26 Jan “We Explode Churches”
Matthew 28:18-20
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
A little while back, a building team from a mid-size church in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania made several visits to our office here in Mason, Ohio. I finally had to ask the Senior Pastor why it was so important to travel that distance to work with HiFive…surely there were other church specialists in his area that could design and construct his new campus. “I’ve done my homework”, he said, “and you guys know how to explode churches!” I have to admit, I’d never quite thought about it that way before.
So I put together a simple questionnaire and sent it out to all the Executive Pastors with whom we’ve worked over the years asking them to provide us with their growth statistics at various intervals. Specifically, I asked for actual, non-redundant attendance numbers prior to construction, immediately after construction and one, two and three years after construction. What we discovered is nothing short of astonishing!
ATTENDANCE
NOTE: Most of the churches which responded were either flat in attendance or showing marginal growth prior to moving into their new facilities.
GIVING
Although getting financially involved with a church typically lags behind attendance growth by at least 12 months, it’s important to note both the short and long-term effects. Respondents to our questionnaire provided the following data for giving-growth.
In addition, HiFive gathered the following encouraging data from our church surveys:
• Average Cash on Hand (in Building Fund) prior to Capital Campaign: $174,000
• Average Initial Cash Offering: $362,000
• Average 3-Year Pledge Total: $935,000
• Average % of Pledges Received: 84%
In the world of church economics, increased giving is necessary to maintain pace with increased attendance. Outside of normally anticipated cost increases in staffing, mortgage and ministry, other incidental costs tend to accrue to growing churches. As they grow, churches simply tend to provide more services, not fewer. Healthy churches strike a balance between cost-growth and attendance-growth.
HiFive Church Group is in the business of “exploding churches”…it’s our passion, our joy and our commitment to you!
LEARN MORE AT WWW.CHURCH-DESIGNER.COM