4 Things All Growing Churches Have In Common

Like any business, certain companies who have unprecedented years of growth, have characteristics that are similar in nature to how they achieved it.  Similarly, churches who are showing the largest growth potential have shared features that showcase their ability to advance.  To help your church, here are 4 things all growing churches have in common.

Passionate and Proficient leaders

Any growth or advancement starts at the top with a leader.  Highly competent leaders who are deeply committed to the cause help ensure the parish is moving in the right direction. Without highly competent leaders, the church will prematurely hit a leadership capacity ceiling and plateau. Without deeply committed leaders, parishes will have a difficult time getting buy in from other council members and parishioners, causing it to stunt the growth and making it almost impossible to grow.

Clearly Defined Vision and Goals

As with any initiative, clearly defined goals help everyone move in the right direction towards the same vision.  Most parishes use prayer to guide them rather than help by setting a plan or course of action.  While God is with us in everything we do, His love is not there to hand things over to us.  It is there to guide us to where we need to go.  Most churches forget that planning is spiritual. Hope is not a successful business strategy; if you don’t have a target you’ll miss your mark every time.

Supportive Culture

Culture is about creating a unified environment that helps create how the people in the organization think and feel, what they value, and how they actually behave. Regardless of the motivational speeches, posters or pamphlets, culture is there, whether you like it or not.  It creates a parish the is united in the mission at hand. Of all the things that a leader does, the most important is what the leader does to protect and fuel the culture.

Strong Communication

It is said the secret to happiness is giving freely.  If this is true, than the secret to keeping those who give freely happy is to communicate with them.  The most important thing to establishing culture and growing your parish is ensuring they are communicated to very clearly and in a transparent way.  Using the bulletins, pulpit and newsletters, as well as interactions with parishioners at every instance, is a way to spread the word of the church and be sure all members know the direction the church is heading, as well as their role in achieving that vision.

These characteristics of growing churches are common themes.  If your parish has these features, you are well on your way to a stable future.  Church Budget can enhance this with other efforts to pray, save and grow your parish.