Growing Attendance Through Events
Hours and hours of planning by church leaders are spent every year creating strategies to grow attendance at weekly worship services. We want to grow God’s Kingdom. We want to see more people come to a personal relationship with Christ. We want to build relationships with as many people as possible and get to know them, their family members, and the issues they are facing in life.
But first? We have to get them in the doors of the church.
How can we do that?
Hosting fun, engaging, and enjoyable events can be a great way to draw crowds of people to the church in ways that will make them feel comfortable on the church property and give church leaders and church members a way to build relationships and get to know them personally. Eventually, some of those people will be enfolded naturally into the church as weekly worship service attendees. It becomes a church growth strategy that is both personal and practical.
Here are some great attendance-building church event ideas for you to try right away:
Holiday Events: The most effortless and natural time for people to go to church is during the holidays. Making Christmas and Easter significant events where you invite as many people as possible can be a first step to growing your permanent attendance once the holidays are over. Beyond those two major holidays, Mother’s Day can be another one when people will happily attend church with their family. The whole month of September, although busy with back-to-school events, can also be a great time to invite people to church as they start the school year afresh. Creating special events at the church for people of all ages and from all walks of life will draw people into the church, help them feel welcome, and encourage them to continue coming.
Ministry Fairs: People visiting your church will want to know what your church has to offer for them. Holding regular ministry fairs after church services can help people learn what goes on at your church and what you can do to help them with the most significant issues in their lives. Set up displays with creative, detailed, and crowd-drawing information about every ministry in the church that will help newcomers learn all they can about what’s available for them and their family members. When people know there are good ministries, activities, and programs available for them that will offer them meaningful solutions to life’s problems, they will want to permanently attend the church for the long haul. Offer them what they need and hold ministry fairs to advertise clearly what’s available for them.
Small Groups: People value personal connection. It can be an outstanding goal for church leaders to get to know every newcomer personally. However, that may not be a realistic goal, especially in a rapidly growing church. Therefore, a great alternative is to get newcomers into a Small Groups Ministry as soon as possible after visiting the church. Loving, compassionate, welcoming small group leaders can enfold visitors into their small groups. People want to feel valued. They want to be seen, heard, and understood. Getting newcomers into small groups can help them feel valued right away. Hold Small Group Orientations regularly to introduce visiting community members to the ins and outs of Small Groups Ministry. Once they feel welcomed and like part of the family, they will want to continue attending the church and getting involved in more programs. They may even want to volunteer and give of their time. Growing the church’s attendance may depend upon growing the church’s Small Group Ministry.
New Members Classes: People love permanency. They love to belong to something that will last. Therefore, as people visit your church, if they see classes for new members crowded with people, it will indicate to them that this church is a place where people feel comfortable and want to be. It won’t be long before visitors feel so welcome that they want to become regular attenders and, eventually, church members.
Growing attendance takes time and strategy. Church leaders who want to see weekly worship attendance grow must put an incredible amount of energy into planning events that will draw people in and building relationships that will keep people coming back time and time again.
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