Increasing Church Membership, Continued!

Doesn't surprise me nowadays. I have seen churches giving out coupons for McDonalds too.

Sometime when you get a chance just do a search on the Baptist Foundation of Arizona and how much money was lost. The SBC leadership supported such a money making venture.

 

A Pentecostal church here in Japan gave a huge bottle of beer to all who attended their first service in a new building!

 

If these churches are only trying to increase church membership, without careing about people coming to Christ. Just members for numbers sake then I see the problem.

My question, what makes you say these churches just care about numbers and not the people coming to these functions?

I bet the churches giving out the Mcdonalds cupons would say that if somebody came for a free hamburger and heard the message of the gospel then it was worth it. Besides Jesus fed people that came to his "function" like a bread and fish picknic.

Are these churches not presenting the gospel at these events?

 

Lets not confuse attendence with membership. Most of these types of functions can have a short term effect upon attendence at Sunday Morning Service, rarely do they bring in people who become regular attenders and then eventually members.

I believe one place we forget to look for new members in right in the pews. There are alot of people who come every Sunday morning, many on Sunday night, and a few on Wednesday night who's names are missing when you look at the membership rolls.

Bill

 

I would not hesitate to invest the amount of money it cost to buy and give away a new TV for the opportunity to share the gospel with lost people who may not otherwise come to the block party. There is nothing unbiblical about it. It is an investment. It is not about "increasing membership". It is about people coming to Christ.

 

One cannot bribe a person to "come to God". It is God who calls that person to salvation, not TVs, not coffee cups, not McDonalds coupons, nor any other earthly blandishments we may offer.

To attempt to increase membership by these things is no different that the Lions club or JCs having memberrship drives. The goal is to make disciples of believers. We cannot make believers of non-believers. (Ducking all tomatoes (rotten or otherwise).)

 

I agree

 

There are many things that can draw people into the church. I think we have gotten a little backwards in our theology. The people in the church are supposed to be saved. We are to reach the lost with the Gospel through personal evangelism, then disciple them through the church.

That doesn't mean the church is not to be evangelistic. If the goal is to get people to come to church to hear the Gospel, then what is wrong with that? I don't advocate giving away alcohol, but there are many things the church can do. For example, have a fall festival as an alternative to halloween. Have some type of Gospel presentation. Invite people to make a decision.

A lot of people's idea of evangelism is to invite a person to church and let the pastor or Sunday School teacher share the Gospel. That is not evangelism.

Preach the Gospel. Live the Gospel. Show people you care about them. People will respond to the Gospel.

 

Amen Brother! I couldn't have said it better myself.

Bill

 

I think it's great how all you guys can look through their methods of coming into contact with people and see their hearts and know that their motives are all about padding the church role and not about sharing the Gospel with lost people who probably wouldn't come to church otherwise. It must save you a lot of time to be able to so easily see through people, as opposed to the old fashioned way of building a relationship and really seeing where someone's heart is.

 

Preach the Word, brother!

 

Brother Ian

You can give an invitation as well.

 

If you can get them in the doors of the church, they're going to hear the Gospel and receive an invitation to accept Jesus Christ.

Our bus ministry gives out candy on Saturday to get kids to come to church on Sunday. That doesn't mean we ignore them once they get there...

 

From a former non-believer who is now a believer, I would have to strongly disagree.

Giving them the benifit of the doubt. The bribe is not to come to God. It is to come to the function where they can hear the word of God. We know that when ever the Gospel is presented seeds are planted. So come for the new tv, but we are going to plant seeds and pray they take root.

If this is true they are missing an oppertunity. I dont think the problem is the raffeling of the tv or the mcdonals then. The problem is the missing of an oppertunity to present the good news.