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…driven by structure and programs, not by making disciples. We believe this has moved us away from our true mission and created our current culture of declining attendance and disconnection…
…of congregations (over 80 percent in my area) are smaller congregations with average worship attendance of 100 or less. And smaller congregations thrive in different ways than their larger sister…
…our church. Now, of course, this we isn’t static; there are always people coming in and out of regular attendance and membership. But still, those who have been around awhile…
…type. It will probably be well into 2021 before large-scale physical worship attendance becomes the norm. 2. Adaptive change is the new reality. This means that the adaptive change lessons…
…had gone. We learned that every single one of our groups reported higher attendance and increased engagement than was happening before COVID-19. More than half of the groups reported that…
…be in attendance any given Sunday. Vital churches provide their members with a variety of ways to give. One positive consequence of the coronavirus response is that many churches that…
…of online worship attendance? Most local church pastors I know are reporting a great increase of focus on pastoral care. Online worship is calling for greater focus and development by…
…our worship has gone remote, many churches have had the unanticipated surprise of finding that attendance has expanded, not constricted, and that the gathered community is geographically scattered to the…
…average worship attendance as the standard barometer for health. Rather, they will be focusing on engagement. How people are engaging in the church through ministries such as discipleship, service, worship,…
…The ease and comfort of “virtual evangelism” may explain in part why many congregations have enjoyed increased attendance for online worship services. (See “Online Worship Makes Evangelism Less Intimidating for…
…digital meeting spaces, electronic giving, and social media connections in the face of the pandemic. Many congregations report that their worship attendance and participation in meetings and groups have grown…
…As someone who works primarily with mainline congregations, I hear a familiar story. It revolves around declining and aging attendance, long-overdue maintenance, lack of missional imagination, and stretched budgets. Churches…
…and shrink in attendance, the economics of ministry are rendering growing numbers of churches financially at risk. Some fall into disrepair, some are sold, and some are even abandoned. But…
…I was fascinated that more clergy were talking about “attendance” when worship was virtual than when it was face to face. Certainly, part of this notice was due to the…
…worship attendance, aging constituents, and troubling giving trends. But what if, instead, this jolt to the system is a necessary wakeup call, opening our eyes to new possibilities, new patterns…
…not experiencing rapid growth. So, they’re not going to increase their average worship attendance by a significant amount. If you’re in a town of 7,000 and you have 47 churches,…
…of inactive former church members signified by the worship attendance declines that began in 2002 and continue today. But engaging with these “new people” will require major adjustments in how…
…percent Sunday ‘attendance’ spike since the pandemic grew. And, yes, people are texting in their decision to follow Jesus and we’re opening up digital discipleship pathways and groups for more…
…some investigating, churches often find that their memory of past glory is not really accurate. (I have often looked back over church statistics to find that the attendance was never…
…Sunday. The increased costs to maintain these spaces, coupled with shrinking attendance and a subsequent decline in giving, have left many church leaders tired of fighting the budget and therefore…
…to increase worship attendance, and more streamlined administrative processes. But too often, these ideas never get off the ground. Executing a vision or plan can be a refreshing and invigorating…
…growth. Topics include 50 Ways to: Welcome a New Pastor; Improve Your Annual Stewardship Campaign; Welcome New People; Increase Worship Attendance; Strengthen Ministry with Children; plus many more. Read now…
…their allegiance to a particular ministry or a particular person, giving is rooted in personality rather than faith in Jesus. As pastors come and go, ministries change, attendance rises and…
…acute in declining membership churches trying to maintain a level of programming that no longer fits their current attendance. Although it is painfully difficult, churches in this situation need to…
…time. But there was always a time crunch, and, with extra attendance, families of confirmands were not always able to sit together. So the congregation shifted the reception of confirmation…
…in attendance and giving. It is a perfect time to try an experiment. Here are four things to keep in mind when doing an experiment. The truth is, many of…
…over 20 years as a consultant. One of the consistent patterns is that churches are more diligent about keeping records of attendance, membership, and giving when the numbers rise than…
…Grow: A Guide to Building Attendance and Participation by John Zehring, copyright © 2018 by Judson Press. Used by permission of Judson Press, www.judsonpress.com. Related Resources 4 Clues for Inviting…
…with scripture, and have never once stepped inside a church? The culture provides an ever-increasing number of competing activities on Sundays that are more compelling than church attendance. When people…
…Capital, Intellectual Capital, Social Capital, and Human Capital. Established congregations face a climate of declining attendance, increased financial pressure, and a growing frustration with the decline in church membership. The…
This article is reprinted by permission from Leading Ideas, a free e-newsletter from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary available at churchleadership.com.
