Had a pastor years ago make this statement regarding reaching the “unchurched”:
“What you win them with is what you win them to.”
We are a small church that has struggled to maintain our membership. But we faithfully serve the community by aiding the needy, running a knapsack program through a local elementary school to give families food for their children to eat over the weekends during school, operating an after-school program on Wednesday afternoon where they are fed and fellowship, and finally, just preaching the Gospel message . . . as Paul put it, preaching Christ crucified . . . done so in a rational, dignified way. We also provide meaningful support fpr a mission effort of 6 ministers and churches in Haiti.
We don’t have praise bands, but we sing meaning-rich, quality music. We don’t have bowling alleys, but we do have outdoor volleyball and basketball courts and a small fenced playground for younger kids.
We do all that with an active membership of just over 100. If that approach does not result in a healthy congregation and growth that sustains our church, so be it. We just try to be faithful real mission of the church. Right now our church is solid and very healthy financially, but it is aging quickly. I do not expect a strong congregation ten years from now.
I would love to be a member of a church like yours. The ones around me all seem to be trying to keep up with the Joneses.