Jesus admonished us to listen carefully to His words and obey His teaching to withstand life’s storms. We typically think of storms as situations such as an illness, financial difficulties, strained relationships, etc. However, storms can come with something wonderful such as a rapidly growing church.
“We’re struggling to build any momentum at all and you’re warning us about a ‘storm’ of church growth?”
Yes, and here’s why:
Let’s say you have a church of 500 people and within a couple of months, that number goes up to 600. Six months later, you’re at 800…then 930…then 1,000. That’s great…right?! Of course, that’s an amazing growth spurt for any church and should be celebrated. As you rejoice, you’ll need to determine how to effectively support a larger congregation.
Areas to Review for a Growing Church:
#1 – Child Care
How many more children need care in the nursery and how many more volunteers does that require? Do you have enough cribs, changing tables, toys, and space available?
#2 – Ministry Programs & Groups
More people typically means a more diverse set of expectations and needs. If you didn’t have a divorce care program before, you may have several people with the need for that assistance now. Consider starting or adding small groups to serve new members.
#3 – Data Management
Do you have a church database (ChMS) to record contact information, small group assignments, volunteer roles, etc.?
#4 – Facility Capacity
Does your current parking area have the capacity for additional cars? Also, is your sanctuary large enough to handle more attendees or should you add a service?
#5 – Accounting
More people also means (hopefully) more tithes and (definitely) more expenses. Is your accounting team equipped to handle these changes?
#6 – Volunteers
You’ll likely need more volunteers to serve a larger congregation. Do you already have a clear process in place for new people to become members, discover their gifts, and start serving?
As you can see, there are many changes that result from a growing church. Seeing more people commit their lives to Christ or simply start attending church consistently again is a wonderful thing. Prepare for this influx ahead of time by thinking through the above items (and that’s certainly not an exhaustive list).
As the church grows, you want to be well-equipped to serve a larger congregation with excellence and get them engaged in ministry. It’s not about seeing more people in the seats each week, it’s about providing an environment where they can grow in their relationship with God and be equipped for ministry. That requires preparation on the part of church staff and key volunteers. It can be detailed, hard work but it most certainly is worth the effort to build a solid foundation for a growing church.
In the Church Operations Toolkit, members follow a Church Operations Growth Path that includes a list of tasks to complete at each level of a church’s operational journey. Members can also access resources to help them complete these tasks. Join us in the Church Operations Toolkit and use these resources to make supporting a growing church easier to manage.
