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The largest potential source for growing your church is right there in your community. But is your church prepared to reach new people and better disciple your current congregation?
According to recent studies, religion is becoming a less important aspect of peoples’ lives. Just 36% of Americans, both Christians and non-believers, say that religion is the one of the most important things in life. That’s a significant drop from 43% back in 2012.
At the same time, people continue to want to know more about God. More and more people are looking to the internet for answers. Today, 30% of Americans go online seeking information about religion and 63% of Christians want more online discipleship resources to help them grow spiritually.
Let’s explore how providing your community with accessible, relevant, and valuable content can bolster all parts of your ministry and grow your church in the process.
Staying relevant allows churches to connect with the evolving needs and interests of the community they serve. But what do we mean by relevant?
In the context of your church, relevance means finding creative and meaningful ways to communicate and connect with disciples in a changing world while remaining grounded in biblical truth. It doesn’t mean abandoning God’s Word or principles, but rather speaking in a way that a non-churched audience will understand.
As society and technology continue to advance, people's habits, preferences, and communication methods change. By adapting to these changes, churches can effectively engage with a broader audience, including younger generations who are often more influenced by digital platforms and contemporary approaches.
When churches are able to use modern means to connect with people, their church becomes more accessible, relatable, and impactful—drawing in a wider audience and effectively fulfilling their mission to spread the gospel to people beyond the church’s walls.
Check out these five ways that your church can have a deeper impact through staying relevant:
Societies and cultures evolve over time, and each generation has its own unique characteristics, needs, and communication preferences. To effectively engage and connect with the current generation, churches must understand their concerns, interests, and ways of communicating.
By staying informed and up to date, churches can effectively reach out to younger generations and create meaningful connections.
Staying up to date on the latest issues and challenges that people face is key for churches to provide guidance, support, and a moral compass in their community.
Whether it's family issues, mental health, or financial concerns, relevance enables churches to provide valuable guidance and support to their congregations and the broader community.
When churches address today’s topics, deliver relevant content, and provide practical guidance for real-life situations, people are more likely to see the value in being a part of the church community and planting deeper roots.
It fosters an environment where individuals feel understood, supported, and inspired to actively engage in their spiritual journey—no matter what part of the wider church community they’re from.
A church in tune with its community is more likely to attract new members. When churches are in touch with the needs and interests of the community, they become more appealing to those seeking spiritual fulfillment and belonging.
Being more than just a place within the community, but an actual presence, allows churches to connect with new individuals and create a welcoming environment for them to explore their faith.
Churches that stay relevant are better positioned for growth and long-term sustainability. By adapting to the changing needs of their community, churches can remain proactive and appealing to current members while attracting new ones.
This dynamic approach fosters continued growth, both in terms of the size of the congregation and the impact the church has on the wider community.
Now that you know more about why it’s so important to reach and engage the wider church community as part of your growth strategy, it’s time to learn more about how to do it. Below are four ways your ministry can appeal to and interact with more people in your area.
People today spend a good portion of their waking hours online, especially on their mobile devices. Establishing a strong online presence through a church website, church app, and social media platforms is essential, but you need the right church technology in your toolkit to do it well.
Regularly update your website with engaging content, live-streamed sermons, event information, and ways for people to connect with your community. Use text messages and push notifications to share inspirational messages, event updates, and encourage interaction.
You can do all this and so much more on the Subsplash Platform.
In order to reach a wider community and grow your church in the process, you need to take a proactive approach to bridging generation gaps within your congregation.
Doing so means you are communicating effectively with congregants from all walks of life and offering a unified and inclusive discipleship experience.
Actively engage in community events, volunteer work, and charitable initiatives. Interacting and getting involved with the broader community in a tangible way helps to raise awareness about your church and its values.
For example, your church could provide diapers and baby formula for young parents in your community, or start a food pantry to help provide for those in need. These kinds of tangible outreach programs not only meet practical needs, but they also might spark people in your area to visit your church.
This also provides an opportunity to connect with individuals who may be seeking spiritual guidance and introduce like-minded people.
Organize community events that are open to the public and promote these events through your social media, website, mobile app, local publications, and word of mouth. These events create opportunities for people to experience your church's community and values.
With platforms like Subsplash, you can easily plan, promote, and manage your community events online. You can also manage things like event registrations and payments all from one easy-to-use dashboard.
If you want your ministry to stay fresh and relevant, taking your church technology to the next level is going to be your top key to success. Subsplash equips you with everything you need to do this, all in one place.
This is your single, unified church tech solution, including custom mobile apps, online giving, church website builder, church live streaming, sermon libraries, and so much more. It’s all here ready and waiting for you—all that’s left for you to do is get started.
To learn more about leveraging technology to support your church community and the modern discipleship experience, [.blog-contact-cta] get in touch with Subsplash today! [.blog-contact-cta]
