Secrets of Church Growth-Keeping the "Magic"!

I suppose "Magic" is not a good word to use when considering the Church and worship.  But I mean it in a different way than it is normally used in connection with entertainment or the occult.  It is like a winning basketball team that has that "Something" that just lets them do great things as a team.  We sometimes refer to that phenomenon as "Magic".  All winning teams seem to have it. It is more than skill, although they must have skill to make it work for them.

In the same way a local church can hit a winning stride, having all the right players, having the right plays and the best equipment, being the place where 'It" is happening.

Occasionally an athletic team can slip into a slump. Often, the sportscasters will only say that the team has lost its "chemistry" or its "Magic".  The team will fire coaches, trade players, hire sports psychologists and have seminars; all in an effort to regain the "feeling".  Sometimes it works, sometimes not.  And usually the team owner is never quite sure why or how it happened.

Just as a sports team can go into a slump, so can a church.  They can have the best facility, be presenting the right message, seeing converts on a regular basis. But the church is not growing. It seems to be marking time or stuck in one spot like a swimmer pushing against the tide.  We can make the excuses: "If only we had a larger building". "If we were in a different part of town." "If we had something for the children or teens", then it would all come together.

On a sports team, quite often success does not always breed contentment. Some players are getting more time in the game, others may feel they are under-paid, still others have a problem with the coach.  In a nutshell, what begins to happen is dis-harmony or a lack of unity among the players.  They cease being a team and start playing as individuals.

Meanwhile, back at the local church, while we still have the same group of staff people, things may be starting to slip. There can be several causes or a combination or reasons.  I will list some that come to mind:

1.  Unrest among the staff people.  As with any group of management workers, church staff can have relational issues where the unity and common goal of the church is strained. Although Christians are supposed to have "Sanctified Egos", if you feel that you are  better preacher or better singer or worship leader, or maybe you can play an instrument better than those on the stage, you are going to have a struggle remaining content. While we want the very best people running the church, they are human as well.  If a person is especially talented or trained in an area, and he is not given opportunity to express those abilities he may feel cheated or deprived.  Or if you feel you are being "micromanaged" by the pastor or department head, you may think they do not trust you.

I will say at this point that our enemy Satan loves to take jabs at these areas of potential unrest. His whole purpose is to cause disunity.  It takes a lot of prayer and humbleness for a talented preacher, administrator or musician to resist the temptation to exert self-interest over that of the church.

2.  Lack of followup with visitors and especially new converts.  A new person comes to the church, receives a bulletin and welcome from the greeter, enjoys the worship-music, and responds to the Message of Salvation by praying the sinner's prayer, possibly followed by baptism.

What happens next??  In many Seeker-Friendly churches, NOTHING.  There is no followup, no call from the church, no personal invitation to attend a small group, no inclusion in social activities, no mentoring.  If they have filled out a card, they may be included on the church's mailing list. But beyond the newsletter, the new Christian is often left to fend for themselves without any support from the church.  They may continue to attend for a while, especially if the worship and preaching appeals to them.  But unless they are befriended by the church and befriended by the more mature, individual Christians in the church, they will most likely return to the last place they experienced friendship and caring.  That place may be the neighborhood bar "where everybody knows their name", or worse, a destructive relationship.

Suppose a church has fifty new converts in a year's time.  That same church should be experiencing a growth in attendance by at least the same number of people.  If they are not retaining their converts SOMETHING IS WRONG.  One of the most important rules of salesmanship is retaining customers.  A good salesman will spend a significant amount of time contacting former customers because he knows they are the most likely to buy. What is true in the business world is also true in the church.

Retaining converts and mentoring them to become soul-winners must be the second goal of the Church of Jesus Christ, following right on the heels of the individual's personal salvation.   This is not exclusively the pastor's responsibility.  However, he should see that volunteer groups with follow-up responsibility are organized and active to take up the task of involving new converts in the church's mentoring program

What? The church does not have a mentoring program?  Well, then organize one!  Jesus Christ was very explicit when he laid down the rules by which the Church is supposed to engage the world.

Matthew 28:19-20 (New International Version, ©2010)

¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”