Article by Anthony Obey
Natural church growth is defined as the continuous arrival of new members in which they are neither forced nor persuaded to become part of it. Willingness is a key term in this phenomenon since natural church growth happens when people see that they will benefit from the church membership. It is every congregation’s dream to have a natural church growth. But the problem is that it does not happen to every person’s church. Nor does it happen overnight.
Natural church growth is a product of continually enriching the spiritual lives of the current members and these members in turn share their spiritual blessings with their friends and family without the motive of recruiting them. In order to do so, here are some tips on how to foster natural church growth.
Do not just satisfy your members.
Inspire them!
Meeting the expectations of you members (i.e. spiritual nourishment every church day) will keep your current members but it will not make your church grow. Without motivating your church members to seek more members, it is next to impossible to attract more people.
Natural church growth only happens when church members are so inspired of what they are currently experiencing in their churches that they begin to share it with everyone they know.
Create lasting relationships with all guests
Church members can’t expect that they guests they bring in will actually become part of the church. Then again, the fact that they are “guests” means that they should be regarded with utmost courtesy and hospitality. As a guest, they have the option to either accept your invitation to become part of the church or to totally ignore it after their initial visit. A major factor in their decision is how they were treated during their initial visit to the church.
Were they treated as if they were already part of the family or did they feel like there is a wall that separates them from the church members? Were they introduced to other people or were they left alone in their seats during fellowship? Think about this and apply it to the guests you will invite to come over for a visit.
Encourage members to reach out to other people
Do not make it a task, rather an optional undertaking that they may do on the side. These two things are way different from each other. On the one side, if you make it a task of each member then they will feel compelled to invite guests and be with them during church activities. They retain the mindset that they have to do it because they were asked to do so. On the other hand, if it is voluntary then the members who will be bringing their guests will do the same but without feeling as if they were forced to do so. Natural church growth is the best things that could ever happen to a church. Strive to make it happen to your church, too. Using this guide and other tips for church growth, discover more ways of inspiring your members and other people who come to your church.