New Members will develop quickly if Engaged as early as possible. Here are some Ways to Engage New Church Members. They can be asked to help in Ushering, Visitor Welcoming, Coffee Shop, Church Bookstore, Discipleship Class, Various Ministries, Parking, DVD Ministry, Praise Team, It is important that you provide for them a spot where they contribute to the Body they want to grow with and serve.
I have always believed that when New Families come to join us, they have been directed and drawn to us from God. He is doing the leading, For Two Reasons one for the Families sake and also for the sake of our Church Family
Acts 2:38, “praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
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Ways to Involve New Church Members into the Family
Every Sunday, churches have the pleasure of welcoming new members who want to be part of the church community. These new members are looking for a home church and have selected your church as the place they want to worship.
It can be a challenge knowing how to engage the new addition to your flock so that they will not feel left out. Not all of them are born again and as you establish their spiritual status, you want them to be part of the church and grow as Christians. There are many ways that you can engage new church members and we will discuss 8 of them in this article.
Assessment Leadership / New Family
We as the Leadership Team would always meet with the whole family and have a prayer and discuss where they were at in their spiritual journey. We would get to know them where we could place them in areas they could learn and grow. Also to ask them to help them understand their spiritual gifts. We Felt that God was the one bringing his children to our family in that location to place in our hands.
From a Leadership Standpoint, we wanted to see how we could help Them Grow. Place them in the appropriate classes and times so they could continue learning. We also discussed their spiritual Gifts so we could put to work in God’s Kingdom as quickly as possible. Christians Grow when they serve.
1. Ushering
You can ask your new church members to volunteer as ushers and help people find seats during a service. Ushering in a non-threatening way to keep your new members busy as they learn more about the church. These members can also help with ushering during church events and activities.
This is a very important service, Some of the ways they can Usher are
- Greeting People as They Enter – This will Help them Get to Know the Family a lot quicker. Adults / Teens / Parent and Youth as a Team
- Help Directing People to Classes
- Helping Children to Children’s Church
- Handing Out Bulletins
- Collecting Contribution
- Directing Visitor Parking
- Collecting Prayer Request
- Helping with Coffee Ministry
- Straightening up after Services are Over
When new members usher others into the church, they begin to see that God can use them even though they are not sure of their gifts and what God has called them to do. It builds their confidence as they consider serving in other ministries.
Assigning Them to a Small Group
Helping them Meet the Small Group that they are to become a part of. You can introduce them to their Small Group Leader and their spouse. This will also allow the Small Group Leader to take the family under their wing
They can be assigned by location, or by Age Groups ( Young Adults, Middle Age, Seniors) Families with Children of similar ages.
Acts 5:42, “Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah”
2. Discipleship class
Invite your new members to join a discipleship class that will help them know more about the Christian faith. A discipleship class is a great way to engage those who are new because it gives you an opportunity to help them grow in their faith or to know Christ.
Such a class will teach them many things about the Word of God and how they ought to conduct themselves as Christians.
A discipleship class will help you know the spiritual gifts of these members and in which ministries to place them. When they are done with the discipleship class, they can form a fellowship group or join an existing one.
Matthew 28: 19-20, 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
3. Serve in a ministry
For the new members who are not new believers, you can ask them where they would like to serve. For example, if one was in the prayer ministry in their former church, they can join your prayer team. Some Church Ministries might be
- Fellowship
- Outreach
- Seniors
- Teens
- Children’s Church
- Education Children / Adults
- Planning Team
- Worship Team
- Praise Team
- Video Team
- Skit / Plays Team
- Vacation Bible School Team
- Finance Team
- Mission Team
- Facilities Team
- Widow / Widows
- Welcome Team
- IT Teams
- Prayer Ministry
- Womens Ministry
- Mens Ministry
- Young Adults
- College Kids
- Youth Missions
- Communion Preparation
Its a wise idea to have a published list of all your various ministries and your Ministry leaders( Their Names and Phone Numbers) Even as Early as your assessment Meeting. You can get with your ministry leaders and allow them to make contact.
It is important for you to realize when New Families Join Your Church Family, they will usually be very willing to be of service to others. They have come to you because they want to learn and grow. Give them Vision and Direction for their growth and their Service
Create opportunities in your ministries for those who already have an idea of their spiritual gifts and connect them to the relevant ministry leaders. God gave us spiritual gifts which we use to serve in the body of Christ and He knows where He wants us to serve. You can give your new members a list of your ministries and they can select the one they want to serve in.
4. Mission trips
There are new members who enjoy going on mission trips and would love to join your team. If you have planned a mission trip, you can ask some of your new members to be a part of it.
You can train them on what to do and give them roles they can handle. This is how you know their personality types and how to help them identify their areas of service within the church.
- Global Missions – World Trips
- Local Missions – Mission Trips to other States and Town
- Home Mission – Mission Outreaches at Home
- Homeless Mission
- Food Help Missions
- Prison Outreaches
- Military Letter Outreaches
Over the years I have taken Christians and also people that have not become Christians yet. I Measured their hearts and if the had a heart of submission and were willing to serve, I gladly put them to work. Many of those times by the end of the mission trip they became christians.
But use your judgment, a person with the wrong spirit can really harm a trip. Once you are overseas, you will need to handle any complications.
We took one Christian Couple on one of our trips. They were from a local congregation. When we got to South America we discovered, that they were very weak Christians.
Their language was a detriment to our trip. I had to have many conversations on the things they would say. Several days into the trip the husband locked himself in their hotel room. with windows shut. He had been a soldier and difficult memories from wars.
It took me two days to talk him out of his room. It all worked out well, he came out and his wife helped a lot, but I was a Young Preacher aged a lot on that trip.
As these new members engage with others, you will identify those who are good leaders and you can take them through a path that will bring out their leadership skills. This also applies to others with different gifts.
Matthew 28:16-20, 16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said,
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
5. Administrative duties
If you have a registration desk each Sunday or during other events, you can include your new members as part of the team. If you are visiting a prison or home for the elderly, you can invite them to help with putting together care packs.
You may find that they have good ideas on how you can be a blessing to the community around you or the less fortunate. Some new members are good with organization and they can help you plan your church activities effortlessly. They will give you new ideas that will be a breath of fresh air for your church.
6. Fellowship group
Depending on how your church includes new members into your fellowship or home groups, you can consider placing these members into some of them. If they have to go through a discipleship class for this to happen, then that is okay too.
This helps them feel as though they are part of your church community and they get to make new friends. They will have a regular activity for each week or month and this will keep them engaged in your church.
7. Utilize their gifts and skills
You may find that your new members are gifted in certain areas and can be of help to the church. For example, if you stream your services live you can invite those who are good with videography.
If you have writers, they can contribute to stories on your church blog or help with the development of various kinds of written content. Those who sing can join your worship team and those who love evangelizing can join your missions team.
I Corinthians 12: 4-11, “4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to other gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous power, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.”
8. Welcome team
For those who are extroverted and love to smile all the time, you can place them in the “welcome” team where they can help with serving tea or snacks to visitors.
Being new they may not have the knowledge about your church but they will be useful in ensuring visitors have refreshments. As they know more about your church you can place them in the front line where they answer questions that visitors may have.
Conclusion
The above are some of the ways you can engage new members in your church. There are definitely many more ways that are unique to your church. You can also get some ideas from the internet on how other churches are engaging their new members.
Pray and ask God to show you how your church can engage your new members so that they can feel at home. As you interact with new members, you will get to know them better and with the time you can lead them to areas where you feel they will blossom as they serve God.