The new year brings hope and rejuvenation to our spirits as we reflect on what we learned from last year, applying this knowledge to our efforts moving forward.
For the church, the challenge of growing and deciding how to grow changes each year. That could mean fostering deeper relationships with current members, creating new opportunities for discipleship throughout your community, or learning how to reach new people and invite them into your congregation.
But this begs the question…how do you do these things? And not just “do” them…but do them effectively.
Here are 5 questions your church can ask to help you build your roadmap for growth in 2025.
1. Who Makes Up Our Congregation?
Before you can decide where you’re going or maybe even where you want to go, you have to understand where you are. This is a crucial first step many churches skip before making a plan for growth, and unfortunately, it undermines any success they may have in growing their church. For example, in keeping with the New Year’s theme, before anyone begins a weight loss journey, they typically step on the scale so they can see how much they currently weigh (not my favorite part). Why do they do that? Because then, they are able to say, “I want to lose 25lbs.” They have a starting point, and that helps them create an end goal. A church is no different.
So grab those attendance sheets! Go back and comb through the dashboard on your church management software and look at the age ranges of your congregation, your givers, and your groups.
If you don’t have any of those things to look at, don’t get discouraged! Remember–it’s a new year! Now is the time to invest in your church, and that may mean investing in tools that can help you keep track of important data such as who’s attending age and other key factors that can help you when deciding what efforts need to be made for your church’s growth. Realm not only provides these types of tools, but combined with data from MissionInsite, ACS Technologies’ community analytics tool, you can get a picture of your congregation as well as your community.
2. Where Are Our Gaps?
Now that you know where you’re starting, you can begin to paint the picture of where you want to go. Which brings about the next question–who isn’t reflected in your congregation? Regardless of size, denomination, or location, most churches struggle to engage young families in their community. Maybe that’s a gap within your congregation that you would like to fill this year. Whatever that gap is, once you uncover it, you can then create intentional efforts to target these individuals. Where do they live in proximity to your church? What are their interests? What are their communication preferences?
Using this type of demographic data, you can plan intentional efforts to draw these people in and slowly fill the gap!
3. What Are The Needs Of Those In Our Current Congregation?
When it comes to church growth, two completely different opportunities exist, both equally important. Think of a tree: the above-ground growth is a direct reflection of how healthy the root system is below the ground. While it’s important for the leaves and branches to get sunshine and rain so they can grow, it’s just as important that the soil the roots are in are also receiving nourishment, because a healthy root system allows the tree to continue growing up and out.
Why am I talking about trees? Because your current congregation is your root system! So, how can you foster growth and connection within your ministry and strengthen that root system? Do you host regular activities for your church to attend to foster connection across all ages? Are there life groups or small groups in place for members to create inter-relationships with one another who are in the same stages of life?
These are all efforts you can quickly incorporate into your ministry to ensure your members connect and grow with each other.
4. What Are The Needs Of Our Community?
If you’re eager to attract new individuals from your community to your church, you must understand the needs/wants of those around you! While it is great to come up with ideas and try new things, it’s even better to have data driving the decision that you make to draw in these individuals, as it gives you a better chance to be successful!
By pulling data that gives insight into the demographics, socioeconomic status, and religious preferences of those in your community, your efforts will be intentional, maximizing the level of engagement. Maybe you uncover that there is a rising number of young families in your community who value their faith and are eager to plug into a church community. How could your church meet that need?
This is the power of making data-driven decisions. You don’t have to think you know what would work in terms of engaging your community; you can know.
5. How Can We Serve Both?
This is the part where you FINALLY get to build a comprehensive growth plan for your church, creating your roadmap for 2025! You know who you are, you know who aren’t. You’ve identified the needs of your congregants as well as the needs of those in your community. So now, how can you serve both and ensure that not only are your branches growing and leaves flourishing but also that your roots are growing deep and wide within your congregation?
The key is to take the information you’ve learned and put it to paper. Carve out a plan and then create touchpoints throughout the year to gauge your success: are the things we’ve put in place helping us achieve our goals? If you’ve created new life groups/small groups, make sure you take attendance. Hosting a quarterly event for young families? Ensure you are not only taking attendance but also capturing at least an email address so you can follow up with them and see if they would like to be informed of similar events!
Whatever you do, whatever your plan is, you’ve got to commit to seeing it through. That may mean doing things differently than you have been. You may need to invest in software tools that help you do things like take attendance. Host a monthly meeting with your group leaders so everyone can share what’s working well for each of them in terms of consistent engagement.
What’s Next?
Well, you’ve done it. You made it to the end of this blog, and now you’ve got your 2025 roadmap for growth!
As the old saying goes, it wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark. The time is NOW to plan for what you want so that you turn your wishes into attainable goals.
And this time next year, just think of where you’ll be!
Remember, the little things always add up and lay the foundation for the big things God is bringing your way. May 2025 be a year of growth and rejuvenation for your ministry!
Jenna Wallace
Jenna joined the ACST team in February 2020 as a Ministry Consultant for small to mid-size churches with a focus on empowering these ministries with the tools they need to accomplish their goals. She believes regardless of the size of the ministry, each church can utilize technology to fulfill the calling God has given them. Prior to joining ACST, she spent several years as a Sales Consultant across multiple industries, all focusing on relationship building, which she feels has allowed her to provide trusted advice to those in need. Jenna is passionate about helping others which fuels her eagerness to serve.
