Thirty Barriers to Growth

Rather than asking “How do I grow my church?” the more penetrating question is usually “What is keeping our church from growing?” 

The Holy Spirit wishes all churches to grow – and specifically through conversion growth. So if a church isn’t growing, what is keeping it from fulfilling its full redemptive potential?

The dynamics of an effective church haven’t changed for 2,000 years. We are to evangelize the lost, assimilate those evangelized, disciple those assimilated, and unleash those who have been discipled for ministry and ongoing evangelistic impact. 

Recently, with that in mind, I asked our staff to consider the following 30 areas and rank each one on a scale from one to 10. It’s not a unique list - it’s pretty basic to any veteran. We then compiled the average score for each area. The key was to highlight the lower scores, which reflected areas that might be hindering growth and, as a result, stand in need of attention. 

Let’s just say it was a conversation starter. 

And a darn good one.

Here it is. Maybe it will get you and your team talking too:

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Teaching
Offering both engaging content and effective/dynamic communication

Assimilation
Enfolding newcomers into community within 3 months;
small groups; membership

Invitation
Creating a culture of invitation; ease of invitation

Evangelism
Intentional evangelism among attenders; evangelism training

Structure
Lack of bureaucracy; ease of decision-making; letting leaders lead

Location
Ease of access from major roads/interstates

Facility
Seating/parking capacity; cleanliness; signage; first impression

Atmosphere
Warmth/friendliness; guest services; sensitivity/orientation toward
first-time attenders

Worship/Music
Reflective of contemporary tastes/styles; audience engagement; leadership; quality; ability to embrace as a first-time attender

Children’s Ministry
Quality/attractiveness of program; security; parental engagement/affirmation

Student Ministry
Effectiveness at outreach to student community; quality/attractiveness of program; effectiveness at reaching students from existing families/weekend attendance; parental engagement/affirmation

Participation
Members and attenders are actively participating in ministry opportunities, serving teams, church-wide events, etc.

Serving Recruitment
Enlistment for serving teams; discovery of spiritual gifts;
new ministry development

Internal Communications (among staff)
Internal awareness of events and programs; professionalism

Communication to Church Members/Attenders
Alerting them to upcoming events and activities;
website and app; weekly emails

External Communications
Community awareness of church; regular media coverage;
engagement within the local community

Marketing
Clear branding of the church; brand known to the community; effective marketing campaigns

Discipleship (Meck Institute)
Classes, seminars, specialized small groups and studies; knowledge of such resources; enlistment into such resources

Next Steps
Clear next steps to move people from the “crowd” to the “core”; classes to take, ways to get involved

Vision
Clearly articulated vision of future and growth/outreach

Mission
Strong sense of mission, clear target on the wall, turned outward vs. inward; knowledge of who we are trying to reach

Internal Morale
Spirit of the church, enthusiasm toward the church and its staff/leadership, energy and commitment levels

Volunteers
Engaged, encouraged and enthusiastic volunteers pursuing the mission; commitment of volunteer base; clear communication of need and opportunity for volunteers

Staff Morale
Attitude of staff; unity of staff; staff’s perception of appreciation

Staff Quality
Abilities of staff; capacity of staff; professionalism of staff;
effectiveness of staff

Leadership
Staff well-led at all levels; vision and direction clearly articulated;
wise decision-making; effective communication;
staff training and development

Volunteer Leadership
Identifying and training key leaders; finding those who understand the church’s DNA – the mission, vision and values

Macro-Thinking
Sub-ministries of the church relate to each other and the church
as a whole does not seem to fall into “silos” where they think only
of their own interests

The Flywheel
If the goal is to evangelize the lost, assimilate the evangelized, disciple the assimilated, and then unleash the discipled… how are we doing at handing the baton off at each juncture?

Prayer
Clear reliance on God through prayer on the staff level,
team level, volunteer level, church level

There you have it. 

Thirty areas for thoughtful reflection. I’m sure there are many more areas for consideration, but at least this gets your conversation started.

Like it did ours.

And again, the point is not “How do I get my church growing?”

It’s “What is keeping our church from growing?"

And then answering the question.

James Emery White