6 Good Ideas for Shrinking Churches
Riding the Hope of Easter Monday
The two Easter services - a traditional Easter Cantata and a modern worship service - both enjoyed good attendance. The two churches,1 sharing a building, found Easter a true celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
It might be enough to convince us that our churches are not still shrinking. Denominational statistics say differently. The Presbyterian Church (USA) has lost 342,000 members between 2016 and 2022. The denomination also saw 747 churches close in that period.
Easter Monday is a great day to take the hope we receive from the good news of Resurrection Power and translate it into 8 Good Ideas for Shrinking Churches.
1. Invite People to Eat
This is both easy to write and difficult to do. It is difficult for most people to invite people to church. Worship services are often not the best first impression of a church. Meals work much better.
Invite people to church home groups that begin with a meal. Invite people to the Young Adult Group that meets every Wednesday with a takeout dinner. Food breaks down barriers.
2. Invite People to Worship - Give a Clear Description
Even with #1 above sometimes God calls us to invite people directly to join Sunday worship. When you do give a clear description covering:
What most people wear and what you plan to wear
When you plan to arrive - 10 minutes early to meet them in the lobby or by a particular door to walk in with them or somewhere in the sanctuary but you’ll text the location
How long do the services tend to be and what kind of music
If anything special is happening - communion, baptism, stewardship lesson
If communion is ahead make sure you are clear if they can participate and how it works in your congregation.
Options for their kids
Anything useful to know about the sermon (I often give a prompt for the Elementary school/mid-highs to listen for during the message. Yesterday it was to count the word “graveclothes” and to listen for 3 animals’ names.)2
3. Figure Out How You Feel About Change
Shrinking churches can be comfortable just as they are. The members don’t want to change. They like everything just the way it is.
At one growing church the Board had to push against the following complaints about all the new people (these are all real member complaints):
Someone is sitting where my husband and I always sat. That’s our place.
They should be here at least 2 years before they can join a committee.
They must be Deacons before they can be on the Board.
The wear and tear on the carpet is just awful.3
I’m on the board I shouldn’t have to park at the back of the parking lot.
The band is too loud.4
How come I wasn’t consulted?5
4. Sanctuaries Can Be Updated
Many Sanctuaries feel dated, and look like they haven’t changed since 1975. The church board wants to renovate the chancel/front of the sanctuary. The critics all want the old to stay. This is where I married my wife, my children were baptized in that font - this is MY church.
Or, this is God’s church and we can update it to give it a fresh feel. We can hold onto the memory and look forward to new weddings and more baptisms. We can thank the donors of the pulpit, table, and baptism font; we will then update for vitality.
Honor the giver, AND update the sanctuary.
5. Make Your Congregation Visible to the Community
Most people have no idea your church exists. They don’t. Modern life moves too fast. Find local civic events where your congregation can serve as volunteers.
Here in Ann Arbor, a group from the church can volunteer every (insert day of the week) at the community’s Ann Arbor Summer Festival (June 14-30, 2024). As volunteers, we can wear the same church logo polo or a special church pin serving our community.
Or we could schedule a day at a summer pool or local ice rink where we go en mass for fun. Don’t rent the place out (different event) instead engage with the other people present. This way we meet our neighbors. And we represent the church positively.
6. Partner with Another Congregation
Two shrinking congregations may be able to do bigger projects together.
In 2018-2019, as an interim pastor, we partnered with another Medium church to offer joint mission trips. One year we did flood rebuilding in Houston and the other we painted a mall church in Charlotte, NC. The congregations raised all the money to pay for the paint.
Find another congregation that is willing to work together. Then pick a project together. Focus on the work. Together we can do bigger projects. And we get to form a stronger community of congregations.
In Summary
When God rolled the stone away during the resurrection of Jesus, God showed the world that miracles do happen. Changing a shrinking church to a growing one will require a miracle. But if you are willing…we know God is willing.
Friends, stop doing what doesn’t work and try new ideas. Give a couple of these a try and see what happens. Maybe this summer your church will transform into something new.
The church where I am the interim pastor rents space from the traditionally worshipping congregation in their building. It is a great partnership.
Platypus, wolverine, wombat, and cow were referenced in the Easter message. I did end up cutting the cow joke. What did the cow say to the platypus about God’s creativity in the world? “Moo.”
A solution here is to rent the rubber bottom, carpet entry mats at all entrances. The company then swaps them for fresh ones every month or 2.
We did a sound volume check in a six-month period. The loudest services were the organ at weddings.
This is the most common complaint heard in growing churches as core members discover that by giving committees goals those committees can make decisions that don’t have to be cleared by the board. Growth often stems from a divesting of power by the board. As a church grows people may cling to power.