Monday, June 29, 2009

GROWTH 4

I was both thrilled and bothered on Sunday morning. I had everyone stand up to see who had started coming to KFA just in the past 5 years. The percentages were almost staggering to me. There were a LOT of people who stood.

There was excitement in my heart to see that -- and my second thought to was: How do we keep all these folks from quietly disappearing out the back door at some point?

I know what the primary ingredient for church sustainability is - it's been proven over and over again -- it's FRIENDSHIPS. Put simply, if people make friends, they stay. If they don't make friends, they don't stay.

One study says new members who stay beyond their first year made seven new friends that first year. Those who left made fewer than two (which I suppose would mean 'one' or 'zero' friends - not good).

So our goal for all these new people would be to get them connected with one another either (A) by serving with others -- and/or (B) in a small group.

And be blessed.

3 comments:

Heidi said...

Matt and I were two of the people that stood up, and since nobody else has commented (and I'm big on commenting--sorry, I know I do it all the time. You're probably sick of hearing from me!), I'll just tell you our situation. When we were child-less, it was VERY easy to give ourselves in every area possible at church. And we loved it. That's how we connected to the people in the church the most. But now that we have two young kids at home, it feels next to impossible to do anything outside of attending Sunday mornings. It's very hard to feel connected at this point, but personally, I am looking forward to the day when naps and bedtimes and limited time with the family will not be as much of an issue, and we can once again serve, as a couple and as a family. I want my children to grow up knowing the blessing of being a part of a church FAMILY, knowing their church family, and knowing how important it is to serve in the church as an act of worship. We tried to start a small group too, but it was so hard. Both Matt and I work, and we just don't feel like we have the time at this point. Any ideas for people in our situation? Cause the only thing we can think of is that, this is only for a time, and our time to get involved again is to come.

Anonymous said...

I have been lucky enough to make friends at church, but other than serving or being in the singles group, we don't socialize outside of church very much. I would like to though. I want a few friends that are the type of friends I can be myself with, we can encourage and support one another in our journey and just plain have fun!

PK's BLOG said...

MY LIFE:
It sure does change when you have children, no doubt about that. But I think there might still be ways you can serve and contribute, even WITH children. Ushering and greeting are two areas that don't require extra study or much time at all - maybe getting there 20 minutes early and staying 10 minutes after. During times of your life where there are other very important areas of responsibility and priority, a place like guest services still provides a connection with people and a friendly face to people who are regulars AND new to the church. And frankly, it's the 'unsung' important ministry of the church. Think about it.
(PS - I don't think you comment 'too much.')