to want to be involved?”
- “What if no one wants to come?”
- “What if I fail? What if I make others fail?”
- “People are counting on me, but what if I mess-up?”
- “Am I hearing God wrong?”
Just to name a few.
Walking in what God has called you to do is not an easy feat. But as we all know, it is so worth the risk and sleepless nights when you stand in front of a group of people and in agreement together say, “We’re going to do this!”
Our heartbeat here at StartCHURCH is to validate the call in your life and to help you protect the dream and vision that God has placed in your heart. Whether you use our step-by-step resources and software or we do the work for you, our goal is to help make your ministry dreams a reality.
We do this by listening to you while following your lead in helping you to establish a solid legal foundation. You are not alone!
One last game changer to consider
The fall season is an ideal time to generate momentum in growing your church, whether you are just starting your church or whether you are an already existing church. Earlier in this post we discussed 3 simple ways to generate church momentum, but I want to leave you with one more that I believe is a game changer.
No matter how many years of ministry experience you have, I believe we can all agree that there is always room to grow and improve. One of the ways we seek to help you do that is with our one-day conferences.
If you have not attended one of our conferences before, or if it’s been a while since you last attended, I want to personally invite you to come and grow with us; allow us to walk with you in this journey. I promise you won’t regret it!