Developing Your Membership - Orientation, Education & Retention

Attracting & Recruiting New Members

Article Three: Developing Your Membership - Orientation, Education & Retention

Q: "You talk about new member orientation, as an actual program. I’ve never heard of this. What would such a program include?"

A: There are several ways of doing this. Not a lot of churches seem to do it, but many other civic organizations have some version of a new member orientation program. I first ran into this a member of a local Rotary club several years ago. The idea is to expose the new member to all the reasons he or she joined in the first place, and to help him or her to become active and fruitful.

It doesn’t have to be an actual program; it can be done through existing members giving a testimony from time to time, that includes these elements. The pastor can include them in parts of his sermons. But here they are:

• Benefits of membership – Why it’s important to be connected to a group of caring, spiritual positive people; a nurturing extended family. Why it is so uplifting to have people who are praying for you, supporting you and helping you be the best person you can be. Also, the fact that being a member gives them more open doors for serving and contributing to other peoples’ lives. Keep these in front of the new member, reminding him/her why he or she joined in the first place.

• Responsibilities of membership – Along with the benefits come the responsibilities. Since being a member can make such a deep impact on the lives of those around you, its important to be in every service possible. First of all, so you can grow, and secondly because there are other people who may be helped by not only your presence, but by something you may be able to say to them before or after the service. As a Pastor, it’s important to regularly model and talk about the responsibilities to be a good, strong, loyal and active member.

• Opportunities for service – Sometimes new members feel like they have to hang around a few years before the local church lets them use all their talents and experience. As often as possible include the new member in plans for activities, events and community service projects.

• Purpose, history, and mission of your local congregation - Again, keep these factors fresh in the mind of the new member, instilling him/her with confidence and a sense of connectivity to the past. What if your church has some parts of its history that you’re ashamed of (Like racism, or immorality, church splits, etc)? Obviously, you don’t mention them. You just talk about how God has brought your congregation a long way over the past twenty years, and how He has been faithful in shaping your church into a people that He could use more and more fully – and how excited you are about the future of your congregation.

• Involvement and connection of new members – Some churches, even smaller ones have cliques that are hard for new members to break into. Make sure the new member is introduced frequently to people he or she may not have met yet.

• Mentoring - Assign a mature, longtime member to take the new member under wing, to not just answer his or her questions, but to keep in regular contact and make certain that the new member becomes an active participant in the life of the congregation.

Q: "I can tell you right now, our congregation is too small to pull off something like that. Our members are already overworked, and it’s the same ten or twelve people doing everything. Is there a trimmed down version of this we can try?"

A: You’re in the same boat as probably 75% of churches: too few people doing too much work. Here’s what can be done by a handful of people with minimal extra energy. Each person can:

• Make an effort to become acquainted with each new member.

• Personally invite new members to join a committee, participate in a church social activity, or help with or project.

• Assign a mentor to the new member.

• Ask the new member to serve as a greeter at a church meeting so that he/she meets everyone in the church.

Q: "When a new person or family joins, it seems like within a few months, their zeal wears down, and they get just as complacent and inactive as our longer term members. I hate to see this happen. Is there anything we can do as a pre emptive measure to get our new members involved in church life?"

A: Yes! Be proactive. As soon as possible, even with new members who are new in the things of God, you can:

• Invite new members to be on a committee, to serve on a special project, to help plan a church social event.

• Ask new members to present at a committee meeting, if they have a background or experience in that particular field.

• Allow opportunities for new members to give feedback to church leaders.

• Invite new members to participate in organizing a project.

• Recognize that the demands of work and family can make it hard for members to balance serving in the church with other commitments. So, involving the entire family in church activities can help members integrate volunteer commitments into their lives and increase the quality of their family lives.

Q: "It’s common for a new member to be the only one in his or her family to become a member. Sometimes, they have a spouse or children who don’t ever come to church with them. How can we get the new member’s whole family involved in the church?"

A: Here's some good ideas...

• Invite spouses of members to come to social functions, activities, get involved in projects.

• Encourage family attendance at special church events, programs and concerts.

• Encourage family involvement in service projects, such as a church work day, or community activities that the church is involved in.

• Invite spouses and family members of deceased members to church and special events.

• Involve children of members in church activities as much as possible.

• Make church involvement a family tradition for your new members.

EDUCATING NEW MEMBERS

Q: "Making disciples is a major responsibility of the church. This is done in part by educating our new members along with the rest of the congregation through the preaching and teaching from the pulpit and in the Sunday School classes. Why is it important to educate new members about our particular church as opposed to just the normal giving them basic principles of being a Christian?"

A: First off, a person can know all there is to know about being a Christian, and still not be an active and productive church member. But, beyond that:

• Knowledgeable members can become immediately involved in church activities and in the service of the Lord. They know what their limits are, as well as their prerogatives. They know they can invite people to attend, become part, invite people to join, etc, as well as knowing where to turn when there is a question or issue that is beyond their level of expertise to deal with.

• Educated members will feel more confident and comfortable interacting with experienced church members. They at least have some idea what the older members are talking about!

• Educated members will be in a better position to assume their place in the Body of Christ and to begin carrying out their church responsibilities. They know the needs, as well as the expectations of helping in various areas of the church. They have better input and are more willing to offer feedback and suggestions to the Pastor and other leadership.

• Members who are well educated in the Word and about your church will be more successful at reaching out and recruiting new members.

• In order for your church to grow, you need to retain the members that the Lord brings in and then help them maintain their joy, zeal and effectiveness.

• Continuing education, training and growth opportunities keep members involved, interested, committed and growing.

• The church, as the Body of Christ, is a dynamic organization. Informing members of changes and opportunities will ensure that they remain challenged, motivated, and enthusiastic.

• A high turnover rate in existing churches is one of the most pressing membership issues that any church faces today.

Q: "Our church has never emphasized all this training, educating, mentoring and all that. In fact, none of the churches I know of puts any kind of emphasis on it. This just sounds like one more “church growth” idea that gets tossed around every few years. Why is it important to make training and education a priority within our church?"

A: Here are some good reasons...

• One of the most important principles of membership growth is ensuring membership retention. If they are leaving as fast as you bring them in, you’re not growing.

• Education is fundamental to retaining even your current members. They need to know the benefits of being members of your specific congregation and feel a connectedness to the other people here that they will not find anywhere else. Otherwise, they are likely to fall prey to the next church in town that starts marketing itself extensively and begins recruiting members form the other local churches.

• An involved member is much less likely to lose interest in and leave an active church.

• Educating your members in the Word and about your church and giving them active roles to carry out is an excellent tool for retaining current members.

• Educated members can help your new members develop the knowledge base necessary to function effectively as church members and help the entire church succeed in what God has purposed for you to do.

• Educating potential members as to what they can expect from being involved in your church and what is expected from them will help them not to have unrealistic expectations.

• When you educate new members, it builds trust. It keeps the operations and roles of the church from being a mystery to them, helping to keep "vain imaginings" in check.

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Attracting & Recruiting New Members Article Three: Developing Your Membership - Orientation, Education & Retention Q: "You talk about new member orientation, as an actual program. I’ve never heard of this. What would such a program include?" A: There are several ways of doing this. Not a lot of churches seem to do it, but many other civic organizations have some version of a new member orientation program. I first ran into this a member of a local Rotary club several years ago. The idea is to expose the new member to all the reasons he or she joined in the first place, and to help him or her to become active and fruitful. It doesn’t have to be an actual program; it can be done through existing members giving a testimony from time to time, that includes these elements. The pastor can include them in parts of his sermons. But here they are: • Benefits of membership – Why it’s important to be connected to a group of caring, spiritual positive people; a nurturing extended family. Why it is so uplifting to have people who are praying for you, supporting you and helping you be the best person you can be. Also, the fact that being a member gives them more open doors for serving and contributing to other peoples’ lives. Keep these in front of the new member, reminding him/her why he or she joined in the first place. • Responsibilities of membership – Along with the benefits come the responsibilities. Since being a member can make such a deep impact on the lives of those around you, its important to be in every service possible. First of all, so you can grow, and secondly because there are other people who may be helped by not only your presence, but by something you may be able to say to them before or after the service. As a Pastor, it’s important to regularly model and talk about the responsibilities to be a good, strong, loyal and active member. • Opportunities for service – Sometimes new members feel like they have to hang around a few years before the local church lets them use all their talents and experience. As often as possible include the new member in plans for activities, events and community service projects. • Purpose, history, and mission of your local congregation - Again, keep these factors fresh in the mind of the new member, instilling him/her with confidence and a sense of connectivity to the past. What if your church has some parts of its history that you’re ashamed of (Like racism, or immorality, church splits, etc)? Obviously, you don’t mention them. You just talk about how God has brought your congregation a long way over the past twenty years, and how He has been faithful in shaping your church into a people that He could use more and more fully – and how excited you are about the future of your congregation. • Involvement and connection of new members – Some churches, even smaller ones have cliques that are hard for new members to break into. Make sure the new member is introduced frequently to people he or she may not have met yet. • Mentoring - Assign a mature, longtime member to take the new member under wing, to not just answer his or her questions, but to keep in regular contact and make certain that the new member becomes an active participant in the life of the congregation. Q: "I can tell you right now, our congregation is too small to pull off something like that. Our members are already overworked, and it’s the same ten or twelve people doing everything. Is there a trimmed down version of this we can try?" A: You’re in the same boat as probably 75% of churches: too few people doing too much work. Here’s what can be done by a handful of people with minimal extra energy. Each person can: • Make an effort to become acquainted with each new member. • Personally invite new members to join a committee, participate in a church social activity, or help with or project. • Assign a mentor to the new member. • Ask the new member to serve as a greeter at a church meeting so that he/she meets everyone in the church. Q: "When a new person or family joins, it seems like within a few months, their zeal wears down, and they get just as complacent and inactive as our longer term members. I hate to see this happen. Is there anything we can do as a pre emptive measure to get our new members involved in church life?" A: Yes! Be proactive. As soon as possible, even with new members who are new in the things of God, you can: • Invite new members to be on a committee, to serve on a special project, to help plan a church social event. • Ask new members to present at a committee meeting, if they have a background or experience in that particular field. • Allow opportunities for new members to give feedback to church leaders. • Invite new members to participate in organizing a project. • Recognize that the demands of work and family can make it hard for members to balance serving in the church with other commitments. So, involving the entire family in church activities can help members integrate volunteer commitments into their lives and increase the quality of their family lives. Q: "It’s common for a new member to be the only one in his or her family to become a member. Sometimes, they have a spouse or children who don’t ever come to church with them. How can we get the new member’s whole family involved in the church?" A: Here's some good ideas... • Invite spouses of members to come to social functions, activities, get involved in projects. • Encourage family attendance at special church events, programs and concerts. • Encourage family involvement in service projects, such as a church work day, or community activities that the church is involved in. • Invite spouses and family members of deceased members to church and special events. • Involve children of members in church activities as much as possible. • Make church involvement a family tradition for your new members. EDUCATING NEW MEMBERS Q: "Making disciples is a major responsibility of the church. This is done in part by educating our new members along with the rest of the congregation through the preaching and teaching from the pulpit and in the Sunday School classes. Why is it important to educate new members about our particular church as opposed to just the normal giving them basic principles of being a Christian?" A: First off, a person can know all there is to know about being a Christian, and still not be an active and productive church member. But, beyond that: • Knowledgeable members can become immediately involved in church activities and in the service of the Lord. They know what their limits are, as well as their prerogatives. They know they can invite people to attend, become part, invite people to join, etc, as well as knowing where to turn when there is a question or issue that is beyond their level of expertise to deal with. • Educated members will feel more confident and comfortable interacting with experienced church members. They at least have some idea what the older members are talking about! • Educated members will be in a better position to assume their place in the Body of Christ and to begin carrying out their church responsibilities. They know the needs, as well as the expectations of helping in various areas of the church. They have better input and are more willing to offer feedback and suggestions to the Pastor and other leadership. • Members who are well educated in the Word and about your church will be more successful at reaching out and recruiting new members. • In order for your church to grow, you need to retain the members that the Lord brings in and then help them maintain their joy, zeal and effectiveness. • Continuing education, training and growth opportunities keep members involved, interested, committed and growing. • The church, as the Body of Christ, is a dynamic organization. Informing members of changes and opportunities will ensure that they remain challenged, motivated, and enthusiastic. • A high turnover rate in existing churches is one of the most pressing membership issues that any church faces today. Q: "Our church has never emphasized all this training, educating, mentoring and all that. In fact, none of the churches I know of puts any kind of emphasis on it. This just sounds like one more “church growth” idea that gets tossed around every few years. Why is it important to make training and education a priority within our church?" A: Here are some good reasons... • One of the most important principles of membership growth is ensuring membership retention. If they are leaving as fast as you bring them in, you’re not growing. • Education is fundamental to retaining even your current members. They need to know the benefits of being members of your specific congregation and feel a connectedness to the other people here that they will not find anywhere else. Otherwise, they are likely to fall prey to the next church in town that starts marketing itself extensively and begins recruiting members form the other local churches. • An involved member is much less likely to lose interest in and leave an active church. • Educating your members in the Word and about your church and giving them active roles to carry out is an excellent tool for retaining current members. • Educated members can help your new members develop the knowledge base necessary to function effectively as church members and help the entire church succeed in what God has purposed for you to do. • Educating potential members as to what they can expect from being involved in your church and what is expected from them will help them not to have unrealistic expectations. • When you educate new members, it builds trust. It keeps the operations and roles of the church from being a mystery to them, helping to keep "vain imaginings" in check. www.STEVEDAVIS.ORG FREE Podcast \| Constitution & Bylaws YOU need! \| Contact All images & content are subject to copyright SteveDavis.org TM	Home Your Tough Questions Answered Leadership Challenges, Skills & Tips Ministry & Church Government The Constitution & Bylaws You Need! Get Them Organizing & Functioning Leadership in The Lord's Churches Who is Dr. Steve Davis? Dr. Steve Davis in the News CDs, DVDs, eBooks & Merchandise FREE Podcast! Links