Here’s some research that you should know about because it could give you some pointers on what grows church plants. The research included all major denominations and some 1200 church planters. The survey was limited to churches started after 2007 so the number of church planters that fit the criteria was 843.
General observations for comparison purposes:
- Average worship attendance the third year was 95.
- New commitments by the third year was 18.
- 34% of the church plants had an unchurched background.
Every study I know of has shown that new churches that aren’t self-sufficient by the fourth year most likely will never be self-sufficient. So what helps a church become self-sufficient? Consider the following.
- 71% of new churches that put their sermons online as a form of communication are self-sufficient within three years, those that don’t- 57%
- 74% of new churches that meet in a school are self-sufficient within three years- those that meet elsewhere-60%
- 71% of new churches that have membership classes are self-sufficient within three years- those that don’t- 53%
- 68% of new churches that have a leadership training plan are self-sufficient within three years- those that don’t- 57%
- 72% of new churches with a proactive stewardship plan to move to self-sufficiency are within three years- those that don’t- 53%
- 71% of new churches that contribute to other church plants are self-sufficient within three years- those that don’t – 54%
- 73% of new churches whose pastor feels adequately compensated are self-sufficient within three years – plants with pastors who don’t – 57%
- 71% of new churches that plant at least one church in their first three years are self-sufficient within three years – those that don’t – 63%
But what about things churches do to grow attendance? Consider the following:
- The average attendance by the third year in churches that use mailers as one of their top 3 forms of communication is 129 versus 86 for those who do not.
- The average attendance by the third year in churches that use radio or television ads as one of their top 3 forms of communication is 167 compared to 92 for those who don’t.
- The average attendance by the third year in churches that contribute to other church plants117 compared to 62 for those who don’t
- The average attendance by the third year in churches whose leaders invest or mentor other leaders of new churches is 121 compared to 73 for those who do not.
- The average attendance by the third year in churches whose leaders receive at least a month-long training course provided by their denomination or network or coach is 154 compared to 93 for those that don’t.
- The average attendance by the third year in churches whose leaders receive financial compensation for their work is 108 compared to 50 for those that don’t.
- The average attendance by the third year in churches that hold new members classes is 113 compared to 67 for those that don’t
When it comes to reaching the unchurched, we are learning that there are a lot of myths about outreach that just don’t hold true, like door hangers and door-to-door strategies. Consider the following
- 37% of those new churches that use special events for kids as a primary form of outreach are unchurched – compared to 30% for those that don’t.
- 45% of those new churches that use door hangers or flyers are unchurched are unchurched – compared to 31% for those that don’t.
- 38% of those new churches that use prayer walking in preparation for their launch are unchurched- compared to 33% of those that don’t.
- 45% of those new churches that use door-to-door outreach as a primary strategy for their launch are unchurched compared to 33% for those that don’t.
- 46% of those new churches that use ongoing sport leagues as a primary form of outreach are unchurched compared to 32% for those that don’t.
The goal of the Great Commission is to reach new believers. Consider the following information about how this happens in church plants
- New churches that use podcasts as a form of communication have an average of 60 commitments compared to 38 for those that don’t.
- New churches that use mailers as one of their top 3 forms of publicity have an average of 25 commitments the third year compared to 16 for those that don’t.
- New churches that use a sports league as a continuing form of outreach have an average of 20 commitments the third year compared to 18 for those that don’t.
- New churches that have a plan for leadership development have on average 22 commitment the third year compared to 11 for those that don’t.
From this survey we can conclude the following:
- New Churches that use digital presence, have intentional outreach activities and programs, and are investing in developing lay leaders are more like to see higher number of commitments from people with no church background.
- Growing churches are more likely to use door hangers, mailers, television, sport leagues, special events for kids, prayer walks, door-to-door, and podcasts than those that don’t.
- New churches that prioritize a public presence, focus on new membership assimilation, and developing leaders are more likely to become self-sufficient by the fourth year.
- New churches that invest in other church plants are more likely to grow than those that don’t.
- New churches that have an intentional plan for leadership development are more likely to grow than those that don’t.
- New churches that have membership classes and raise the membership bar are more likely to grow than those that don’t.