Showing posts with label attend church happily. Show all posts
Showing posts with label attend church happily. Show all posts

Monday, December 29, 2014

Five Ways to Grow your Parish


         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.