Should I Stay or Should I Go? Part 1:

Churches have a challenging assignment in front of them. When I think about the role that churches have accepted, I am amazed that this is executed with predominantly volunteer efforts!
As I’ve spent time actively (and passively) involved in churches, I’ve come to realize that there are some obstacles in attracting new members and in retaining these members. To do this we have to "cut through" the "noise" that is our culture (I'm talking specifically about the U.S. here).

Many churches attempt to do this by:
• Creating an environment where that message has the best opportunity to be understood and acted upon, such that a personal relationship with Christ is created and developed.
• Building an ongoing series of programs, trainings, ministries, and experiences that foster that creation and growth such that God becomes the center of their lives.

And do all of this at a time in our culture that emphasizes pleasurable stimulation, personal entertainment, busy-ness and short attention spans.

The church is competing for souls in an environment unlike any we have ever faced before. We live at a time of fast food, microwaves, information (and misinformation) at your finger tips, TIVO, and iPods… Couple that with the notion that we live in the wealthiest society ever to occupy this planet. Sprinkle in a little (or more likely a lot of) debt that requires an ongoing pursuit of acquisition. And add a heaping cup of a society built on an economic system that teaches us to look for… no… to DEMAND a “Return-On-Investment” for our attention.

The challenge in front of churches to just get noticed and to attract visitors is tremendous.

The challenge in front of churches to fulfill on that “Return-On-Investment” belief is huge.

And often it feels like a church can sometimes be a “revolving door”, with visitors coming in the front and then disappearing… and we never find out why.

In order to stop some of that, it is important that we understand some of the psychological “wiring” that we all have that cause us to make decisions to “join” or “not join” a group.

With that in mind, there are a couple of concepts that come to mind that potentially impact church members and more specifically, church visitors who are in the process of trying to find a church home. These are some basic and typically sub-conscious “filters” through which we make our decisions.
When considering church visitors, we have to think in terms of the psychology associated with how people make choices. Most experts will agree that choices are usually made emotionally and then justified logically. Use yourself as an example… is Coke (or Pepsi) really that much better? Are you a “FORD MAN”?
In thinking about this process when it comes to church visitors, we need to consider several areas within which people make a choice. The first is the notion of “Church Member Sacrifice”. In everyone’s mind, we have a picture of “what would be perfect for me and my family”. Now this is always a range called “but I’d be willing to settle for”.

We might think about it this way:
CHURCH MEMBER SACRIFICE = (WHAT I WANT EXACTLY) - (WHAT WILL I SETTLE FOR)

Sacrifice is really what the visitor is willing to “give up” at a church. The parents that choose a great youth program over great worship music because they are focused on their teenaged son; or the single woman who attends a church simply because her friends are there. We all make these choices about what are we willing to give up vs. what do we get... we weigh the balance and then vote with our feet.

What is typically considered, sometimes consciously sometimes sub-consciously are:
• Time – how much time will it take for me and my family?

• Attitude – how do I and my family typically approach new experiences? How does this “feel”? Am I being welcomed?

• Effort – how much of my other resources will this take… and will it be “worth it”?

• Pain – how much does it hurt to leave what I currently have/do and, even before I get engaged HERE, am I willing to have this kind of pain again if I choose to leave here at some time?

• Loyalty – How will I know if these people are loyal to me and my family?

• Past and Present – what has happened to me in the past and what is happening now in my life that could be impacting my experience (was I last picked on a team as a child? Have I always been the “star”?)?

• Future – is this a place and group of people I could see growing old with? Have my children grow up in?

No church can answer all of these challenges or questions on just one visit, however, if we are to be effective at retaining visitors we need to see our environment through their eyes. Knowing the questions and challenges that visitors are considering will help us prepare our volunteers and staff. It may even help us in selecting who will serve where when we think about addressing the needs of visitors.

No church can be all things to all people... but we can take responsibility for presenting to our visitors or our potential visitors a very clear picture of who we are, who we are NOT, where our strengths lie, where we are headed, why we are headed that way, and how we plan on getting there. Providing clear overviews of the church either on the website, in mailings, in bulletins, and any other communications done will help potential visitors determine before they arrive whether or not you might be a place for them.

Through clarity of purpose, direction, and execution, we may not attract as many new comers, but the likelihood of keeping them around will increase.