Church Attendance is Down

Church Development

Workshop

Part I

“Blog”

This past Sunday at church I noticed that the attendance at the morning worship service was down.  Am I naive to think that this decline in attendance happened overnight?  No, it actually occured slowly over a period of time.  Some thoughts that came to my mind were:  are the regular members inviting others to church?  has the church lost it's influence?

I am reminded of the adage that says, "be the change that you want to see in the world."  So, I would like to develop a Church Development Workshop.  This workshop can be a resource tool for any size church and denomination.  The emphasis would be placed on surveys, interviews, and why the church is not appealing to the community.  Then the strategy focus would be on revitalizing, re-growing and redirecting the church.

Why grow the church?  Essentially, the church is a cornerstone that allows individuals/families to develop values and to interact in a faith based community.  One can become involved if they are new to the community or perhaps they want to be active in something greater than themselves.  The individual and/or families have an opportunity to learn more about the parables and lessons of the Bible.  Also, the church body can reach out to the persons in the community in servanthood and discipleship.

Who can attend the workshop?  The workshop will be open to male and female leaders and laity.

Current statistics confirm that church attendance is on the decline.  Today, families are distracted by so many other choices from attending a football game to perhaps doing laundry.  So, does this explain why the numbers are constantly declining?  No, but it is easy to see that people's time is divided and priorities are different than our parents or perhaps our grandparents generation.

Church leadership should research how to get a handle on what is missing in their respective churches.  Perhaps consider alternative methods of teaching or approaching the Gospel.  Question:  what else can be offered to the body of Christ?

In a materialistic world do more people have to work on Sundays?  Does the average person want to know "what is in it for me?" by attending church services?  Below are titles of Break Out Sessions that could be beneficial at a Church Development Workshop along with cost/location/other resource information:

·         Church of Today

·         What is in it for Me?

·         Teach Me How to Pray

·         Basics of Congregational Development

Cost

·         Free

·         Affordable

Location

·         Hotel

·         Church

Other resources

·         Consultants

·         Workbooks

·         Network

Yes, church attendance may be down, but each of us can follow the Great Commission Plan and "Go ye...".