Now it’s time to talk about attracting guests to your church.
#2 – Identify Specific Needs in Your Community
Think about the felt needs of your community.
Do you really know the needs of individuals or families?
Do you understand their common objections to Jesus?
Are you aware of what may compel them to visit your church?
Immersing yourself in your community is vital to reaching your community for Christ. As a church leader, you have to get to know the community you serve. If you’ve lived in the area for any length of time, you probably have a pretty good idea about some basic information, such as the schools, demographics, average income, family dynamics and employers.
As you get to know your community, you want to build relationships and answer this question:
Why would someone want to visit a church—especially your church?
Apart from asking someone this question, a survey by Pew Research unearthed the top reasons why someone may visit a Protestant church in the United States:
- To become closer to God
- So their children will have a moral foundation
- To make themselves a better person
- For comfort in times of trouble
Based on this survey, there are really practical things your church can leverage to attract guests to your church. Here are just a few things that come to mind:
- Preach a sermon series on drawing closer to God or parenting
- Provide Bible studies or resources on living a “better” life
- Offer counseling services or partner with a counselor
- Build a healthy small group ministry to connect people together
These general ideas will just get you started.
After spending time with people in your community, you may unearth different needs or angles you can take to answer questions and provide guidance for people to learn to live and love like Jesus.
Don’t be put off by the idea of meeting the spiritual and physical needs of your community. Jesus himself met the spiritual and physical needs of people, and he calls us to do the same today.
