Few people will argue that church attendance in many churches in America is declining. Our own research indicates that the majority of churches in our country are not growing.
Most of us have our own ideas why attendance is declining. Many have suggested that our nation is shifting away from its Christian roots, and thus the churches are declining as a smaller proportion of our country are believers in Christ.
I certainly will not argue with that premise. Certainly attendance declines are related to massive cultural shifts in our nation. But I would also suggest that one reason for declines has a greater impact than others.
The Frequency Issue
Stated simply, the number one reason for the decline in church attendance is that members attend with less frequency than they did just a few years ago. Allow me to explain.
If the frequency of attendance changes, then attendance will respond accordingly. For example, if 200 members attend every week the average attendance is, obviously, 200. But if one-half of those members miss only one out of four weeks, the attendance drops to 175.
Did you catch that? No members left the church. Everyone is still relatively active in the church. But attendance declined over 12 percent because half the members changed their attendance behavior slightly.
This phenomenon can take place rather quickly in an individual church. And leaders in the church are often left scratching their heads because the behavioral change is so slight, almost imperceptible. We really don’t notice when someone who attends four times a month begins to attend only three times a month. Nor do we typically catch it when the twice-a-month attendee becomes a once-a-month attendee.
Five Possible Approaches to the Problem
Of course, the heart of the problem is not declining numbers but waning commitment. As I addressed in my book, I Am a Church Member, church membership is becoming less and less meaningful in many churches. As membership becomes less meaningful, commitment naturally wanes.
While I don’t want to suggest there is a magic bullet to this problem, I do want to offer some approaches to address it. These five have proven to be the most helpful in hundreds of churches:
- Raise the expectations of membership. You may be surprised how many church members don’t really think it’s that important to be an active part of the church. No one has ever told them differently.
- Require an entry class for membership. By doing so, the church makes a statement that membership is meaningful. The class should also be used to state the expectations of what a committed member looks like.
- Encourage ministry involvement. Many members become less frequent attendees because they have no ministry roles in the church. They do not feel like they are an integral part of the church.
- Offer more options for worship times. Our culture is now a 24/7 population. Some members have to work during the times of worship services. If possible, give them options. One businessman recently told me that he changed congregations to a church that offered a Saturday worship time because his job required him to catch a plane on Sunday morning.
- Monitor attendance of each member. This approach is often difficult, especially for worship attendance. That is why the traditional Sunday school approach of calling absentees was so effective. Perhaps churches can incorporate that approach in all groups. Members are less likely to be absent if they know someone misses them.
When Church Membership Becomes Meaningful
People want to be a part of something that makes a difference. They desire to be involved in something bigger than themselves.
Unfortunately, in many churches membership has become less and less meaningful. Until we get our churches back to the committed membership the Apostle Paul mandates in 1 Corinthians 12, we will continue to see declining attendance. But when membership becomes truly meaningful, our churches will become an unstoppable force for the Kingdom and glory of God.
Posted on August 19, 2013
With nearly 40 years of ministry experience, Thom Rainer has spent a lifetime committed to the growth and health of local churches across North America.
More from Thom
280 Comments
Maybe those reasons are valid, but it might just be that church members whom are active are very dismissive to those of us who are not. The love of God which should be shed abroad in the hearts of believers in some cases only appears to be shed to those whom they know. Unfortunately, that could be keeping a lot of people away from the church. Don’t want to go into it anymore than this, but I do have a testimony to the fact that church folk can be some not so lovely folk.
Maybe if churches were run like churches and less like businesses, where words like “family” weren’t catch phrases to fill the coffers so the people in charge could pay themselves, maybe If pastors and other “leaders” started to understand it isn’t THEIR church, instead it belongs to those in the seats.
Articles like this are so blind. Blame the people for not coming, lets not look at the business the church has become. Tell ya what. Stop taking a paycheck for preaching. Get rid of the concerts you put on every Sunday. Be who you tell everyone else to be. Maybe people will start coming again. Hypocrisy breeds desertion
Have any of you considered digital advertising and search engine optimization with keywords linked to major stressors such as “divorce” or “bankruptcy” or “suicide?”
Regardless of your feelings about the scriptural message, you must have new “prospects” in your place of worship every week. That fact doesn’t mean your focus is misplaced.
Finally, church messaging should be tied to specific problems that people have. Today’s younger member-prospect is struggling with money, career, relationships, etc and feels un-centered and abandoned. Why aren’t churches advertising on the web with specific mention of issues that can be resolved through faith in God?
Baby Boomers are drifting out of the work force and wondering what it was all about…they lack purpose. These people need to be escorted into the world of church-going with a message that is relevant to their stage in life?
The real elephant in the room: Christianity has failed to evolve with the rest of the world.
Every twelve-year-old in America know that there is not some white guy in the sky, floating around, assisting some, and passing judgement on others. That image worked hundreds of years ago, but no more.
I believe in God as much as anybody; more than most. But I know (and most people know) that God is not a “He” or a “Him”. God is the supreme wholeness and creative force of the universe; the ground of all being. Pronouns just don’t work.
Bring back something that people can easily believe in, without having to turn off their brain, and the people will return.