It’s easy to buy into myths. After all, you hear them all the time and they probably started with a grain of truth. However, when church myths start holding your church back, it’s time to separate fact from fiction.
Every myth you hear isn’t true and those lies can do lasting harm to your church if you’re not careful. Once you let go of the falsehoods, you might just discover your church is better than it ever was.
1. Big Churches Are A Bad Thing
There’s a myth floating around that big churches are automatically bad. In fact, these mega-churches come with a slew of myths all on their own. A common myth is that church means a small, tight community. However, large churches can still have a tight-knit community. While some big churches fit the myths, many don’t. If you have a big church, ignore the myths and work to show everyone that the common church myths are false.
2. Following Success Stories Won’t Work
Sadly, it’s common to think that what works in one church won’t work for you. If that myth applied to every aspect of life, it would be hard for any real advances to be made. For instance, look at the success of PDAs in the late 90s and early 2000s. If Apple hadn’t imitated and built upon that success, the iPhone would never have existed.
Don’t discount a successful church without looking into what they’ve done and how. What worked for them could very well be what helps your church to grow.
3. Technology Isn’t Effective For Church
This is one of the common church myths and one that often keeps churches from attracting younger members. Technology doesn’t hurt the church – it helps. When done right, it improves communication, attracts more members and even helps those who can’t attend further learn about their faith. Ignoring technology could cause members to move on to other churches.
4. Members Simply Don’t Give Anymore
It’s not that members don’t tithe anymore, but they don’t tithe as much or as often. Lack of regular attendance and tithing options are usually to blame for this church myth. With 49% of giving coming from credit cards or electronic means, it’s important to offer an alternate way for members to give outside of cash or check.
Another problem is members want to understand where their money goes. They want to know they’re helping the community. If you question your members, you might find that many donate to various charities versus tithing. Many are not sure if they see the practice of tithing in the bible. The key is to talk to your members to find out their preferences and needs.
5. A Newer Church Building Makes All The Difference
There’s a reason there are so many churches with only a handful of members or just abandoned completely. This is one of the more harmful church myths – building a new church will make all the difference. It’s simply just not true. If your church is too small for your church family or needs extensive repairs, a new church is a great idea.
Building newer or bigger churches for the sake of attracting members isn’t going to work if you’re already struggling with attendance. Instead, focus on better marketing or look into ways to improve your existing church to attract new members.
6. Thinking Big Or Small
For some reason, there’s a battle between big churches and small churches. If a church is too big, they must not focus on God’s word. If a church is small, they must not know how to attract and keep members. Neither statement is true. Yet, small and big churches struggle because of these myths. Church isn’t about how big or small the building or number of members is.
It’s about effectively bringing together the community and working to help members understand their faith and inspiring them through their struggles. Size doesn’t matter – the love and community within the church is what truly matters.
Ready to step away from these church myths? Start by embracing technology. See how REACHRIGHT can help you reach more members with your own website today.
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