We used to be to gain new members from tranfsers. No more. Today we need to develop stickiness in our churches.Dr. Stan Granberg suggests doing this by addressing 3 deeply felt needs.
The enduring issue that continues to curse many churches is not a lack of resources, not a lack of strategies, not a lack of programs, but a lack of Leadership.
In the first half of 2023 Heritage 21 has had over 30 churches contact us with questions about the status of their congregation, asking for help to review and update their legal documents, or they have already stopped meeting or have decided to close and are seeking advice and expertise in accomplishing that closing in a good fashion. This story is about one of those churches.
About 5 years ago, a group of us at the San Leandro Church of Christ became quite concerned about the steady decline in attendance our church had experienced over the past two decades. The Granbergs helped us realize that we were in the “life support” stage of church life (the last stage before death), and that we would need to do some serious redevelopment if we wanted to survive and grow. We were challenged to reevaluate everything our church was doing and be open to new ways of reaching out.
We used to use our Bible school classes to bring the Word of God into the lives of people. People still need those foundational Bible activities and ideas in their lives. The question is how do we do this in a fast-paced world?
It is critically important that we learn how to deal with life’s disappointments. Paul Faulkner observed, “To make things right when they go wrong in your life, you must rebuild by carefully replacing one stone of your life upon another, one day at a time.”
Involvement and engagement are not the same. Engagement runs much deeper and focuses on completing a mission.
Have you ever heard a sermon on retirement or saving for retirement? Me neither. Retirement security is now a luxury for the privileged few within the DIY retirement crisis. Experts on retirement savings state that what is needed are better products, not better financial education.
Each quarter Tony Morgan, director of the Unstuck Group, publishes a report on the state of church health among churches with which they connect. I see
What do you think and how do you feel about this question: should your church plan to grow? I believe it is both right and good for churches to plan to grow. Here is one way to begin.
