Mention the phrase “church growth” and you’ll hear a variety of opinions.
On one hand, you’ll find people who promise seven simple steps to explode growth now or organizations that will reveal the secret to growth for three easy payments of $97.
And on the other hand, there are writers who use words like abomination and say the church growth movement usurps the Holy Spirit.
These are two very different opinions from two very different camps.
The spiritualists and the pragmatists.
Spiritualists are quick to point out the words “church growth” do not appear in the Bible. They remind us that because the church belongs to Jesus, church growth is something only God can do. Jesus said, “I will build my church.”
The focus is on discipleship, prayer and following Jesus while leaving the results up to God. Spiritualists don’t want any part tactics taken from the business world or tactics that push God into the margins.
Pragmatists, on the other hand, love to talk about church growth plans and strategies. They remind us that while church growth is up to God, He uses people and systems and technology to accomplish His purposes.
The focus is on leadership, engaging culture and executing at a high level, while asking God to bless everything.
So what is the right approach?

A Biblical Metaphor for Church Growth

Here’s what Jesus said in Mark 4:26-29:
“This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
Jesus used a farming analogy to explain how the kingdom of God grows.
Once the farmer plants the seed, it grows by itself. The farmer isn’t in control of that process, and doesn’t even fully understand it.  The farmer is involved, but the farmer is not in control.
Growth happens naturally, but only after the farmer did the hard work of preparing the soil.
And that’s how church growth works.
It’s a combination of the blessings of God and the stewardship of man. God-given results somehow teamed with human endeavors. A combination of divine intervention and human leadership.
Paul makes a similar statement in 1 Corinthians 3:6. He says he planted churches, Apollos came along and watered the seed, but it was God who gave the increase.
Spiritualists focus on how God gives the increase. Pragmatists point out that Paul planted and Apollos watered.
Yes, church growth was all up to God. But two humans both played a part in the process.
So the pragmatists are right.
And so are the spiritualists.
Church growth is up to God because the church belongs to Him.  But he chooses to use us in the process, giving us the opportunity to be great stewards.

Three Kinds of Church Growth

Karl Vaters, author of The Grasshopper Myth and an author/advocate for small churches, says, “Church growth should always be a part of every pastor’s prayers, passion and strategy.”
Pastors should want their churches to reach more people. But that’s not the only kind of church growth in the Bible.

#1 – Numerical Church Growth

Numerical growth happens when churches reach more people and grows in size.

It’s simple to track numerical growth and the result is the church gets bigger. The Outreach 100 Fastest Growing Churches list is based exclusively on this type of growth.

The 10 Fastest Growing Churches (according to Outreach Magazine)

1. Bayside Church in Roseville, California
2. Rock City Church in Columbus, Ohio
3. Northview Church in Indianapolis, Indiana
4. Radiant Church in Tampa, Florida
5. The House Forth Worth in Forth Worth, Texas
6. Christ Church in Gilbert, Arizona
7. Coastal Community Church in Parkland, Florida
8. Action Church in Winter Park, Florida
9. NewSound Church in Wellington, Florida
10. Journey Church in Winter Park, Florida

Read profiles of some of these churches here.

This kind of growth was reported in the early church and recorded in the book of acts. Despite persecution, a lack of buildings, and little formal training, the early church grew as people shared the gospel with friends and neighbors. Luke tells us people were added to the church on a daily basis. That’s church growth.
The desire churches have to reach more people for Christ should come from God’s heart for the world and understanding Jesus’ mission to seek and save the lost. Churches that want to grow in numbers should do out of a desire to live out the great commission.

#2 – Spiritual Church Growth

Spiritual growth happens when the people in the church come to love and follow Jesus.

People in church should grow to love the Lord with all their heart, mind, soul and strength and take intentional steps to obey his commands. That’s discipleship.
This kind of growth is also reported in the book of Acts, as you find new believers gathered in homes for community and prayer. As the church grew in size, it also grew spiritually. The early church wasn’t content to make converts, they wanted to make disciples.
Spiritual growth is much harder to measure, and there’s no Top 100 list. But when we talk about church growth, we must not limit our discussion to attendance and budgets. There’s something far deeper at work.

#3 – Kingdom Church Growth

Kingdom growth happens when there is both spiritual and numerical growth.

When individual churches grow numerically and spiritually, there is a great opportunity for Kingdom growth.
The Bible says the Church grew through multiplication. For example, the church at Antioch prayed, fasted and sent leaders out to start new churches (Acts 13:1-5). This intentional decision to get smaller resulted in the Church getting larger.
Ironically, it was the persecution of the early church that led some of the first Christians to spread throughout the world, taking their faith with them and building the Kingdom in the process.

Church Growth vs. Church Health: What Matters Most?

Since the formation of the early church, Christians have been arguing over where we should put our focus.
Church growth advocates often use phrases like “reach the lost at any cost” and say things like “We will do anything short of sin to reach people.”
The focus is often getting people in the front door. And even though there’s Biblical precedence, this type of passion can be easily misplaced.
After all, unhealthy things can grow too.
In fact, some have argued unhealthy things grow even faster (weeds and tumors, for example). A lot of damage can be done to the Kingdom by adopting a “grow at all costs” philosophy.
Church health advocates argue that if you focus on the flock, growth will naturally occur. Well, there are a lot of inward focused churches who seem to have lost focus on the great commission. It seems like a focus on church health can lead people to live like the “frozen chosen,” unaware of the real needs around them.
Should we focus on church growth or church health?
I say we embrace the tension between the two.
Perhaps it should never be resolved.
Maybe the fact that we worry about it keeps us in balance.
Fully resolve the tension toward growth and you’ll end chasing tactics to just build a crowd.
Fully resolve it toward health and you’ll provide pastoral care to people until there’s nobody left.
Acts 2:42-47 describes church growth as the result of intentional evangelism and discipleship.
It seems that when the church loved God and loved their neighbor, the Gospel spread.
Jesus-centered teaching, a community built on love and investing in one another’s lives and living a life of faith was not only the result of church growth, but also the cause.

Church Growth: Up to God or Influenced by People?

In 1 Corinthians 3:8, Paul writes, “The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor.” This verse seems to indicate that pastors will be rewarded for their part in building the church.
Even though Jesus said, “I will build my church,” and even though Paul acknowledged, “God gives the increase,” it’s appropriate to view earthly leadership as a stewardship opportunity.
In Ephesians 4:12, Paul says that pastors and leaders are not to perform all the ministry in the church but should equip the believers to “do the work of the ministry.”  Commenting on this verse, Eric Geiger writes, “In some sense, a pastor is to leave the ministry the moment the pastors enters the ministry.” This shift in thinking should result in a more distributed ministry and greater effectiveness.
To this end, God gives spiritual gifts to each Christian to use to build up the body of Christ. Building up should result in a healthier church, but also a church that’s growing in size and influence.
Church growth, then, doesn’t just depend on the pastors but also involves the people.
A Time to Be Intentionally Unbalanced
Since the tension between church growth and church health should never be resolved, it gives us the freedom to lean into both sides of the equation.
There are times to focus on church growth.
For example, churches who have lived on the discipleship side might need to willingly tip the scales toward evangelism, with campaigns, efforts, or even staff that might appear to favor an evangelistic model rather than the well-known discipleship model.  In this case, intentionally being unbalanced for a season is a part of a larger strategy focused on healthy growth.
Maybe you need a greater focus on reaching people for this next ministry season.
In high growth churches where a discipleship process might not be fully formed, it might be wise to tip the scales toward health.  This isn’t abandoning your core values or changing your mission to reach the community; it’s recognizing that seasons of growth include a time to form roots.
Maybe you need a greater focus on keeping people for this next ministry season.
You not need to sacrifice church growth for church health and vice versa, but it might be wise to choose goals that focus on one side of the equation for a season in order to bring you back into balance.

The Real Church Growth Barriers

Most books, articles, and podcasts addressing growth barriers deal with visible and tactical issues.
You’ll read about changing worship style to attract a younger generation.
You’ll read about adding service times when you’re 80% full.
And while worship style, aging facility, service times, parking lot and website are important issues, these are probably not the reasons churches don’t grow.
These are visible issues, but there are more important things behind the scenes.  When you understand the foundational issues, the tactical decisions will become more obvious.
What are those real church growth barriers?

#1 – People

The church is about Jesus and people – and helping people follow Jesus.  As simple as that is, it’s amazing how easy it is to forget the people part of ministry.

• Church isn’t about a building.
• Church isn’t dependent on events and programs.
• Church isn’t even about sermons and music.

Ultimately, what we do is meant to help people follow Jesus.
Pastors and church leaders are always looking to reach more people, going into all the world and make disciples.
And while evangelism, outreach, and inviting people to church should always be part of our strategy, from a leadership and stewardship perspective, it is wise to start with the people you already have.
There are already people connected to your church.
There are already leaders.
There are already volunteers.
Don’t let the quest for more cause you to be a good steward of what God has already given you.  You may have 1, 5, or 10 talents, but God wants you to be responsible for what He’s provided.
You may not have enough leaders, but you have some leaders.
You may not have a big enough staff, but there is someone (even if it’s just you).
You may need more volunteers, but there are a handful of people who care deeply about the church.
Start there.
Start with who you do have in your circles before we draw bigger circles.
Just like companies say people are their most important asset, churches must embrace this principle.
Your people are really important.
Let’s dive a little deeper into the people you already have and how to best lead them.
First, there are staff.
Whether you have a big staff, a small staff, or volunteers acting as staff, the people in paid positions are really important to the health and growth of your church.
Whenever I think about church staff (and needing more people to do the work of the ministry), I am reminded of a message from Bishop T.D. Jakes.  In a way that only he can say it, he talks about how all Moses had was a staff.  God used that staff to perform a miracle.
He says, “The staff in your hand is enough.”
He just says it way cooler than how you’re reading it in your head.
You might have a small staff, a young staff, or an older staff, but God can use a church staff to do amazing things in your community.
You might need more of them, but let’s commit to develop the people who are already there.
If someone is on staff, make sure they are trained, appreciated, and truly a part of the team.  Developing your staff is one of your best opportunities to lead your church to growth.
The people in paid positions should be some of the most effective ministers in your church.  But too many times, people in these roles coast by.  We think because they are good Christians or good parents that automatically translates into being good employees.
The secret is not better people, it’s better development.
Before we delegate, we need to develop.
Before we entrust more responsibility, we need to develop.
Before we try to start something new, we need to develop.
In order for this to happen, leadership development conversations and meetings need to actually make it to our calendar. We can’t let the fact that leadership development doesn’t feel urgent turn into a lack of importance.
We have two resources that can help you put this into action.
First, here are some ways to make your next staff meeting more engaging, more productive, and even more enjoyable.  It’s a free resource called 7 Staff Meeting Ideas.
Second, every pastor who joins Church Fuel gets instant access to our leadership development curriculum. This carefully-researched material will help you walk your staff through 12 key skills to help them lead themselves, lead others, and lead projects.  You can teach this in a staff meeting, at a leadership retreat, or simply send the resources to your team.
As important as it is to have a called, committed, and caring staff to oversee the work of the ministry, you’re never going to be able to hire people to do all of the ministry in your church.  That’s why you need lay leaders and volunteers.
When it comes to leaders and volunteers, I’m afraid we’ve made this too complicated.
There’s a time to create pipelines and programs, but you can also start where you are.
There are a few people in your church who are almost ready to lead…they just need you to invest in them.  There are people in your church who are ready to volunteer…they just need you to personally ask and train them.
The Volunteer System we teach at Church Fuel is simple but powerful.  It consists of three parts.

1. Recruit. You need a calendar-based approach to inviting new volunteers to step up and serve. This isn’t about announcements or pleas for help…we’ve got an intentional strategy you can follow.
2. Train. Once you have people express interest, you need to train them. But adults don’t learn the way most churches try to train.  There’s a much better way.
3. Pastor. This is the most important part of the system. Your volunteers should be the happiest and healthiest group of people in your church, not those teetering on the edge of burnout.  We will show you exactly what to do to make sure they are cared for and appreciated.

This volunteer system really works.  And we’ll teach it to you once you join Church Fuel.
Staff, leaders, and volunteers…these three groups of people in your church can do more ministry than you can do alone.
With intentionality and good systems, you can break through the people barrier.

#2 – Systems

I think Life Church and North Point will thrive after Craig Groeschel and Andy Stanley are gone because both churches embrace team teaching, develop leaders and establish healthy systems. Many large churches lack all three. – Tony Morgan

A system is a documented process that leads to a clear outcome. Anytime you do something on a regular basis, you need a written process.
Before you write off systems and processes, recognize there are several examples in the Bible of God working through systems.
Exodus 18 describes how Jethro helped Moses create and implement a system for hearing people’s cases. His system allowed him to better serve the people he was called to lead.  Luke 10 describes how 72 people were sent ahead of Jesus to help prepare the places he was going to visit.  Acts 6 describes the choosing of the seven…the results of this system and process is the gospel went further because the widows were fed.  A system solved the immediate problem and enabled ministry.
I don’t believe systems are unspiritual. Instead, they are part of God’s created order. Ultimately, systems help us.  They are for our benefit, not God’s.
God can do whatever He wants, but human beings benefit fro good systems.  And when you have good systems in your church, good things will happen.

• Good systems solve problems.
• Good systems save money. This is when the church planters start paying attention.
• Good systems promote consistency.

A lot of the problems churches face are systems problems.
They are disguised as people problems, but in reality, they are systems problems.  It’s a broken system or a bad structure or a process that’s missing key steps that is leading to breakdown.
And here’s the deal with systems problems…
You can’t solve them with more preaching.  I’ve seen this happen so many times:  Church finances aren’t going well and the church is getting behind in budget.  The Finance Team or the Pastor decide to preach a message on generosity to right the ship.  So an “emergency sermon” gets preached that temporarily solves the cash-flow issue.
But a few weeks later, it’s back to reality.
That’s because low giving in a church is a systems problem, and it’s not going to be solved with an amazing message.
You also can’t solve systems problems with more vision.  Too many pastors think casting vision for the future is a silver bullet that solves all problems.  “If people just understood what we’re tying to do, they would give more or volunteer or invite or whatever,” is what pastors think.
But casting more vision isn’t likely to change your culture or solve your issues.  Because it’s likely a systems problem.
Structural issues require structural solutions. Systems problems can only be solved by creating effective systems.
Here are the seven systems every church needs in order to grow healthy.

1. The Leadership System
2. The Stewardship System
3. The Follow Up System
4. The Preaching System
5. The Connections System
6. The Volunteer System
7. The Communications System

You need to design and implement systems that will sustain growth in the future.  In other words, you need to structure your church not for the size you are now, but for the size you want to be.
Work on each of these systems, plus get practical training and templates, in the Systems Course.  It’s included for everyone who joins Church Fuel.

#3 – Culture 

The third driver of church growth is culture.  It’s often ethereal and hard to define, but culture is the overall environment of your church.
Just like you can’t grow tomatoes in the desert or corn in a rain forest, culture often dictates what you can and can’t do in a church.
Many churches struggle to attract new people because they don’t have a welcoming culture.  It’s not one thing, it’s a combination of all the things that subtly communicate the church isn’t really set up for new people to fit in.  If your church has a culture that values existing members far more than new people, you’re going to struggle to grow, no matter what kind of Facebook ad you run or sermon series you preach.
Some churches struggle to reach the next generation because they don’t have a culture that values the next generation.  There’s no silver bullet solution, but rather a host of structural, system and leadership changes that need to be made before the next generation will thrive in the church.
Culture is not something you can download, purchase, or upgrade instantly.  It takes a lot of intentional work, hard conversations, and great leadership.
But there are things you can do to shift the culture from what you have to what might be more desirable.  Even though culture is more esoteric, here are five tangible things you can use to create culture

• Values – Your defined core values are a good place to start. Values define what is important to you.  They can be descriptive but some can be aspirational.  Once you define them, you can call them out when you see them lived out or broken.  In this way, USING your values is almost more important than defining them.
• Language – Language is one of the most important culture-creators and too many churches don’t recognize this. You need to give words to things you think are important.  “You know how we always say…” followed by a carefully worded statement is a powerful way to create culture.
• Behavior. The actions you take on a daily basis, whether intentional or allowed, create culture in your church.
• People. The people you have in leadership, whether paid or volunteer, create culture.  Just like an employee with poor behavior brings down a culture and drives away good people, intentional behaviors that reflect who you want to become will create a healthy culture.  Celebrate behaviors that reflect your values.  Gently correct behaviors that detract.
• Budget. Perhaps your biggest culture creator is your budget.  Show me your budget and I’ll show you what you truly value.  A lot of churches say they value the next generation but their budget doesn’t show it – which is why too many youth pastors are reduced to professional fundraisers.

#4 – Strategy 

Ministry without strategy can be a waste of time.  Your selection of ministries must be strategic, not random. Your ministries should be on purpose, not merely at the whim of anyone’s ideas.  Ministry is your heart and passion. – Dan Reiland

Even though your church is much more than a business, this business-y kind of thing can help you grow.
There are parts of your church that would really benefit from good planning and strategy.
The problem is most ministry plans take a lot of work and produce few results.
An expensive consultant dazzles you with terminology and you’re drawn into a comprehensive process, peppered with promises of change. But in the end, a fancy report is shared briefly in a meeting then ends up in a computer folder somewhere.
Nothing really happens.  Nothing really changes.
You might pull it out next year to see just how much you DIDN’T do.
It’s a double fail: Tons of work and minimal impact.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
And you don’t need an expensive consultant to guide you through the process.  You can achieve fresh clarity the Church Fuel way, with a simple two-page worksheet and an insanely practical course that will show you exactly what to do.
The Two Page Plan is our insanely practical tool that will help you clarify what’s truly important in your church.
Don’t decide to start a new ministry, hire a staff member, raise money, hold a leadership retreat, or make a ministry decision without first forcing this kind of clarity and alignment.
Get it right and it will solve so many problems.

• More Ministry. It’s likely you have ministry dreams and want to make a bigger impact in your community. What would your church do with more leaders or healthier leaders? What would it look like if every ministry and program was “fully staffed.”  A solid ministry plan is a great next step.

• More Leaders. The difference between an army and a mob is a plan. That’s why throwing more people at a problem doesn’t make it better.  In fact, it will likely make things worse (and run off potential leaders in the process).  The Two Page Plan will help you get all of your leaders, whether they are staff or volunteers, on the same page.
• Greater Confidence. A great ministry plan does not diminish the need for the Holy Spirit or God’s blessing. The Church belongs to God and He can do whatever he wants.  However, a solid ministry plan, and a team that understands it, is one of the biggest keys to confidence in ministry. You can trust God, rest in your calling, and believe that you’re working on the right things.

Here are the things we will help you clarify on your Two Page Plan.

• You’ve probably already got this, but we’ll help you make it clearer and show you were to use it.
• This will likely be one of your biggest AHA moments.  It can be a game-changer.
• We’ll demystify this term for you and show you how it all fits together.
• More than just fancy words, we’ll help you clarify and actually use your values to make actual ministry decisions.
• Big plans will never be accomplished without a corresponding strategy.
• Who are you really trying to reach? Spoiler: The answer can’t be “everyone” and we’ll show you why.
• What makes you truly unique?
• Keystone Ministries. What are the most important ministries in your church? And yes, this means some things you do aren’t really important.
• Annual Events. What are the big church-wide events that need everyone dialed in?
• Key Metrics. What numbers are most important for you to measure.  Every church is a little different but every church needs to be crystal clear.
• Key Processes. There are a handful of systems and processes in your church that will help you solve problems once and for all.
• Annual Goals. Goals inspire us toward a better future, and there’s a way to set them so people are inspired not annoyed.
• Three Year Outlook. Imagine what your church will look like and feel like three years from now.

We helped a church in Littleton, Colorado create a ministry strategy.  Their pastor, Cody, emailed to say this:
We finalized our ministry plan after chipping away at it for the last few months. Our leadership meeting yesterday featured the right amount of contentious and harmonious conversation 🙂 Thank you once again for helping us get unstuck! We started this process with one group of leaders, and we actually changed out about a third of our leadership in January, and we were able to generate buy-in and receive meaningful ideas from the new group very quickly.
A thoughtful, written strategic plan can help your church experience healthy growth.  Planning isn’t just a task to be done by an organized person who loves spreadsheets, it’s a powerful ministry tool that should be embraced by all church leaders.

#5 – Spiritual 

Church planting, church revitalization, and church growth are inherently spiritual endeavors.
Strategy, culture, and leadership can make a huge difference and drive growth, but ultimately that growth is up to God.  The church is not a business.  The church is more than an organization.
You can do all the right things and not experience growth.  And many churches experience growth despite problems with leadership.
Think about how these spiritual traits intersect with the organized ministry of a church.

• Faith – Pastors must trust God, not their own plans or skills. And losing faith is a terrible thing and can be a growth barrier in your church.
• Prayer – No church growth strategy should exist apart from prayer.
• Gospel – A real and deep understanding of the Gospel can not only refocus a church, it can re-energize a community. Churches that lose sight of the gospel are facing spiritual growth barriers and spiritual breakthrough is required
• Loving others – The greatest commandment is to love God and part two is to love others. Churches who forget this will face barriers to growth that no tactic will help overcome.

Your church might be facing systems barriers, leadership challenges, and tactical obstacles, but you also are fighting a spiritual battle.
Don’t forget there are spiritual growth barriers.

Church Growth Drivers

Now that we’ve talked about the real barriers to growth in your church, lets turn our attention to things that drive growth.
Many of these things are not expensive and you don’t need a ton of money to implement most of these changes.  You will need focus and you might need support.
But don’t let budget be an excuse for stagnation.
These principles are not formulas or steps, but we’ve seen churches that focus on these issues turn the tide in their church.  Putting time, effort, and resources into these areas might yield positive results for you.

#1 – Leadership

We work with churches of all shapes and sizes, and by far, the biggest growth barrier they are encountering is leadership. It cuts across every program and ministry and touches every corner of the church. When the leaders get better, the church often grows.
It's like the tide that raises all the ships in the harbor.
No one will make you do this and people aren’t going to ask you to make time for it. But it’s one of the biggest opportunities you have to lead your church.
In The War of Art, Stephen Pressfield writes about the difference between a professional and an amateur. He brings up the example of a professional golfer who develops a problem with his swing. He says, “It would never occur to a professional golfer to try and figure it out on his own.”
A professional golfer, clearly at the top of his or her game, knows the value of coaching. Likewise, great leaders invite people to speak into their circumstances, decisions and opportunities.
Great leaders invite people into the development process and model the way for other leaders throughout the church.
I heard a mega-church pastor recently attribute church growth to the high number of engaged leaders.
“Every church has volunteers,” he said. “What makes us different is we have people that are engaged.”
Healthy and growing churches have a higher percentage of volunteers and leaders who thrive in their role. These aren’t people who show up on Sunday morning to do a task or reluctantly meet a need; they are people invested in the ministry outcome.
They don’t think like attenders; they think like staff.
Volunteer and leader engagement is often a leading indicator of growth. It’s on the front end.
You may not be able to get 25 people to show up this Sunday, but you can spend some time this week recruiting or developing one leader. That will have a long-term effect in your church.
When people are serving with an outward focus, growth often comes down the line.
If you want to see church growth happen in your church, create a plan to develop leaders.
Start with yourself. 
To be clear, nobody is going to make you do this.  And there might not even be people to hold you accountable.
But great leaders take responsibility for their own growth and development.  They don’t wait around for Yoda to appear. They adopt a growth mindset and build their own growth plan.
The good news is that you can take responsibility for your own leadership development.  You can adopt a growth mindset and create a plan and lead yourself.
This free PDF will give you a starting point.
It’s one page and you can fill it out today.
Train Your Team
When you’re done creating your own personal growth plan, expand to your inner circle.
Whether you lave a small staff, large staff, group of elders, deacon board, or key volunteers, there are people in your church who need you to lead them.
Use the Team Training curriculum that is a part of Church Fuel to train all of your leaders on 12 key skills.
There may come a time when you need to flesh out a leadership pipeline or develop a serious leadership development strategy.  But don’t let something that sounds complicated keep you away from simply investing in the leaders you already have.
Being a good steward means starting with what God has already given you.
Embrace the topic of leadership as one of your biggest opportunities for growth, and when you help your people get better, you might also lead your church to become bigger.

#2 – An Inviting Culture

Every church and every organization has a culture that defines it’s behaviors.
In Andy Stanley’s Leadership Podcast on Keystone Habits, he says that these habits or systems are not always created on purpose, but rather evolve over time. can often become a bad habit.
The truth is that we act like our culture. Culture determines behavior. This is why the culture of your church is so vital. If you want a culture where new guests consistently show up at your church, then you need to invest in the habit of inviting.
One of the questions that Andy said they wrestled with at North Point was “What habits do we need to turn up or what habits do we need to implement to impact the culture?” They asked this question because Charles Duhigg says in his book The Power of Habit, you have to introduce a new keystone habit to change a culture.
He defines a keystone habit as something that triggers a series of related behaviors or habits.
These keystone habits could potentially change a behavior or reaffirm a current behavior.
Andy said they wanted to find a habit that could galvanize their values and what they did as a church that tied back to their mission and vision as a church.
For North Point, their mission is to create churches that unchurched people love to attend.  So their keystone habit is inviting unchurched people.
Wouldn’t it be great if the people in your church just naturally invited their friends, neighbors, and co-workers?
Wouldn’t it be great if you didn’t have to remind, bribe, or guilt-trip people to invite?
Wouldn’t it be great if your congregation embraced the fact that personal invitations are the #1 way to invite new people to come to church, and actually put action behind that belief?
That’s what a culture of inviting looks like.

Building the Habit of Inviting in Your Church

is nothing more powerful than when a person invites a friend to attend your church. When people invite others to your church, good things happen.
Word of mouth and personal inviting are way more powerful than the best crafted Facebook ad or mailer campaign. If you want to create a culture of inviting in your church, here are three things you can do.

1. Make It Easy

The best way to make it easy for people who attend your church to invite their unchurched friends to church is provide tools for inviting.
See, it’s not enough to ASK your people to invite; you have to equip them with tools.
Here’s a ridiculous example.
Let’s say you have a flat tire on the side of the road and wave me down to help you.  Because I’m a nice person, I’m more than willing to stop and help.
So that’s what I do.
I pull over and get out of my car to help you change the tire.
You can cast all the vision you want for how your tire needs to be changed.
You can tell me a sad story about how you’re on your way to your last day at work to pick up your last paycheck so you can buy food for your family.
You can inspire me all day long to help you change your tire.
But without a tire iron and a spare, nothing is going to happen.
Casting vision, telling stories, or even a guilt trip won’t do anything if we don’t have the necessary tools to get the job done.
This how too many churches approach the subject of inviting others in their church.
They cast vision, tell stories, and lay on the guilt.  But they never give their congregation the relevant tools.  They ask, but they don’t equip.
Here are few examples of great tools:

• Make business card sized invite cards advertising your church or current series. Be sure to put your website, times, and directions of the card.
• Have a great website. Most people before visiting your church will check out your website first. Have an easy to navigate website with relevant information on it and make sure it looks good on mobile devices. 
Elevation Church in Charlotte does a great job providing information to potential attenders.
• Provide a few strategic times of the year when inviting is super simple. Do a few series a year where you push your people to invite their friends. This makes it easy to invite them to something specific.
• Write social media posts or create graphics for your people. Don’t just tell them to post; write the post for people. Put everything on a specific page on your website and then tell your people how to access the resources.

2. Teach People How

Teaching your attenders how to invite is often an overlooked piece of the puzzle. We church leaders assume that people know how to invite their friends to something. That may be true to an extent, but do they know how to effectively invite them?
Teaching them how to use the tools you give them and how they can effectively invite their coworkers, family and friends will pay huge dividends in the long run.
A few ways to teach the art of the invite is:

• Do a message or even sermon series on why it’s important to engage with unchurched people.
• Set up a class or vision night where all you focus on is the power and how-to of the invite. Newspring church has done a great job with this.
• Write blog or Facebook posts on “5 Ways To Invite Someone To Church Sunday”. Make it practical and easy.

The other way to teach this is teach people how to have inviting conversations.  It might sound silly, but most people don’t know how to talk about church in a normal conversation.  People are nervous about offending others.  People consider faith a private matter.  So you’ve got to step in and show them how to communicate about something that is increasingly NOT normal in our culture.
I heard Andy Stanley once teach his congregation to look for the three NOTS.

1. Things are Not going well
2. I was not prepared for
3. I am not from here

He said, “Anytime you hear one of these statements in casual conversation, that should be your cue to extend an invitation.”  He went on to give lots of examples.
Andy recently cast a fresh vision for inviting and introduced the phrase “Come Sit with Me.”  In a Sunday morning message more geared to the Northpoint faithful, he walked everyone through exactly what to say and how to extend a personal invitation.  He gave people language and vocabulary to make it normal.
Northpoint tries hard to “create a church that unchurched people would love to attend.”  But that wont make a difference if people won’t invite.  So Norhtpoint tries their best to make it normal and make it easy.

3. Celebrate It

If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a million times; what gets celebrated, gets repeated. Mine your attenders for stories like the one I shared above about how they invited someone. Ask people when they attend, how they heard about your church. When a great story comes along, share it with your church. When someone invites someone and they show up, celebrate that both corporately and personally.
If you take the time to create a habit of inviting in your church, not only will your church grow numerically, but your church will grow in it’s faith as well as maturity.

# 3 – Cast a Clear Vision for the Future

The third driver of growth is casting a clear vision for the future.
Growing churches are really clear about purpose and mission, and those are two very different terms.
Your purpose is the deep reason you exist.
It comes from God and it’s eternal. It will never change. It has nothing to do with where your church is located or what kind of ministries you have. It’s true now and it will be true 25 years from now.
One of my favorite leadership books is Simon Sinek’s book Start with Why. He says every organization (and I’d definitely include churches) needs to clarify the WHY…the real reason they exist. He says it’s more important to get clear about the WHY than it is to clarify the WHAT.
Before you talk about ministries and programs and strategies, you’ve got to have a clear WHY. You’ve got to have a solid PURPOSE.
Now your church may say this in a creative way, but I would bet all the money in my pockets that your church’s purpose is pretty similar to the great commission or the great commandment.
When we started the church in Atlanta, we had a sense of purpose but we hadn’t taken the time to clarify it in a memorable sentence. We didn’t really talk about it on a regular basis, because the purpose was understood. But a mentor challenged me to put in the hard work so we did.
We clarified our purpose statement and began talking about it all the time. We said our purpose like this: “We’re here to lead people from where they are to where God wants them to be.”
Someone said this phrase in our welcome and announcement time every Sunday morning. I used it when writing thank you notes to our first-time givers. We put it our email signatures.
After a year or so, I would start to say it and our church people would say it back. That’s when I knew people were starting to understand it.
But here’s the thing about purpose…
It’s never really accomplished.
It’s always going to be there and you’re never going to be done with it.
It’s not like I was going to come to the church office one Monday and say, “Listen up everyone….we’ve led all the people from where they are to where God wants them to be…that’s done…what’s next?”  You can’t check the box and move on to something else.
That’s why purpose isn’t always the best motivator of people. Because it’s so long-term that it’s tough for people to grasp. It’s too big, too bold, or too etherial.
Purpose is really important, but it’s really generic. That’s why growing churches communicate a second thing…mission.
Your mission is what you’re trying to do NOW. 
Your mission isn’t about WHY…it’s about NOW. It’s about what’s next. It’s all about “here’s what our church is doing in this next season and here’s what it’s going to look like.”
Think about NASA.
Their purpose is to explore space.  Since they are NASA they will say it smarter than that, but you get the bigger idea.
They are never going to have a meeting and say, “Hey team…we’ve explored all of space.  We’re done!”
That mission to explore is never going to end.
That’s why NASA finds tremendous value in clarifying a mission.
Their current mission is to send a team of people to Mars.
That’s specific and understandable.  It requires a timeline and a budget.
And they can push everything toward it.  And when they accomplish it they can say “mission accomplished” and ask “What’s next?”
NASA’s mission is in service of their greater purpose.
And your church needs a current mission that will push you on toward your ultimate purpose.
Now some people use the word mission where I use purpose. And some people use the word vision instead of mission. And some people will tell you mission, vision, and purpose are three different things.
But we’re all about keeping it simple and practical for you, so even if you adopt different terms, you need to communicate two things.

• One never-changing, never-accomplished, deep sense of why (we call this purpose)
• And one time-sensitive, going to check it off the box, here’s what it looks like rally cry (we call that mission)

Casting vision is really just talking about the future, so you can use purpose AND mission to cast vision for the future.  One is short-term.  One is eternal.
Every ministry, program, staff member, and department in your church needs to be involved and onboard with your purpose and mission.
Too many churches create a short-term mission that only involves a small group of people then wonder why the whole church isn’t moving in the same direction.  Your mission still needs to be big and bold and involve everyone.
We’ve seen hundreds of churches lead their church to growth through clarifying a vision for the future that actually gets people involved.  This is so important.
That’s why every church that joins Church Fuel starts with a course called “Building Your Ministry Plan.”
We walk through purpose, mission and vision.  We help you create and articulate a strategy.  We help you get clear on values and distinctives.  We work on aligning ministries and programs to all of this.
This single course results in all of the important stuff in your church written down on just two pages.
We call it your Two Page Plan.

#4 – Shift focus from inward to outward.  

Many churches have become inwardly-focused. And inwardly-focused churches don’t grow. – Tony Morgan

Just like culture is one of the biggest growth barriers facing churches, shifting that culture from an inward focus to an outward focus can lead to growth.
Simply stated, your church needs to focus on who is NOT there, not just who is there.
Be on the lookout.
Friendliness here is not the measuring stick.
There are a ton of inward-focused churches who are very friendly.  They are just friendly to each other.
New people who visit might have a different experience.
I compare this to a family reunion.  If you’re a part of the family, it’s a very friendly event.  But it's someone else’s family, and you just stumbled in, you probably feel like an outsider.
Everyone is very friendly, but you don’t feel welcome.
This culture shift is a difficult change for a lot of churches and it must be done tactfully, because the people who are there are volunteering and giving, literally paying the bills and funding all ministry.  It might not be wise to just run them off.
But leading your church to adopt an outsider-first approach is a great step to healthy church growth.  This looks different in all churches, but it could mean…

• Intentionally designing your church services with outsiders in mind.
• Offering programs and ministries to meet the actual needs of your current community, not just continue to offer legacy programs that worked 15 years ago.
• Changing your website to be the front door for new people rather than a place for members to download a calendar of events.
• Shifting resources from programs inside the church to supporting programs and organizations who serve your community.
• Running all your language, announcements and communications through a “new people” filter.
• Stopping programming that meets the needs of those already connected and starting programming designed to attract and get new people.
• Listening to the voice of new people rather than simply relying on the most comfortable voices who always speak up.
• Stopping your own attendance at a church event and repurposing that time to be involved with a community organization.

These shifts are hard and will likely require a ton of patience.  And good leadership and communication throughout a process of change is absolutely necessary.

All churches drift inward without the intentional effort to keep an outward focus on those who are far from God. – Dan Reiland

This has the potential to change your church for the better, but be warned…you’ll likely create some waves along the way.  That’s why it’s critical to be a part of a community who can give you great advice on all the tactical issues that will come to the surface.  You don’t want to lead this type of change alone.
Creating an outward focused church culture takes disciplined communication and requires a spirit of prayer.
Pastor Joby Martin from The Church of Eleven22 in Jacksonville, Florida constantly talks about the idea of “one more,” reminding the congregation that evangelism is personal.
This rally cry is really meant to spark care and concern within the church for one person outside of the church.  They periodically organize and publicize “one more” weekends when a clear Gospel invitation is given.
The initiative, made sticky with consistent terminology and strategy, is a way to create an inviting culture.
It’s “preparing the soil” type of work. Pastor Jeff Bogue from Grace Church in Akron, Ohio adopts a similar prayer strategy with a big initiative to challenge the church to “pray for our three.”
He teaches people to pray for three friends, neighbors and co-workers and that God would give them a “no-brainer” moment to extend an invitation or share their faith.
Both of these churches are leading their church to pray for an investment in members of the community.  That’s work that can be done apart from challenges to invite.

#5- Clarify who you are trying to reach

Warning…this growth driver isn’t going to sound very spiritual, but it’s one of the most powerful on the list.
It’s a strange concept, because it sounds like something more suited for the business world than for the church.
But hang with me and just think about it.
I want to challenge you to develop a PERSONA, a description of the symbolic person in your community you are trying to reach.
The business community calls this the target customer.  Your church doesn’t have customers, but the ideas is still sound.
It’s a strange concept in the church because Christianity, The Gospel, the Bible, Jesus…they are for EVERYONE.  It feels weird to say your church is targeting a certain person.  It feels mean because in clarifying who you are trying to reach, you’re hinting that you’re not trying to reach another group of people.  And that feels un-Christian.
But if your church tries to reach everyone, it could be you end up reaching no one.
When you step back and think about this honestly, your church is likely positioned to reach a certain segment of the community.  While everyone is welcome, you’re most likely to appeal to a specific part of the community.  And there are people in your town that are likely to visit your church, and not any others.
I’m simply suggesting you recognize, clarify and align to this.
Spiritually speaking, your church is a church, but your church is not THE church.  There are other churches in town. That’s part of the beauty of the Kingdom…it’s not all on your shoulders.
When you get real about who you’re trying to reach, you can align your programs, ministries, and communication to this.
You’ll be more effective.
Think about big companies like Wal-Mart.  As big and ubiquitous as they are, they are not targeting everybody.  Their messaging, store layout, and strategy are geared to reach a certain segment of the population.  Target sells similar products, but they are going after a different segment.  They have a different target customer.
Walmart or Target are open to everyone, but they know they are most likely to reach a certain type of customer and focus their resources in that direction.
It’s just good leadership.
This is a stewardship issue for your church.
Yes, anyone is welcome.  Anyone can attend.  But you can’t create programs and ministries for every need in your city…it would be a waste of resources to try.  You choose to focus.
I just want you to be even more strategic.
A.G. Lafley, author of Playing to Win, says it this way:  You can't win the whole world or please everybody. Trying to be all things to all people is a recipe for failure. You have to strategically narrow the field to the geographies, demographics, and channels where your company is most competitive, and can get the best possible results.
Tailor Your Messaging To Who You Are Trying to Reach
When you know exactly who you’re trying to reach you can make your messaging match.
I read a stat that said the average young adult today will take more than 25,000 selfies in their lifetime. That’s a lot of duck faces and Clarendon filters.
The selfie might be a sign of the times, but it’s an example of how people of all ages like to see themselves in photos. A picture of the Grand Canyon will never be as popular as a picture of you at the Grand Canyon.
Too many churches have the camera focused on them—talking about their services, their ministries, and their events. It’s a selfie approach to communication. Instead, flip the camera around and start talking about people.
This is a subtle concept and it can be tough to grasp, so here’s an example. We’ve all seen churches describe themselves as “a friendly church” to invite the community. But here’s the thing.
People aren’t looking for a friendly church. They are looking for friends.
See the difference? The “friendly church” descriptor is about you. And more and more, people don’t really connect with that description. What they are looking for is friends. That’s personal. That makes a difference in their life.
So when you talk about your church, as uncomfortable as it might be, make sure you’re talking about what it means to people’s real lives. Don’t describe the programs and ministries; describe how those programs and ministries benefit people.
People’s first communication means you don’t just describe the dates and speaker for youth camp…it means you tell parents this is the best chance for their rising high schooler to make Christian friends who will be a positive influence over the next few years.
People’s first communication means you don’t describe how Financial Peace University works, it means you talk about what will happen in people’s lives after they go through the program.
People’s first communication means you don’t just post pictures of your band or your sermon series, you post pictures of people having fun, praying, or singing. You put other people, not your church, front and center.
When you know who you are trying to reach, you can really get inside their heads, understand their psychographic, and design your communication with them in mind.
Again, this is just good stewardship.

#6 – Keystone Ministries as Growth Engines

Have you ever seen a plate spinner?
Before America’s Got Talent, this was a popular trick at variety shows and county fairs.  A guy would start out spinning one plate on a stick.  Then he would add another, and another, until there were dozens spinning at the same time.
As one would slow down and begin to wobble, he would run across the stage to give it another spin.  Of course, another spinning plate would require his attention, until it all became too much to manage and everything came crashing down.
This is a strong and sad metaphor for how many churches operate.
Programs, ministries and people require your attention before something of greater concern demands your attention. And just as one thing is balanced, something else steps in to fill the void.
Ironically, many churches face this crisis of overload at the point when people are at their highest point of involvement.  Like the plate spinner, things come crashing down just as people are at their busiest.  When your staff and volunteers are working harder than ever, that’s when things crash.
Busyness is a burden for so many churches.
Maybe you already recognize you’re too busy.  Or maybe you’re in denial, thinking your ministry plate spinning is going just fine.
But either way, if you’re too busy there are some big time consequences.

• Consequence #1: Your volunteers will be spread too thin.  The nursery workers you need on Sunday might be serving on Sunday night. The high school students you have gathering for a second Bible study are your elementary volunteers. The men meeting for breakfast at 6am on Tuesday is your parking team at 8am on Sunday. It’s not that any of these things are bad things, but good things will keep your best people from serving at the more important things.
• Consequence #2: Your own sanity is at risk.  A busy church calendar leads to a busy life.  It quickly becomes too much to think about, too much to attend, and too little time for healthy relationships. If you’re too busy, running around from one program to another, you’re functioning in a way that’s not healthy for your mind, body or soul.
• Consequence #3: You settle for average. When you have a lot of ministries and programs, there’s the risk that all of them will be average and none of them will be excellent. Diverting resources from something that’s central to your strategy or deploying people in an area where they are not gifted is not good leadership. An opportunity is not an obligation.
• Consequence #4: Messages get mixed, which means people do NOTHING. If you have too much to talk about in this weekend’s announcements, that’s not a Sunday service problem. That’s a church problem. If your handout has ten ways to get connected and seven opportunities to learn more and three next steps, that’s not offering something for everything – that’s trying to be all things to all people. Which rarely works.  If you try to communicate “five important things to know,” people hear ZERO things.
• Consequence #5: You can’t help but equate activity with effectiveness.  If your church calendar is crowded with opportunities for people to do stuff, you can ironically communicate that the Christian life is about church-activity.  People can get so busy DOING church that they have no time to BE the church.

If your church is struggling with busyness, the biggest temptation you face is to just do nothing.  Pastors say things like “We’re just in a busy season right now” or talk about what they will do “when things calm down.”
But come on…there might be a short reprieve in the schedule, but the busy season is a myth. The busyness isn’t because of a season; it’s the result of intentional or unintentional decisions.
#1 – Make a commitment to simplify.
When Steve Jobs famously returned to Apple in 1997, one of his first goals was to streamline the overcomplicated product lineup.  He realized all of the products in the pipeline weren’t necessary and cut it by 70%.
“Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do,” Jobs said.  So he cut the product line down to just four key things.  In retrospect, it was a brilliant move, but at the time, it affected people’s products and people’s jobs.
The result was a company a quarter away from bankruptcy becoming a company with a $300 Million profit.
There are dozens of stories like this.  New leaders step into new roles and create focus by subtracting, not adding.  Whether it’s a major corporations, a small business, a non-profit, or a  church, when new leaders step in, they usually trim first.
If a new leader would make the decision, why not lead the discussion NOW?
This is not the easy road, because everything you think about cutting was created on purpose and likely has a passionate following.  What looks like a bad idea now was a great idea in the past, with a passionate person committed to lead.
Take a look at all of your programs and ministry and ask which ones are really driving growth.  Evaluate them based on effectiveness against the stated purpose, not whether or not someone “likes” them or if people simply show up.
#2 – Put your best resources on your biggest opportunities.
If you were to list all the programs, ministries and events in your church, and then had to circle the five non-negotiable that would radically alter your DNA if they went away, you’d end up with a list of what we call “Keystone Ministries.”
These ministries are the growth drivers in your church.  They are the programs that attract new people. They are the ministries that help the most people grow in their faith.  They are core, and if they went away, your church would be fundamentally different.
They are more important than the other ministries and programs.
It sounds weird, or even mean, to say that one ministry is more important than another, but it’s true.
Even now, you know there are programs and ministries in your church that don’t matter that much. If they went away, a few people might ask questions, but your fundamental ministry would not be changed.  Your community would not notice.
So instead of spreading your focus equally among things that work and things that don’t work, zoom in on what does work.
Give those keystone ministries and unfair advantage.

• Stop announcing the random, one-off things that don’t really help you accomplish your mission, and get serious about telling stories about the core.
• Stop asking volunteers to serve in areas that are off-mission (just because they exist and need people to function), and put your best people on your biggest opportunities.
• Stop wasting money on ministries that used to work and deploy more financial resources on the keystone ministries.

Give the things that are more important an unfair amount of time, money, and people. Instead of scattering your focus, zoom in on the core.
#3 – Shut down the non-core.
As you focus more resources, more people, and more communication on what matters most, you’ll have to pull that focus from somewhere.
You can’t manufacture more…you have to redeploy the resources you already have.  There isn’t a list of amazing people waiting to serve or a secret bank account with extra funds…you’re going to have to get the people and money from existing things.
This is a stewardship moment, a chance to put your best resources on your biggest opportunities.
The temptation is to say, “This small thing over here…it’s not really costing anything…it’s not a big time commitment or a big expense…let’s just leave it alone.”
That’s certainly an option.
But those little things that don’t take much time or money really do add up.  They are costing you more than you realize.
I’ve talked to pastors who insist sideways things aren’t the issue, but still devote hours every month to trouble-shooting and discussing.  Those are hours that could be used on mission critical endeavors.  And by allowing off-focus things to continue, you signal to your leaders and congregation that your mission and strategy is up for grabs.
Stopping programs and ministries that are not on-mission might seem like a dramatic solution to the busyness of your church, but it might be the only thing that makes a measurable difference.
It’s likely you’ll need someone to talk you through some of this.  That’s where your Church Fuel coach (available to all members at no extra cost) can be a tremendous resource.
You need to talk to someone who isn’t emotionally connected to your church…someone who knows your strategy but not all of your people…someone who can give you Biblical and practical advice on how to proceed.
You can connect with any of our coaches as soon as you sign up for Church Fuel.
I was talking with a pastor friend here in Atlanta and I asked him what his church did better than all the others in the area. He answered quick: Serve the down and out. That’s what we do and that’s who we are.
People who come to our church who share this value find a home and a mission and a purpose. If you aren’t into those things, you’re probably not going to stick. Doesn’t mean you’re a bad person, but it means we’re not a good fit.
As we’ve coached hundreds of pastors, we’ve seen this to be true with growing churches. They don’t have it all together. They might not run like the well-oiled machine you think they are.
They don’t do everything great.
But they do one or two things really well. They don’t dabble…they focus. In some cases, they intentionally choose to do some things poorly, or even not at all, so they can put the focus on what they do best.
I hope this takes some of the weight off your shoulders. You personally don’t have to be great at everything. And your church doesn’t have to be great at everything.
There’s something in your church that deserves an UNFAIR amount of people and resources. See, fairness will get you into trouble. Dividing up the pie so every program and ministry gets the same amount of energy is a huge mistake.
It’s like trying to spread a little bit of peanut butter and trying to cover a slice of bread. You don’t have that much peanut butter in the first place and you try to make it go a long way. That program gets a little bit of money. This ministry gets a few volunteers. You’re spreading out resources trying to be fair and trying to keep everyone happy.
It doesn’t work.
When you look at the things God is likely to use to grow your church, that’s where you need to focus your resources. You need to put an unreasonable amount of energy into your kingdom concept.
Pouring money and people into things just because other churches are doing it isn’t the right way to grow your church. It’s the way to be stressed. And broke.
What ministry in your church needs an unreasonable amount of resources? Maybe you’re like my pastor friend and want to stake your claim on serving the community. Maybe you’re in a young family area and need to invest heavily into children’s ministry. When you figure out your kingdom concept, don’t try to fit it in…double down on it.
When you join Church Fuel and build your Two Page Plan, you’ll identify your top five keystone ministries.
You don’t have to treat all your ministries and programs the same.  In fact, that’s bad leadership.

# 7 – Focus on engagement, not just attendance

“If you want your church to grow, stop trying to attract people and start trying to engage people.” – Carey Nieuwhof

Over the last few years, there’s been a significant downward trend in church attendance.  People are attending church less often.
This decline in church attendance isn’t just because the rise of the nones (those who claim no religious affiliation.  Even those who say faith is an important part of their life are attending less and less.  People who are committed to your church are physically in the building less often than in previous decades.
Whether the value perception is lower or people are busier (or a combination of the two), pastors and church leaders must face this new reality.
There are things you can to do increase attendance, but perhaps a better path might be to not just focus on physical attendance but overall engagement.
Carey Nieuwhof, quoted above, says that while, in the past, attendance has been the first step to engagement, in the future it is engagement that will drive attendance.
The distinction here is important, and it’s similar to discipleship models that have worked throughout Christian history, going back to the time of Christ.
Jesus didn’t try to get everyone to attend, he focused on engaging the 12.  He understood that a small group of committed followers would accomplish more than a large group of midly interested observers.
In your church, engagement might take a variety of forms.

• It could be volunteering.
• It could mean connecting in a small group.
• It could be stepping into leadership.
• It might bean giving on a regular basis.

No matter how you define “engaged” it’s important to highlight these next steps and make the obvious in your church.  Attendance alone shouldn’t be the barometer for growth. Instead, take a look at how people are actually engaging.
Northpoint Community Church in Atlanta spent some time developing a model and looking at these numbers, specifically around three key actions they challenge people to take (give, serve, be in a group).
54% of people that did one of the three activities were attending 1 year later.
97% of people that did two of the three were involved a year later.
That’s a significant difference.
These numbers show that engagement can drive attendance, not just the other way around.  Yes, your church should have a strategy to get new people to start attending.  But growth is just as likely to occur as you create intentional pathways for people to get connected and stay engaged.
People are more satisfied with their church experience when they are contributing rather than simply consuming.
That’s why focusing on engagement, not just attendance, can be a driver of growth.

When People Don’t Want the Church to Grow

There’s this little BBQ joint near me.
It’s a hole-in-the-wall place, frequented by locals and regulars who know a thing or two about low-and-slow BBQ.
The food is amazing.
The service is fast.
Even the sweet tea tastes better. And a big part of me absolutely, positively wants NOBODY else to know about it. Because if more and more people start going there, it will probably change.
They might change the menu to accommodate different tastes. Or I might have to park farther away or wait longer for a table. This place is great because it’s not crowded. And if other people discovered the greatness, I might stop going.
That’s exactly how some people view your church.
They like the preaching, the music, the people, and their favorite seat.
They like it the way it is, and if crowds of new people starting showing up, it would change.
See, while leaders love progress, most people like stability.
A large group of people in your church like their church the way it is right now. They don’t really want it to grow.
They are proud members of the ninety-nine, not vocally upset that you are going after the 1, but quietly saying, “What about me?” The ninety-nine resist change, hoping all that vision-casting and forward-thinking wears off soon.
The ninety-nine share their preferences and expect the church to cater to them. After all, they pay the bills; they fill the seats. That seat is squarely in the status quo, not opposed to reaching people with the Gospel, but not actively pursuing what will disrupt their lives.
So what do you do when you know your church needs to change but the people in the church resist that change?  What do you do when you believe the church should grow but the people in the church resist growth?
Here are six thoughts to consider.

#1 – Choose to be positive.

We all carefully construct the world around us to suit our preferences and desires. Both Millennials and Boomers like things the way they like them. Anytime something pushes up against our preferences and expectations, we push back.
Growth is hard, because change is hard. And the very thing you want to change FROM is the thing someone fought FOR in the past.
Choose to believe people resisting growth are not against people, against the Gospel, against the church, or against you.
They just like things the way they are.
Positivity in the face of resistance is hard, but a message of hope is best delivered with patience. 

#2 – Be a pastor and a prophet.

Leading your church to growth will require courageous conversations and courageous decisions.
You know that.
You already feel that.
But depending on your personality, you’ll default to one of two positions.
The prophet points to the future. The pastor looks to the people.
If your church is going to grow (and grow healthy), you need both of these voices of leadership. Your people need to hear the voice of the prophet, clearly articulating the WHY behind the mission and the vision of where your church is going.
But if your church is resisting change, they may need a pastor to help guide and shepherd them through transition.  This kind of immense patience isn’t always easy for a visionary leader.
You need to continually cast vision and clarify the current mission, but do it with the heart of a pastor. 

#3 – Build a coalition.

I’m not saying this should be the case or that it’s the best model for leadership, I’m just calling out what exists in reality.
Every church has power brokers.
It could be people in official leadership roles or it could be influential or long-time members.
But if you want to move your church in any given direction, there are people you need to get on your side. They need to believe in you, not just the cause. They need to know the details, have a say in the decision, and know their part in the process.

• If you want to start a second service, you need influential representatives from every ministry involved in the decision.
• If you are changing the org chart or the structure of the church, you need influential leaders with relational equity to “sell” the change to people who have reservations.
• If you are making a bold move that will disrupt the status quo, you need strong leaders who will stand with you and say “this is our decision.’”

A lot of church growth initiatives fail because there was not enough private buy in before there was a public campaign.
The bigger the change you’re trying to make, the more people and the more time you need.

#4 – Talk about what is NOT changing.

The Church has been around for more than 2,000 years and has gone through many cultural changes. But through all of that, the Great Commission and the Great Commandant have remained the north star.
In the midst of your vision casting, remind people what is NOT changing. Reassure people some things will stay the same forever.
No matter what kind of change is needed in your church, remind people the Gospel will never change.
Your tactics will come and go, but your purpose will stay the same.
Your programs may change with the times, but your mission takes precedence.
Reminding people what will never change will comfort those who are worried about “losing their church.”

#5 – Get outside help.

Once a quarter, I participate in a strategy meeting for a local non-profit. It’s an all-day meeting focused on reviewing the mission, setting quarterly goals, and breaking those goals into measurable (and accountable) tasks.
The executive team of the nonprofit participate in the meeting. But they bring in an outside facilitator to run the agenda. To be fair, this facilitator touches base in between meetings and runs those meetings according to a system.
Even though there are people qualified to run the show, and the agenda is the same nearly every time, they have an outside facilitator each time.
It’s not free.
It’s actually a sizeable investment.
But as a participant in this meeting, I can honestly say it’s worth every penny.  A highly engaged, but unemotionally invested outsider can bring perspective to an organization that you will never get otherwise.
Despite the expense, if you want to lead your church through a growth barrier, get some outside perspective.

#6 – Draw a line in the sand.

It’s important to believe the best about people.
It’s vital you act with patience, like a loving shepherd who cares about people.
It’s important to get the right people on your side, including strategic advisors with an outside perspective.
With all that said, there will still come a time when you have to make a decision.
At some point, you have to stop talking and start doing.
It might be time to make a decision and live with the consequences.
If you want to dive more into this growth mindset, check out The Senior Pastor's Guide to Breaking Barriers. 
Not everybody in your church wants it to grow.
But that’s not a barrier to stop you; it’s an obstacle to overcome. It’s an opportunity to stewardship the leadership God has given you.
Get some people around you to encourage you to keep going and to give you good advice along the way, but don’t give up.