Almost everywhere I visit, in almost every phone call I make, people say, “I wish I could help more!” A lot of the time, they add, “But I don’t know what to do.”
Well, our buildings are in pretty good shape again. We’ve cleaned out a lot of clutter. We bought new hymnals. We’ve added insulation and rebuilt a couple of furnaces, so the heat bills aren’t eating us alive.
Most of our committees are up and running again. We’ve hired an active and creative new youth minister. But there’s still a lot more we need to do, and YOU are a key part of the solution!
Here are some things I tell people:
1) Pray! We need everyone connected with Springfield Friends to pray for our meeting’s health. We especially need you to pray for us to grow! All church growth happens because believers pray. We know that God wants us to grow and share more, but we need to be praying regularly and passionately for growth. Won’t you please help us by praying every day for us to grow?
2) Come to worship more often! We know people are busy, and a lot of things are happening on Sunday, but we miss you! I want to challenge you to step up your game this year – if you only come at Christmas and Easter, try coming three or four times a year. If your habit is to come every 6-8 weeks, try coming once a month. If you regularly come once a month, make it every 2 weeks. We need your presence!
3) Volunteer – this is one of the best ways to get to know other people, and we always need folks to help with special events, work days, and other activities. Better yet, start something new and get a few others to join you – this is one of the proven best ways to help us grow!
4) Encourage – even if you don’t feel you can lead or start things, you can be an encourager! Growing churches are places where people get thanked, where talents are noticed and special projects get applauded. Nobody likes to be taken for granted! We especially need to encourage our young people and new folks for the first steps they take in ministry. Don’t leave any gathering or conversation without thanking or encouraging someone.
5) Invite – in survey after survey, over 90% of people say they visit a new church is because someone they knew invited them. If we’re not inviting, we won’t grow – it’s that simple!
6) Help decide our future – this is a lot more important than most people realize. It’s easy to let things slide and do what we’ve always done before – most churches do exactly that. We need to hear your ideas and dreams! We need to know about the things you wish would happen or change. Tell me what you’re thinking, speak out during open worship, share your hopes with the right committee, or bring your idea to monthly meeting for business.
6) Give – I put this last on the list, because I want you to do all the other things first! I believe that when people are actively involved with the church, that money will truly take care of itself. However, please take a look at your giving, and ask if you’ve been keeping up with inflation. You’ve seen it in your own budget – things that cost $100 ten years ago cost $120 today. If your giving hasn’t increased in the last few years, you are actually giving less! We want to grow, and we need your contributions to do all the things Springfield wants to do – won’t you please help us?