WHY CHURCHES GROW

 
Media headlines about church attendance are almost invariably negative! So when an analysis of the churches which completed both the 1989 English Church Census and the 1998 English Church Attendance Survey showed that 1 in 5 churches grew, what was the headline? Yes, you guessed it! However, if 1 in 5 churches - and the proportion may have increased since 1998 - can buck the trend, how do they do it? A survey for the Salvation Army Central North Division in the summer of 2002 revealed some answers and we are very grateful to their Divisional Commander not only for commissioning the research but also for allowing Christian Research to release the main findings.
The questionnaire asked about anything which might have any bearing on church growth, and some of these factors were then tested in depth in Focus Groups. The main findings are summarised in the Table below. They are the answers to a question about what they thought was most important in the growth of their church. Respondents were allowed to tick as many of the items as they wished. These particular factors were asked because they had been the most significant in a study of large churches. These are the results:
 

Two factors stand out here, the warmth of the welcome and the ministry of the church.

Growth vs Decline
A number of factors were found to be significantly correlated with decline, but interestingly the opposite did not necessarily result in growth. So for example declining churches are more likely to have only one full-time member of staff - the minister. However, having more staff, whether clergy or other roles such as a youth worker, administrator or music director, is not a guarantee of growth.

Leadership
There was one clear 'winner' when it came to the survey results: growing churches are more likely to have a minister who is a visionary leader. A Belbin test, which shows people's team skills, was used and this showed that 23% of the clergy who completed it were primarily Resourcers - people who are excellent at networking, know where to go to get something done, and are highly useful in situations where many different types of need may be present. They are great Pastors, especially if they are also Team people, and may be good managers, but they do not necessarily have leadership skills. Resourcers were almost equally likely to be in charge of a rapidly declining church (19%) as of a fast growing one (24%).
Belbin describes two kinds of leaders, Shapers and what are often called Directors. Directors made even less difference to whether a church grew (14% of both fast declining and fast growing churches). But Shapers were much more likely to be leading a fast growing church (19% against 9% of fast declining churches). A Shaper is a more visionary leader than a Director.
Further light was shed on this in the Focus Groups which were also part of the research. The churches studied in this way had 11 factors in common:
1. A strong leader(s), who is a good communicator, not remote from his people and always thinking ahead to the next challenge or opportunity.
2. A clear vision of what they want to achieve, led by the leader, owned by the congregation and worked out in practice on a daily basis in all they do.
3. Biblical teaching and preaching which is relevant to people's lives.
4. A warm welcome, including from the minister(s), which is more than simply a warm welcome at the door but is a 'way in' to the family of the church.
5. A strong sense of belonging.
6. Programmes which are appropriate for the needs of the local community.
7. Little if any institutionalism.
8. A strong commitment to evangelism, but which is primarily worked out in social action and community involvement rather than overtly evangelistic programmes.
9. A willingness to work with and learn from others.
10. An ethos of prayer, even though not many attend prayer meetings.
11. They were all using the Alpha Course, but usually by invitation to people with whom they have already established contact through some other means rather than by 'cold' invitations.

Vision and leadership should ideally be headed up by the ministers, but if he or she does not have those gifts, can they be released through someone else in the congregation?
Ensuring that these factors are in place in your congregation does not guarantee growth, but this survey gives hope to those who want to turn the church around and do not know how to go about it.

Note: Christian Research will shortly be publishing a booklet with more details of the results. This will be sent to members as soon as it is available.

January 2001