Every church wants to increase church attendance! Growth in the church ultimately means growth for the Kingdom of God. Of course, numbers aren’t everything, but they are a sign of a healthy church that takes care of its members.
From worship attendance to engaging with the community of youth in your area, there are so many areas to increase church attendance. We’ve highlighted a few ways to get your church started, as well as how to best use the Google Ad Grant!
Estimated reading time: 13 minutes
Table of contents
- How to Increase Church Attendance
- 1. Google Ad Grant
- 2. Build a Supportive Community
- 3. Make Your Mission Statement Clear
- 4. Encourage Church Membership
- 5. Make it easy to get involved
- 6. Make your church visible and attractive
- 7. Maintain Strong Community Relationships
- 8. Create Engaging Youth Programs
- 9. Targeted and Personalized Communication
- 10. Partner with Neighboring Churches
- 11. Use Social Media to Promote Your Church
- Increase Attendance Today
- More Resources on Church Attendance
How to Increase Church Attendance
Church growth means you’re looking to show even more people the benefits of fellowshipping with you; your congregation has found a community that supports their faith, and you want more people to benefit from that.
Maintaining this perspective can go a long way when implementing plans to have more people attend church. Attendance growth today must be highly intentional. While obedience to the Great Commission has never been an option, we must be more diligent than ever to encourage attendance. We no longer can count on people just showing up at our churches.
Church leaders understand the importance of nurturing a strong, growing community of believers and the sacrifices, labor, and toil it requires. That is why the challenges of attracting new members while retaining existing ones can feel overwhelming.
The health and vitality of your church depend on the strength of relationships within the community, and it often comes back to giving people reasons to stay within that community. The solution often involves identifying strategies leaders can use to reach new members and show them the beauty of their community while also helping current members grow within the family.
1. Google Ad Grant
Google gives roughly $10,000 each month to churches who sign up for Google Ad Grants. Hundreds of churches, ministries and nonprofit organizations have signed up for this service. And the best thing is that every church that is a registered non-profit qualifies. We will even submit the application for the Google Ad Grants program for you to make sure you get the grant
Once you are approved for Google Ad Grants, you can immediately start running your ads. For most churches, managing a Google ads account can be a daunting task. Google Adwords is a complicated system to get the hang of, and you are competing against professional advertisers across the world. The average church only finds a way to spend about $50 of their free Google ads each month on their own. That’s $9,950 of unspent ad dollars!
At REACHRIGHT we have a team made up of Google-certified AdWords experts and pastors of local churches who know two things… Search Engines and Churches. We help churches get the most out of their Google Ad Grant and produce results that actually matter to churches. You can go it alone, or you can let the Pros at REACHRIGHT get your church the most bang for Google’s bucks!
2. Build a Supportive Community
A strong, supportive church community is often the cornerstone of church growth and the reason why many people love to come back. When people feel valued and seen, they are more likely to stay and invite others.
So, a good place to start is fostering genuine relationships with young adults within your congregation. Encourage small group activities where existing members and young families can connect on a personal level. These groups can be based on interests, life stages, or specific ministry areas.
Additionally, consider implementing a mentorship program where seasoned members guide newcomers, helping them integrate into the church family. This not only encourages more people to join the community and worship experience but can also ensure that everyone feels included and valued.
3. Make Your Mission Statement Clear
A church that knows its identity is attractive to new members, and a strong, clear mission statement is the best way to show your congregation who you are.
There are a few things to keep in mind as you write your mission statement (or edit it, if you already have one):
- Stick to what makes you unique. Do you have an active missions department that organizes trips and outreach opportunities? Does your church do volunteer work in the local community? Mention these things in your statement.
- Be specific in your wording. Avoid vague words and phrases like “committed to our faith,” “Godly lifestyle,” and so on. These things will be evident to your church members.
- If it’s not in your name already, note your church’s denomination (or lack thereof), along with any doctrines and values your church emphasizes.
Once you’ve written your mission statement, put it anywhere your current and potential members can see it. Your website is a great place to start, but also add it to your social media, your signs outside, any posters you put up around town, pamphlets you give out when your congregation volunteers or goes on a mission trip, and so on.
4. Encourage Church Membership
It sounds obvious, but encouraging people to attend church could actually get them to come. Often, the key is to highlight the benefits that await members – a sense of belonging and responsibility towards the church community.
Your church could also host regular membership classes where prospective members can learn about the mission statement, values, and various ways they can contribute.
It’s important to share the benefits of memberships in a way that prospects can resonate with, such as enjoying a sense of belonging within the community, tapping into and improving their spiritual experience or simply being part of local events.
Church membership doesn’t have to be a “contract” that people sign. It can simply be an invitation to have a place to belong!
5. Make it easy to get involved
Attending church is the simplest way to belong. But there are many other ways to appeal to potential members as well as current members and grow your church attendance.
This can include volunteer opportunities, ministry groups, scripture study, social events additional worship service or concerts. Another idea that many churches use is an onboarding process that guides newcomers from their first visit to active involvement. This might include:
- A welcome team
- Follow-up communications
- Introductory meetings with ministry leaders
- Overview of volunteer opportunities
Ensure that there are diverse opportunities available so that everyone can find something that suits their interests and talents. Following up with people who really want to get involved is the most important thing you can do!
6. Make your church visible and attractive
This may seem like common sense, but making sure your church is well-designed is a huge draw. Of course, this takes time and often money. If people don’t know where your church is, or can’t see it behind unkempt shrubs, then they won’t come inside.
Here are a few simple ideas that can help with your church’s appearance:
- Purchase permanent roadside directional signs to point the way to your building. If your building is not on the main highway, install a prominent sign on the highway.
- Purchase temporary yard signs to put out for a few days and then remove. They catch the eye and are relatively inexpensive. They should be very simple with little wording, such as: “Worship 10 a.m. Sunday Services. You’re Invited.” “Easter Sunday 11 a.m. You’re Invited.”
- Don’t hide your cars. If there is parking in front of the building, use it. Cars in the parking lot lets the community know that something important is happening at your church.
- Make a good first impression through the appearance of your building and landscaping. A well cared for exterior lets guests know that you are expecting company.
- Clearly indicate the main entry to your building so that worship guests can find it easily.
- Reserve the best parking spaces for guests. The pastor, staff, and church officers should park on the edge of the parking lot, leaving the best spaces for others.
- Make the nursery the nicest room in the church to attract and keep families with young children. It should be clean and well equipped, in an easy-to-find location close to the worship space, and staffed with adults. As your church grows, you will need pagers, check in and check out procedures, and nursery staff wearing uniforms with a photo ID.
7. Maintain Strong Community Relationships
The larger an organization grows, the easier things can slip through the cracks. In a church where a cohesive community is a big part of why people stay, it is important to maintain that strong community; otherwise, people will start to feel left out.
This is why fostering supportive church groups is part of the mission statement of many churches. Some steps to consider include:
- Create smaller groups: Here, members can look out for each other and easily find someone to talk to.
- Offer regular member check-ins: Church leaders or volunteers can regularly check in with members, especially people at risk of feeling isolated or those going through hard times. Offering the opportunity to discuss problems or issues can be one of the strongest opportunities to build a strong church community.
- Implement a buddy system: The buddy system is an even smaller and more focused version of small groups. Pair new members with established ones, ensuring that they always feel a personal connection to the church from the start.
- Ask for feedback: Asking members for feedback about their experiences can also reveal room for improvement.
- Community events: A community event is great way to engage with more people, and also potentially raise money too. Whether it’s a bring and buy sale, a concert or an event for younger people to get involved, think outside the box for the best results.
8. Create Engaging Youth Programs
Youth are the church’s future, and keeping them engaged can provide healthy channels for their energy while helping maintain strong Christian relationships.
These programs should be spiritually enriching, fun, and relevant to their lives. An example is Sunday School, which can provide a place for kids and teens to reinforce and discuss spiritual truths they’ve learned and actively participate in the church’s activities.
Here are a few other ideas to consider:
- Youth groups: Regular meetings where young people can connect, share, and grow in their faith.
- Service projects: Opportunities for youth to get involved in community service, which helps them put their faith into action.
- Social events: Fun activities like game nights, retreats, and sports events that help build a sense of community.
- Sports teams: A church sports team can be an excellent way to attract younger members and build a strong sense of belonging. Whether that’s soccer, softball, or even chess.
9. Targeted and Personalized Communication
Without a great communications plan, you cannot expect to reach and retain your target audience. They are the most important aspect of the consistent growth of your church. At the same time, each of them responds differently to the same communication type.
To reach this target audience with an effective communications plan, you should start by asking yourself the following questions:
- How can you segment your audience – by age, location, financial resources, and relationship strength (if they’ve visited your church earlier, donated, are aware of it, or have no idea that you exist)?
- What kind of communication would each segment respond to?
- Which marketing form can get most segments of your audience to come to visit your upcoming event?
- Those who have already visited your church once, what is the best way to know their opinion of it?
- What is the simplest pitch to inspire your audience to visit your church?
- How would you rate your audience’s reaction to your current/past communication plans – emails, social media posts, letters, etc.?
10. Partner with Neighboring Churches
Do you think of other churches as competition or fellow Christians? Unfortunately, the second choice is often ignored. Churches see themselves competing for the few members of their community who want to join God’s family.
Are there ways other churches are reaching out to the community? Do they offer different options for bible or education classes online sermons or seminars? Can you find ways to join them in these efforts?
By joining forces to hold public events or being part of another church’s work in the community, you are building a supportive environment for all Christians and churches. There may even be a few people who attend an event at one church but feel a stronger connection to the church members they met there.
Connect with other local church leaders and suggest ways the two of you can join forces. After all, you all have the same goal to spread God’s word.
11. Use Social Media to Promote Your Church
While the virtual church is a newer trend, social media has been around for longer and has shown no signs of losing its popularity. There are a few ways churches can use social media to promote their mission and reach a larger audience.
Churches can share public events on Facebook and encourage church members to take a picture at the event and share it online with their friends and families. Ask Sunday morning attendees to share a bible verse or quote from the sermon on Twitter (X). Encourage them to speak about what God’s love or bible verses mean to them.
There are untold numbers of ways social media can help grow your church. A lot of churches now offer church online, so utilize your social media accounts to promote these church services.
Increase Attendance Today
Church attendance might not increase overnight, and that’s okay! Every small step is one step forward. By implementing any of the helpful tips we mentioned above, you should see an increase in your church’s congregation.
All growth is growth for the Kingdom!
More Resources on Church Attendance
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