Adding members to your parish is always
desirable because increased church membership means more community and more
people bringing time, talent and treasure to your church. You will also be able to spread the good news
to more people. It is not difficult to
expand the number of people who enthusiastically attend your services. Making some small changes will make for
standing room only.
1.
Increase Expectations: This is
something parish leaders tend to be hesitant to do because they believe that if
they are too hard on people they will not attend church. It turns out the opposite is true! Parishes that set their expectations high see
a greater better attendance rate than those with lower responsibility on the
parts of parishioners.
People want to be
a part of something that is significant.
While some people attend church because they feel guilty if they don’t,
this can wear off over time, especially since most Americans today attend
church less than once a week. In an
environment like that, people begin to justify not going to church because
others they know do not attend and they seem like good people. Even for those who do go to church every
Sunday, it can become something that is seen as a chore and is done and forgotten
once they leave the church grounds.
Obviously, this is not idea.
Church leaders want parishioners to carry God’s message with them
constantly. The reason for attending
services is to know God better and to get closer to him. Otherwise it is almost like entering, saying
a short “hi” to God, and then leaving without further discourse or
contemplation. Increasing the
expectations of church goers will bring together what priests and ministers aim
to do: it will help parishioners know
God better, it will increase the spirituality of parishioners, and it will
increase the number of parishioners in your church.
You want to start out relatively small
and gradually work your way up to higher expectations. For instance, start out explaining why it is important
to be on time for church and why people should stay until the end. When folks do come in late, the priest or
minister might look at them in a fatherly, “I’m disappointed” way. This works well if you are an involved priest
or minister because your parish members are your children and when you act as
such, parishioners respond accordingly.
2.
Always show you are happy to be there.
Sure there are times when you are tired or just not in the mood to deal
with every perceived or real crises people come to you with. But while God is the ultimate leader of the
church, people look to you as an example.
Always want to be there for God and his people. This will have an amazing effect on
parishioners. Your happiness to be there
worshipping with parish members will be contagious and pretty soon they will
look forward to attending services.
3.
Provide a parish newsletter. Most
churches provide bulletins containing information about upcoming events,
letters from the pastor and sections where volunteers are thanked for their
hard work. The newsletter serves a
different purpose. If it is written and
illustrated well, it helps parishioners understand God’s word more deeply. Most services last only an hour and that just
isn’t enough time to explain the week’s readings in depth. Most priests and ministers do a wonderful job
explaining the meat and potatoes of the readings, and some even include a short
statement about how to implement God’s word into the parishioners’ daily
lives. Implementation of God’s word on
an everyday basis is of such importance it needs a section all its own. This is where the newsletter comes in. It allows people to read more about the
lessons of the week when they are not distracted by children running up the
church isle, people coughing, texting and talking. In addition, a newsletter is fabulous for
explaining other things that is crucial to Christianity that the church rarely
has the time to explain. You can have
volunteers run the newsletter. There are
many people sitting in the pews looking for opportunities to help the church,
but have schedules that will not accommodate a strict schedule. The newsletter editor and his volunteers can
do most of the work from home. In
addition, many people are passionate about their faith and are eager to share
it with others. The newsletter gives
these people the opportunity to do just that.
4.
Now and then take time to explain exactly what is being done and
why. When parishioners truly understand
what is happening and its significance, they are more likely to embrace it with
enthusiasm rather than just going through the motions. For instance, a priest recently took the time
to explain why Catholics make the sign of the cross and what it means. Another priest once explained why it is
important to dress respectfully for church.
These explanations coming from a trusted and respected priest or
minister tend to be met with more faithful execution from those in the pews.
5.
Make a showing at events.
Whenever possible, the pastor or minister might consider making at least
a short appearance at church events. This boosts enthusiasm. And when those attending the event tell
others the priest or pastor showed up, more people are likely to attend the
next church event.
Go at the pace you think your
parishioners will respond best to.
Remember, the above suggestions do not all have to be implemented at
once. Put them in place over time and
watch your parish soar to new heights.
