So you want your church to accomplish its mission and reach people.
But so often in church leadership, it’s easy to believe growth can’t really happen unless you spend money on some new initiatives.
And that leaves a lot of church leaders stuck. Why? Because the vast majority of churches are underfunded, not overfunded.
Faced with a lack of resources, too many church leaders throw in the towel and believe growth isn’t possible.
But that’s a fallacy.
Vision always precedes resources. If you’re waiting for people and money to show up so you can get on with your mission, you’ll wait forever.
So how do you start growing now, even with zero dollars?
Here are 10 ways.
1. Exude more passion
It’s amazing to me how little passion many church leaders exude.
We have the most amazing mission on planet earth. And we have a generation of young adults in front of us who want to give their lives to a cause that’s bigger than themselves.
Yet it’s easy to believe that the only way to reach the next generation is by spending money on lights, gear and sound. As I outlined in this post, that’s just not true.
You don’t need a polished church to reach the next generation nearly as much as you need a passionate church. Because when it comes to reaching the next generation, passion beats polish.
2. Cut the weird
Christians can be socially weird.
Too often, we use unnecessarily weird language—like this:
“This is good coffee, brother.”
“Amen. Hallelujah.”
Why not just talk at church the way you talk at the office or at a football game or on a Saturday by the pool? (Actually, if you talk like that normally, you probably don’t get invited out too often.)
Here’s what’s actually at stake: If someone has to learn code to join your church, you likely won’t have many people joining your church.
Our challenge is to reduce the human barriers that keep people from Jesus, not to erect new ones.
And, no, being weird does not mean you’re being faithful. It just means you’re being weird.
3. Expand your vision
Vision is a leader’s best friend, and it’s free.
After two decades of leading and communicating in the local church, I am convinced it is impossible to overstate or overestimate the vision of the church. As Bill Hybels has said, the local church really is the hope of the world.
If you don’t dream big dreams for your church, who will?
If you don’t communicate big vision for your church, who will?
