Blog | Will a New Building Grow My Church Attendance
Will a New Building Grow My Church Attendance
Being a church planter is one of the most difficult and demanding jobs you can have. You’re starting a ministry from scratch, and while you may have a solid idea on why your church needs to exist and what its long-term goals are, it can be really difficult to get people on board during the early stages of your church’s life.
If you are trying to grow your ministry, and moving into a new building is one of the many items on your checklist, you’re probably eager to get the ball rolling. But will getting a new building really grow your church attendance?
Will a New Building Grow my Church Attendance?
The not-so-simple answer is, no… and also, sometimes, yes… Growing church attendance isn’t something that can be boiled down to any one, simple factor. There are a ton of different factors to consider when relocating your church to a new building; some may be beneficial and others, detrimental to your church attendance.
Here are a few things to consider before you pull the trigger on moving your church into a new building:
Stay Near Your Current Location
Location is one of the biggest reasons that church attenders choose a particular church over another. Of course, there are plenty of other elements that come into play when selecting a church, but location is huge.
People want to attend a church that’s convenient for them to get to. When people move into a new home, they’ll often switch churches over a difference of 20 extra minutes of commute time.
If you are going to move your church into a new building and you want to bring all (or most) of your current congregation members with you, make sure you are moving somewhere that’s not too far away, otherwise you may be starting from scratch with your ministry in a bigger building with bigger expenses.
Assess Your Prospective Church Culture
What is your church culture like, and who are the type of people you want to be reaching? A rural church will have a drastically different culture than an inter-city church.
Research how many churches are in the area you plan to move to. Look into the population size, demographics, and behavior of people in the city you’re moving to. While you may love the culture of your church currently, moving into a building means you’re openly adopting the community it’s a part of and are asking people of that community to form the basis of your church.
There’s no right or wrong answer here aside from simply ensuring that the community your church will be located in is the culture you’re striving to build.
Factor in Scalability
It’s great to have your own space for your ministry. If you’re able to build or purchase a building for your church at a reasonable cost, all props to you! But you have to factor in scalability here. If you’re planning to grow your church attendance significantly, finding a big enough building for the long-term may seem like the best call, but sizable buildings come with their own burdens.
The best course of action is to find a location that is scalable. This frees you from worry of committing to a building that’s too large for your needs, or regretfully having to move again after you outgrow the new building. Find a building or area where you can build or continuously grow in. Also factor in the potential to branch of into various campuses should you exceed your building’s capacity.
The Gist of It All
Moving your church into a new building won’t directly grow your church attendance – the two aren’t directly correlated. Although, the location of your church, your intended audience and culture, and the potential for scalability in a new location all may have an impact on your church attendance.
Pick somewhere that is convenient for your current members to commute to (unless you plan to start from scratch). Factor in the city your moving to – is it the demographic and culture of people you’re trying to reach? The demographics of the area you move to will influence the culture of your church, so be prepared to learn and adapt your vision for the church as new volunteers come on board. Finally, make sure you are moving to a location that allows you to scale. It keeps costs low initially without having to worry about moving again once you outgrow the new building!
About the Author
Chris Fleming is a professional musician from Minneapolis, MN who has played with artists such as Kari Jobe, TAYA, Aodhan King, and Jason Gray. He is actively involved with the CCM scene and has contributed as a drummer, music director, song writer, and producer for various worship artists and churches locally and nationally. Chris is the Motion Designer at Motion Worship, helping to create motion background collections and countdowns for our subscribers.