When new people visit your church they spend the first couple of weeks or even months evaluating what you do, what programs you offer, and if the church culture is a good match.
This is a window of time that it is important to get new church members involved!
They want to know that there are programs available to meet their particular spiritual and social needs.
Many visitors hesitate to make the commitment to membership because they may not understand the process or what they are committing to.
Helping new church members answer this question may be the key to getting them involved and participating in the mission of the church.
5 Ways to Get New Members Involved
1. Clarify the Mission and Vision
When people join a church they want to know why that church exists and what it is trying to achieve.
Every church has a different mission and vision and church leadership should be consistently reminding church members of the call and the mission.
This can be done in a number of different ways.
Weaving the mission and vision into the sermons is one of the best ways to keep it in front of the people but you can also use other media for this.
The church newsletter, website, mobile app, printed materials and print on walls in public areas are ways to communicate.
This constant reminder reinforces current members and inspires people who are on the fence of participation.
2. Articulate the Need
It takes people to get involved and help to achieve the mission and this need should be communicated clearly and consistently.
Church members need to understand what the challenges are and the support needed to realize the vision.
Schedule specific weeks or months of the year to focus on articulating the need to support the call.
3. Create Organized Systems
Everyone appreciates organized systems. Even people who are not particularly organized enjoy simple and streamlined processes.
Engage current church members and volunteers and solicit their help in identifying areas that need improvement and constantly raise the bar on structure and organization.
The beauty of organized processes is that once the system is built it merely needs ongoing maintenance to keep it running smoothly. Everyone benefits.
4. Use Others to Recruit
Every organization should have individuals designated to help identify new people and welcome them to the church.
Use these people to help explain the mission, church programs and to encourage participation.
Have them partner with new members and orient them to the church culture and internal processes.
5. Create Easy Access
Use the church newsletter, website or mobile app to make information about getting involved easily accessible.
Take advantage of these communication media to provide easy steps to access involvement.
Provide contact information to people who can answer questions and help facilitate the process of involvement by participating in a new member class.
Churches need to get members involved in serving, giving of their time and financial resources to achieve its mission.
Make the process easy and systematic to help facilitate a positive transition for new members.
Keep in mind that the demands of life, and seasons of life, can influence a person’s ability to get involved.
Be sensitive to those personal demands and let God lead these new members toward identifying their place in the church!
How do you get new members involved?
