5+ Ways You Can Help Your Church Grow Without Being the Pastor
5 Ways You Can Help Your Own Church Grow In Number and Spirit- Without Being the Pastor! Reasons why anyone and everyone should be doing at least these 5 things to help their church grow!
5 Ways You Can Help Your Church Grow Without Being the Pastor
We all love visitors! It is such a blessing to have visitors in the house of the Lord! But did you know that most people decide if they like a church or not within the first 8 minutes they arrive. Is that not a little bit crazy? What do visitors think of your church? Does your church do anything special to bring visitors into the church? And when visitors do decide to check out your church, do you do anything special to get them to come back? Whether you offer welcome packets through your local Chamber of Commerce to people that move to your area, have a radio program, door knocking, visitations, and various forms of outreach; you know it can be a lot of work reaching and inviting new people to your church. But, once they are at your church we are excited and hope they will return. Often, so many times I have heard, “That’s the pastor’s job!” Uh, no ma’am. You are the church too. Collectively, the church that is on fire for the Lord and thriving, is working together and lifting up the brethren, choosing to labor together, to lovingly build a desirable church, as a team!
Although it is amazing to have a beautiful fellowship hall, a nice auditorium, a baptistry and so on, please remember that they’re not required for God to do amazing things in your church. Within the church building itself, I have seen most decisions and commitments made on the cold, tiled bathroom floors of the ladies room. (Besides the altar) Revival is not contained or dependent on circumstances. After all, it is of God if it is true revival. A work of God pouring over from the heart. As it begins in the heart and spills over unto every area of our lives, it touches and reaches those within its platform near and far. God’s work is beautiful and divine. So, if you truly want to see your church grow in number and spiritually, let it begin with you. Smother it in prayer. Repeat. Be real and let God use you to grow your church. Have revival in your heart today.
As you may have said or at least heard, if you want a loving church, then be more loving. If you want a Godly church, then be more Godly. And so on. It starts in the heart, enters the home, sits in the pew and becomes the physical body of the church. That is the church, God’s people. Although the pastor leads and shepherds His people, he is just bringing them their needs (if he is doing his job). It is up to you and I in the pews, to be whom God called us to be, as the church. God is so good! He has work for you to do. Let us get to it ladies! Here are 5+ Ways You Can Help Grow Your Church: (Even when you are NOT the Pastor.)
5+ Ways You Can Help Your Church Grow Without Being the Pastor
1. Meet Your Visitors
As simple as this sounds, we all know things can be chaotic prior to services. If you church shifts rooms for Sunday School classes or as you drop your children off for nursery, sometimes you can get a glance at a new face walking through the front door. Yet, so many times a visitor sneaks in midst transition and gets lost. Your church size obviously influences this. But, even in the smallest churches people have came in under the radar and left before anyone has caught a name. So the goal is to get to your visitors and meet them. Introduce yourself, your family, invite them out for lunch after church, be real and do whatever seems appropriate. It is an honor to meet brothers and sisters in the Lord visiting your church. And although it does not happen often, the opportunity to meet other church families and their pastor’s family serving is a blessing to visit as well.
You are an asset to the church and as you meet, greet and be real to your visitors you help grow the church in number and your church spiritually. You make a difference, thank you!
5+ Ways You Can Help Your Church Grow Without Being the Pastor
2. Check in with Prayer Requests, Past Visitors, and Family
You can also help grow your church by checking in with previous visitors, prayer requests, and families already acknowledged or being prayer for by the church. A simple call, text, visit and/or check in with your church family, their families and your visitors. People know when you truly care and want their life to be blessed. That’s the awesome thing about serving our amazing God, you get the privilege to witness God in the lives around you. Serving, you are apart of peoples seasons of rejoicing, trials and sorrow. Through highs and lows, you help your church spiritually grow by loving like Christ. When we want a loving, God fearing and honoring church; we start with ourselves.
5+ Ways You Can Help Your Church Grow Without Being the Pastor
3. Get to Know Your People and Their Families
Everyone knows somebody who needs to be in church. Get to know the amazing, uniquely designed people that God has placed in your church. Seek their needs, and their families needs and rejoicings. Reach out. Be apart of your church family’s lives. Bathe your church family and their families in prayer like you do for your family.
5+ Ways You Can Help Your Church Grow Without Being the Pastor
4. Bring Treats For Sunday School, Fellowship and/or Kid’s sack lunches for after church.
Make some treats, buy a couple boxes of donuts, put a couple packs of cookies next to the coffee pot, pack a handful of sack lunches, or whatever else you’d like. You will be a blessing to your church and the recipients. Food is wonderful. If you are worried about homemade vs. store bought, just purchase treats to be safe. Or like many of our ladies, they will make a bunch of treats and have a “purchased” option for those that want to cut back on germs or have food safety concerns. However, every week the homemade treats are gone first. If you have a church that does not like the extra mess or is not as relaxed, speak to your pastor. Bring individual wrapped treats for the Sunday School classes or small candies that are individually wrapped.
5+ Ways You Can Help Your Church Grow Without Being the Pastor
5. Help With Children’s Church, Nursery and/or Kids Program
Last, but not least, another great way to help your church grow is to volunteer. Every church is different on how Sunday School teachers, nursery workers and ministry helpers are selected. However, I know one thing that every church desires, more volunteers. Whether it is extra eyes outside while the children are playing, a helper in the class or another nursery worker in the rotation. You are needed.
A great way to grow your church is to have things available for the children. Even in the smallest churches we have attended. Sunday School, a nursery, and a children’s room were found in every church. One church in particular was a small barn. Sunday School class and nursery were outside in a play pen area when the weather was nice, and in the back pew on poor days. Church attendance flourished when many children began to come regularly, and get picked up in the vans. Before long, another smaller shed in a fenced off area was made available during services. Within 6 months the church start was busting at the seams. Beautiful. Today the church has a beautiful property, new building laid out wonderfully and still growing. I love how God works, don’t you?
You can help grow your church by just lending a hand where needed. Your faith and walk with God will spill over onto the people you serve alongside. Real, transparent love in action will help your church grow spiritually and in number.
Other Ways: More Than 5 Ways You Can Help Your Church Grow Without Being the Pastor
Go door knocking. In every single church we have ever served in, there has been some sort of invitation time. A time when we would spend our morning or afternoon checking in on folks that are home-bound, have been out of church for any length of time, cards we received from other members of the church or families/ folks we knew that we wanted to see in church. However, when those were completed we always spent our extra time inviting households we have never met before. It’s a great way to get to know the neighbors in the church and your community, to invite new faces to church and serve the needs of your community better.
Mailings.