5 Types of Church Visitors

by Ron Edmondson One thing pastors love is church visitors. Really, what we like even more is church visitors who become regular church attendees, but that process begins with visitors. Its always a mystery why some visit a church and never come back. Those reasons may be the subject of another post, but one thing Ive learned, much of the chance for return depends on why the person chooses to visit in the first place. I have discovered there are basically 5 types of visitors to a church: Testers These visitors are just looking aroundperhaps for a new churchperhaps because they are dissatisfied where they currently attend church. They may feel they are not growing at their current church, or they arent completely satisfied with the leadership, the programs, or the opportunities for service available. If testers find what they are looking for, theyll be back, but most likely, there is a specific fit they are seeking. I wouldnt suggest altering things to keep them, but make sure their questions are answered. Pleasers These visitors are usually coming to appease someone who asked them. They have less interest in attending church than they have in satisfying the request of a spouse or friend. This is not a bad way to get them at first, and Im always happy to have them, but it is harder to get them to stick unless God moves in their hearts for attending church to become their personal desire. For these visitors, the person inviting them is just as important as the visitor in keeping them, but help the pleaser feel welcome, dont make them feel uncomfortable, and youve got a good chance of seeing them return. These are people who know they are missing something in life but arent sure what it is. Church may simply be another option, or it may be the only option, but these are the true unchurched. These visitors are a mission field. If we introduce them to Christ, they become forever loyal to the church where they found Him. Jumpers These visitors seldom stay long at one church. They get upset at something the church does, the church enters a building program that scares them away, or they simply grow bored. Likely, theyll only stick for a while at the new

church, too, so dont be take it personally if they disappear, as it may not be anything you did or didnt do. Enjoy them while they are with you. Investors Most likely, these people moved to your community or some major issue caused them to leave their current church. These visitors are active church attendees looking for a new long-term home. They are ready to quickly commit and serve. Its important to plug these people in as soon as possible. Again, churches love visitors. In fact, we like any of these five types. Knowing why someone is visiting your church, however, often helps the way you respond to them and gives you a better chance of keeping them. I wouldnt recommend you ask them which of these they are, but its good to have in the back of your mind as you get to know them. Did I miss any type of visitor? Have you seen each of these? Share this: Share on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on evernote More Sharing Services Ron Edmondson is a pastor and church leader passionate about planting churches, helping established churches thrive, and assisting pastors and those in ministry think through leadership, strategy and life. Ron has over 20 years business experience, mostly as a selfemployed business owner, and he's been helping church grow vocationally for over 10 years. More from Ron Edmondson or visit Ron at www.ronedmondson.com/ Copyright 2012 ChurchLeaders.com Privacy Terms of Use Advertise About Us New

5 Reasons Churches Decline

by Ron Edmondson 1 Comment

Ive spent some time studying church growth and church decline.

I am frequently asked, especially by pastors in declining churches, what keeps a church from growing -- what causes a church to decline. I have shared similar thoughts before, but in my observation, talking to dozens of pastors who struggle to get their church growing again, there are some common issues among them, of which I think we can all learn. Here are five issues that can keep a church from growing:

Entitlement
When the body begins to think this is my church, it will soon start operating outside the complete power and utter dependency of the rightful owner. It will then lose the Spirits power.

Energy
The lack of energy stagnates a church. This is not referring to worship. You can worship to your taste, but energy is a part of any movement of God. The church is the body of Christ. Dont forget our God is not dead Hes alive! A church is revived and reenergized when it renews its vision. As a church grows closer

to Christ, and introduces others to Christ, it create more energy for the body.

Excitement
If you cant get excited about the Gospel, youre not looking at Christ close enough. Anyone who can raise from the dead, forgive sins and reconcile us to God thats exciting! When the people who regularly attend the church arent excited anymore, visitors arent likely to be either. When a body becomes comfortable, it often becomes complacent, and it loses the excitement it once had. It is then no longer attractive to outsiders.

Engagement
The body needs all its members. When a few people do all the work burnout is soon to follow. The church shouldnt depend on paid staff to do all the work, nor should ministry be limited to those with a volunteer title of some sort. If assignments have to be made before people are freed to do the work of the church, over time, the harvest is plenty, but the workers are few.

Efficiency

When programs are so structured that even God couldnt introduce change, decline is imminent. Growing churches are always thinking how they can improve. The cliche is true, the message never changes, but the hearers do. Finding new ways to reach a changing culture with a Gospel that never changes is part of a growing churchs responsibility. Obviously there are many other reasons, these are just a few Ive observed. Whenever I work with a church in decline, I will first look for one of these areas as a solution. What have you seen keep a church from growing?

Does Your Church Punish or Discipline?

by Ron Edmondson 6 Comments

I am frequently asked about my thoughts on church discipline. Ive learned that most of the time, when someone asks, they have a personal agenda they are attempting to address far more than they have a concern for Biblical accuracy.

They may know someone who committed a specific sin they feel warrants discipline. Sometimes, they were injured by someone and want to make sure the person is properly disciplined. They may even want to be a part of the prayer processand they want detailsso they can pray (and gossip) appropriately.

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If it sounds like I have an angst against church disciplinemaybe I do. Its not that Im against it. I do believe there is a place for church discipline. How can I not? The Bible addresses it. Its just that most of the time when Ive seen it spoken of, it seems more like retribution than something Biblical. Im against that! I think punishment was nailed to a cross.

Should we being doing more church discipline? Yes Should we do it better? Yes

My bigger question would be as to the purpose of church discipline.

Im a simple-minded guy though. Im not deep. I need thoughts I can wrap my mind around. So Im not attempting to give a scholarly reply to the subject, but simply add some of my thoughts. For some of them, I give a general reference, and for others, its simply a thought, though each of them is based on my interpretation of Scripture as a whole and my view of God and His plan for mankind. I have often thought in terms of my role as an earthly father attempting to parent my children when I think of how God must think in terms of parenting me. Obviously, Hes the perfect parent, but even Jesus alluded to the role of an earthly father in relation to our Heavenly Father. (Luke 11:9-12) Here are 7 simple thoughts on Church Discipline:

Grace is primary in healthy discipline, not secondary.

Throughout Scripture, God approached people with grace and unconditional love. Discipline should never be done in anger, but always in a redemptive way. (Romans 5:20)

The best discipline you will never know about.

(Read Matthew 18) If discipline is handled correctly, the person is approached by someone, usually someone close to them, they

repent, and you move forward. In most cases, no one else needs to know at this point.

Discipline is part of the process of discipleship, not a side product.

Healthy discipline is a part of helping others be more like Christ. You know of areas of sin in a persons life, so you confront them in love, helping them grow and improve. (Proverbs 1:1-3; 6:23)

Discipline is done in an effort to restore, not to punish.

Jesus took the punishment for our sins. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Proverbs 10:17; Romans 5:8)

Its not limited to select sins.

If you are doing discipline as a part of discipleship, then you address known sinsperiod. It could be gossipmay even be gluttony or greed. (Matthew 5:21-28)

The only people doing church discipline perfectly are the perfect churches.
They do discipleship perfectly, also. In fact, theyre pretty much perfect. (Or think they are. )

It rarely involves people having to leave the church.

I honestly think thats what some people feel is the key objective. I dont see it that way. I see it more restorative than dismissive. (Philemon) I realize scholars can pick this apart. I welcome your input and healthy correction. Just do it in love, please. I think thats Biblical, too! What are your thoughts on church discipline?

My Best Advice--12 Encouraging Words for Pastors

by Ron Edmondson

I love pastors. Each week, through this blog and my personal ministry, God allows me to partner with dozens of pastors, helping them think through life and ministry issues. Ive learned that many pastors struggle to find people who will invest in them and help them grow as individuals, leaders and pastors. Recently I had a pastor ask me for my best advice for other pastors. Wow! Thats hard to say. Ive learned so much through the pastors who have invested in me and by experience. Its hard to summarize all that Ive learned. It could probably fill a book or twobut at least more than one blog post! I put some thought into the question and decided to come up with a list of encouragement, one that I would give to all pastors, to

answer his question. Im sure theres more (and you can help by adding yours), but this post is at least a start. Of course, wisdom is transferable to other fields, so change a few words around and Id give this advice to any leadersome of them perhaps to any person.
Here are 12 words of encouragement for pastors:

1. Choose your friends wiselybut choose friends.

Dont attempt to lead alone. Too many pastors avoid close friendships because theyve been hurt. They trusted someone with information who used it against them. Finding friends you can trust and be real with means youll sometimes get injured, but the reward is worth it.

2. The church can never love your family as much as you do.
Your family needs you more than the church does. They can get another pastor. Your family doesnt want another you. Youll have to learn to say no, learn how to balance and prioritize your time, and be willing to delegate to others in the church. (You may want to read THIS POST from my friend Michael Hyatt on saying no with grace.

3. If you protect your Sabbath day, your Sabbath day can better protect you.
Youll wear out quickly without a day a week to rejuvenate. God designed us this way. Take advantage of His provision. Take time to rest. You may not rest like everyone elsefor me rest doesnt mean doing nothingbut you need time away from the demands of ministry regularly. Lead your church to understand you cant be everywhere every time. You owe it to yourself, your family, your church and your God.

4. You have influenceuse it well.

The pastorate comes with tremendous power and responsibility. Its easy to abuse or take for granted. Dont. Humility welcomes the hand of God on your ministry.

5. No amount of accountability or structure will keep you from temptation if youre heart is impure.
Above all else, guard your heart. (Proverbs 4:23) Avoid any hint of temptation. Look for the warning signs your heart is drifting. Keep your heart saturated with Gods Word and in prayer.

6. Let God lead.

You can do some things well. God can do the impossible. Whom do you think should ultimately be leading the church? Youll be

surprised how much more effective your leadership will be when its according to His will and not yours.

7. If you can dream it, God can dream it bigger.

Dont dismiss the seemingly ridiculous things God calls you to do. They wont always make sense to others or meet their immediate approval, but Gods ways will prove best every time.

8. Keep Jesus the center of focus in the church.

Youll never have a money problem, a people problem, or a growth problem if people are one with Jesus.

9. Your personal health affects the health of the church.

Take care of yourself relationally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. This, too, requires discipline, balance and prioritizing, but if, to the best of your ability, you strive to be healthy in every area of your life, as a good shepherd, your people will be more likely to follow your example.

10. The people in your church deserve authenticity.

Not only will be honest about who you are help keep you from trying to meet unreal expectations, but it will help the people in

your church be transparent with you and others. Dont be someone youre not. Be someone worthy to follow, but make sure youre living itnot just teaching it.

11. Youll never make everyone happy.

If you try, youll be very unhappyand very unproductive. Now, make this post better. As you can count, there are only 11 here. Im counting on you to add your best number 12.
What word of encouragement do you have for pastors (or other leaders)? Share this:

Share on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on evernoteMore Sharing Services Ron Edmondson is a pastor and church leader passionate about planting churches, helping established churches thrive, and assisting pastors and those in ministry think through leadership, strategy and life. Ron has over 20 years business experience, mostly as a self-employed business owner, and he's been helping church grow vocationally for over 10 years.

3 Things Your Church Should Consider When Using Social Media

by Ron Edmondson 3 Comments

Should your church be involved with social media? I get asked that question frequently. I was recently in a church that didnt have a Web site. I scolded them for that. Seriously, I dont see how a church can expect to meet new people without a Web site. The majority of people these days will check out a churchs Web site before they ever visit the church. If there is no Web siteno visit. (That speaks to the quality of the Web site also.) Im not sure I can answer that question of social media for every church though, so I will try to guide you towards a decision thats right for your church.
Consider these 3 questions:

Do you want to reach younger people?

If you want to reach people these days, you have to go where they are, and younger people hang out in a world of social media. The number one way people under 40 reach me is with a Facebook message. Twitter is growing. E-mail is still common, but not growing at the rate of the other two.

Will someone maintain it?

My friend Scott Williams says, For a business to not have anyone responding to their social media streams is equivalent to not answering the phone. You cant simply have a social media presence and expect results. You have to commit to it and work it. Not being active in social media may be worse than not doing it at all.

Can you afford not to?

Again, I cant answer that question, but can you reach the unchurched people you are attempting to reach without social media? If you can, perhaps you dont need it. If youre not sure, perhaps you should give it a try. One suggestion I have is to find the person or persons in your church who are already active in social media. Get them to volunteer to help the church in this area. You dont have to assign this to a staff person who isnt interested or doesnt understand. Find the right person, give them authority and responsibility, and let them help build the Kingdom through your church and social media. How well is your church doing in social media? Name a church you think is doing a good job in this area.
7 Thoughts on Creating Unity

by Ron Edmondson 2 Comments I was in a church recently that struggles with disunity. The pastor has a great vision and is supported by most everyone, but the church has two dominant factions, mostly split over a denominational issue. In working with the church, I quickly assessed they had a unity problem. I felt like a genius consultant, but the truth is I only discovered what they already knew. The problem wasnt discovering the problem; it was in finding solutions. The church needs to come together if they hope to move forward and complete all the opportunities God is sending their way. How do you create unity in a church? Here are 7 thoughts on creating unity: Avoid the core DNA when making changes There are some things that are not worth changing, especially until unity returns. It makes no sense to create further disunity in an area where the church is already unified. For example, if the church is overwhelmingly supportive of Sunday school but you are a proponent of small groups, dont try to make that change now (if ever) until unity is achieved. Find common ground What do people agree upon? Again, maybe it's Sunday school, but perhaps its reaching the communitys lower income families. It could be a ministry of adoption or homelessness. There are probably numerous ministries or interests within the church about which everyone is passionate. Find some and pour energy into them. The more of these you can identify and rally people around, the more unified the church will become. Plan group activities This can be an ice cream social or a ministry opportunity to one of the common issues, but it should be something that will involve people from both sides of the divide. It would be best if you could get someone from each faction to the planning table for these events. Most likely, there are some who, though they have chosen a side to support, are mature enough that they can work with someone of a different opinion to plan a function. Celebrate success Something about celebrating brings people together. Find small wins and celebrate them. Celebrate the things that people agree upon. Often, this will be the history of the church or the heart the church has for missions or ministry. Challenge the few objectors There are usually a few people who are naturally divisive. This number is usually smaller than it appears, but these people are critical of everything and usually bring down the morale of others and the church. You may have to pull them aside, ask them to cooperate, and if they will not, work to remove them from power. (This is obviously the subject of another blog post but a necessary part of creating unity.) The unity and vision of the church is more important than appeasing those whose only mission is to disrupt. Embrace the influencers

Just as there are a few who are negative, there are usually a few who are positive about unity and who have influence over others. I believe in the each one reach one practice. Spend time with these influencers, help them understand the importance of unity, then encourage and release them to help shape an atmosphere and culture of unity, one person at a time. Keep these natural influencers and encouragers close and informed and empower them to help create unity. Communicate effectively Communication is always important, but especially during times of disunity, information should flow freely. When people dont have information, they assume you are keeping it from them intentionally. Keep people informed and they feel more like they are part of the team and the vision. Obviously, every situation is unique. Dont be ashamed to seek outside help. Creating unity takes time, prayer, and hard work. Keep in mind that the process involves relationships, so it can be messy. Unity will likely involve people granting forgiveness and releasing the right to have things their way. Depending on the severity of the division in the church, these issues should certainly be shaping your teaching during this time. It may be subtle or more direct but certainly deliberate. Finally, for an illustration purpose, you might treat the process as you would if you were counseling a couple, only on a larger scale, of course. Identifying the underlying problems and offering small, steady steps to improving the relationships before you address the issues of division will help create unity. What suggestions do you have for creating unity?

7 Ways Satan Attacks the Church

by Ron Edmondson 18 Comments

Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. 1 Peter 5:8 Im not a pastor who is constantly looking for Satan behind everything that goes wrong. I concentrate my attention on Jesus and encouraging others to follow Jesus and not to focus on the

defeated one. Yet, Im fully aware that Satan loves to destroyor attempt to destroya church. Obviously Satan is a limited being and Gods church is secure. The gates of hell shall never overcome what God started, but Satan certainly loves to disrupt what Gods church is doing.
Here are 7 way Satan tries to destroy a church:

Church conflict
Satan loves business meetings that get out of hand or when two church members have disagreements outside of church. He loves when church members argue about trivial things, such as colors of the carpet or big things, such as whether to add another service. Doesnt matter to him. Show him a good argument potential and hes willing to stir the fire.

Burnout
Satan loves to burn out a church volunteer, staff member, or pastor. If he can make them feel they are no longer needed, their work is not appreciated, or that they no longer have anything to offerhe feels hes winning part of the battle.

Rumors
Satan is the stirrer of dissension. He likes to plant little seeds of a juicy story, about someone in the church or communitysometimes even the pastor or staffand watch them quickly spread through a

church congregation or community. The version, of course, usually grows to a larger portion than reality. Satan likes that too.

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Busyness
Satan loves to distract church goers with a plethora of activity that produces little results in Kingdom-building.

Lies
Satan attempts to interject what he calls a half-truth; just a hint of false doctrine and then watch it disrupt or divide a body. Of course, we all know that half-truth is really just a cleaned up version of a bold face lie, but Satan is clever enough to disguise a lie in a way where false teachers gain entry and do damage before being discovered.

Scandal
Satan loves a good, juicy, gossipy news headline in the local paper. If it will split, divide or destroy a church bodyeven better. If it will destroy someones Kingdom calling or workhell take that too.

Marriage and family disruptions

Satan loves to destroy any relationship, but he also goes after key leaders marriages; even the pastors marriage. He likes to encourage prodigal children. He wants to cause families to fight within the church and fight with the church. Satan knows if he can destroy a home, he has a better chance of destroying a church.
Thankfully, there is good news:

You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 1 John 4:4 What other ways have you seen Satan try to destroy a church? Image credit: Lianne Trevarthen via CreationSwap.com