I've been involved with churches that were big, and involved with churches that were small. The first church I worked for averaged about 180 members on Sunday morning for their worship service. Compare that to the church I attended when I graduated from high school, and where my father currently serves as a minister, which now has about 700 members.
One of my best friends and fellow minister, Jason, works for a congregation in Alabama that has well over 2000 members. The church I attended for the longest time from about 1st grade till around 10th grade only had around 35 in attendance.
Seemingly, according to Mac Lynn's 2006 book "Churches of Christ in the United States", it seems as if the majority of the congregations in the United States have anywhere from 50 to 199 members. If you were to take an average, the churches of Christ average about 97-100 members per congregation.
I have to be honest, I hate numbers. I've hated numbers for a long time. It started with Algebra 1 in 9th grade. I had a horrible teacher who cared more about flirting with the athletes in the class instead of teaching us math. Ever since then, I gave up on numbers.
When I was in youth ministry, there was always a double standard for numbers. I needed to grow the amount of people in the youth group, but it was okay for the church to stay the same size. If we weren't bringing in more teenagers to the youth group class, then I must be a lousy minister. That equation, sadly, is the equation that so many ministers must live up to.
Now I work for a church that is "struggling" with an average attendance of 160 or so. Of course, according to the studies of the church, this is an average, or better than average size for a congregation. Since I have moved here, I finally seem to have figured something out. No matter how large the church is in numbers, if you don't have love, it means nothing.
Sure, 2000 members singing in harmony together during a worship service sounds wonderful, but so do 75 members.
You may have the best and most educated ministers in the few 1000+ member congregations, but the churches of 200 members have ministers who put a whole lot of time into their work as well.
Most importantly, I feel as if when we pressure people to become members, they run. And if they run, more than likely they are just running away completely, and not to another congregation. When we throw a membership card in their face as they walk in the door, they're naturally going to think that we're just like every other venue in their lives.
Get to know them. Talk with them. If they want to give you their contact info, they will based upon desire to get to know your church better.
Have cards for them to take that have contact info for your church, service times, activities, etc. If they give you permission to call them or email them, great! If not, let them make the next move.
If you have done all you can as a church, they will want to come back. If the church was not friendly, clean, inviting, prepared, organized, welcome...no amount of cards, visiting or free cookies will get them back into the church.
We don't want the church to sound needy. When a church sounds needy by saying things such as "We really need you to be a member" or "Our church sure could use another servant", it comes across as needy. Instead, offer to do something for them, instead of trying to sign them up for the Benevolence Committee on their first visit. See what you can do for them, or if they have any questions.
The truth of the matter is, God did wonders throughout the world with Jesus and his 12 disciples. If I'm doing the math correct, 12 < the average number of members in the Church today.
I hate numbers. I always have, and I always will. The only number that matters is that there is ONE God, ONE Savior, and ONE Hope. Let's just do our best to show everyone who comes through that door, or everyone we come in contact with, or everyone we see on a daily basis, that Jesus Christ loves them and died for them.
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