10 Solutions for Growth Restricting Habits

By Franklin Dumond

While churches fail to grow for a number of reasons there are several habits that restrict growth.  Habits that restrict growth, unlike obstacles that restrict growth, can be broken or relearned without official action by the congregation.  That is to say that these habits are learned behaviors not required performance mandated in the bylaws.  Culture can be changed without a vote but new ways of thinking and acting take time to develop.Certain church habits can restrict the growth of your congregation.

I recently broke down 10 habits that can hold congregations back from reaching new people.  You can reread that article here.  Today, I will lay out some easy solutions to help change these patterns of behavior and open your church up to new growth.

  1. Seating patterns To encourage regular attenders to move forward from the back rows church leaders may:
    • rope off the back few pews. (Note: this doesn’t work too well since it is surprising how agile back row sitters are when it comes to jumping over those ropes!)
    • encourage new seating patterns on special days. The tried and true adage “Park in the back, sit in the front, move to the middle” often captures attention.
    • spend time explaining the importance of changing seating patterns. If someone is to give up a favored seat it will generally be because they see the larger vision of a room that looks comfortably full, space for new folks, etc. Make partners and allies rather than adversaries.
    • ask a few people to help by changing seats.
  2. Announcements   Announcements, if needed should NEVER be used at the beginning or middle of a worship service. Use them at the end of the service. Restrict them to those that apply to everyone and limit them to 60 seconds.
  3. Proofing Song lyrics and bulletin files that will be saved and reused must have scheduled times for proofing and correction. Enlist a team to help identify and write down needed changes.
  4. Guest Friendly Atmosphere If it is confusing or boring to the first time guest then it should not be said or done. Using a Mystery Worshipper approach might be necessary to gain a real insight into how things look to outsiders.
  5. Décor Most church décor should be simplified and include fewer flowers, ornaments, and pastels.  Those things tend to target women and make men feel like they may not belong in that congregation.
  6. Too many hats by too few people This may require limiting serving opportunities.  Your leadership may also need to consider that some things that have always be done can no longer be done effectively.
  7. Solo rather than team ministry Divide tasks into four parts and start sharing the load. Rotate tasks over the course of a month. Every member should be involved in ministry.
  8. Status Quo Intentionally choose what the church does. It’s okay to do what has always been done, if it is effective. It’s not okay to do something new just for newness’ sake if it will not be effective for your congregation or community.
  9. Dust, clutter, decay Spring Cleaning and Fall Workday can help cut down on the amount of clutter sitting around, as well as be an intentional effort to give the building a good cleaning..
  10. Loss of Celebration in Worship Start and end with the same praise chorus, making sure it is lively, singable and memorable.

What do you think? Have you noticed ways to help congregations change the habits that restrict growth?  Click ‘Leave a Comment’ at the top of this article to share your thoughts and experiences with us!

Turnaround Denominations Continued

A few weeks ago I discussed Turnaround Denominations, and I shared some thoughts about what is required to be one. The idea came from Thom Rainer’s 2010 book entitled, Breakout Churches.

I strongly believe that General Baptist churches who are plateaued or declining can become healthy and growing, but the objective of a Turnaround Denomination cannot be achieved in isolation by only a few churches. For an entire denomination to be turned around, more and more churches must take on the heart of Jesus. Seeing the world as Jesus does is the best thing any church can do. Dan Spader, in his 4 Chair Discipling book, points out that our God is a missionary God, and Jesus Christ is a missionary Savior.

We see this missionary concept in the Bible over and over again. When Jesus saw a multitude of people, he was moved with compassion.  In other words, he was overcome with concern for them because he realized they were lost and searching, like sheep without their shepherd. This is what having a heart for the lost looks like. We see a wonderful example of this in John 4 when Jesus went out of his way to have a conversation with a woman who was spiritually lost and living in an entire community that was spiritually lost. In this passage Jesus challenged his disciples to lift up their eyes. He was telling them, “Look around you. What do you see? Do you see the same lost, sin-sick, dying people that I see?”

If churches as well as entire denominations are going to turn around, members must develop the same heart for the lost Jesus had.  We must stop looking down at our own feet, for to do so can minimize our ability to navigate peripheral obstructions in our Christian journey.  Looking down teaches us to be consumed exclusively with how things affect us. Instead, we must look up and around, as Christ instructed his disciples, to see those who are lost and in need of a Savior. That means we must look at those within our immediate vicinity — to our family, friends, and co-workers – understanding that they may never take that step of faith unless someone first begins looking for them or seeking them out.

But Jesus not only said for his disciples to look around or lift up their eyes and see the lost, but to actually have a spiritual conversation with them. If we do not tell them about Jesus, how else can they hear?

Taking the initiative to lift up our eyes and see the lost and then tell the lost the story of Jesus must go hand-in-hand with the leading of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit will guide us to those we need to see and with whom we need to speak. If we fail to take on the heart of Christ, our churches will remain inward-focused, dying organizations, instead of churches that are vibrant and alive, with a passion for looking outward into our communities, spreading salt and projecting light into this world.  If enough people turn around, then churches will turn around.  If enough churches turn around, an entire denomination will turn around!

Be on the lookout for my next installment about becoming a Turnaround Denomination.

10 Growth Restricting Habits

By Franklin Dumond

While churches fail to grow for a number of reasons there are several habits that restrict growth. Habits that restrict growth, unlike obstacles that restrict growth, can be broken or relearned without official action by the congregation. That is to say that these habits are learned behaviors, not requirements mandated in the bylaws. Culture can be changed without a vote but new ways of thinking and acting take time to develop.Certain church habits can restrict the growth of your congregation.

Habits that often restrict growth include:

  1. Seating patterns. When the congregation huddles in the back one-third of the auditorium it not only emphasizes emptiness it also takes all the best seats that would often be preferred by visitors.
  2. Announcements. Need to be reduced or eliminated if a printed bulletin is being used. Announcements on the screen should run before and after worship not during. Verbal announcements should be limited to features that impact everyone. In a smaller church most information that cannot be written or projected can be transmitted by word of mouth. Announcements, if needed, should NEVER be used at the beginning or in the middle of a worship service.
  3. Proofing. The tendency these days to use projection systems and word processors that save files for future use introduces the need to be especially vigilant regarding errors. Errors in lyrics where words are misspelled or misused, or when stanzas do not match what is being sung, cannot be corrected just by saving the file for next time.
  4. Guest Friendly Atmosphere. Everything must be filtered through what a first time guest would expect/experience. If it is confusing or boring to the first time guest then it should not be said or done.
  5. Décor. Most church décor should be simplified and targeted more toward men with fewer flowers, ornaments, and pastels.
  6. Too many hats by too few people. Often willing volunteers are few and far between. Capable volunteers may then take on too many responsibilities, leaving them tired and frustrated while not providing a place for new folks to serve.
  7. Solo rather than team ministry. Capable volunteers forge ahead knowing it is easier to do it yourself. This results in solo ministry rather than team development and thus long term service by the same volunteers.
  8. Status Quo. Doing what we’ve always done out of habit (because we’ve always done it) rather than doing what we’ve always done because it works is a habit that restricts growth.
  9. Dust, clutter, decay. We get accustomed to dust, clutter, and decay but fresh eyes see it and often avoid return visits.
  10. Loss of Celebration in Worship. Where there is no celebration in worship a sense of duty and obligation makes growth unlikely.

In a follow-up post, I will suggest a few solutions for church leaders to use to change these habits.  (You can read those solutions here.)

What do you think? What habits have you noticed in congregations that restrict their growth potential?