One of the practical challenges that pastors face is how to encourage church members to become members? How to convey to people the significance and joy of belonging to a local community of believers?
Let’s look at six tips for encouraging church members to become members. The first four are about creating an environment where membership is valued and understood. The last two are about caring for specific people who need to make the transition from church member to active member.
Creating a culture of membership value
1. Know your church members well.
To effectively encourage a parishioner to become a member of the church, a pastor needs to have a deep understanding of the current members of the community. Without this, the very concept of «membership» can remain vague even to the one promoting it.
Imagine inviting a church member to dinner with your family on Saturday afternoon. The guest arrives expecting to see your wife and children, but instead you lead them through the house and ask each person whether they are a guest or a family member. This «introduction» destroys the very idea of family unity.
When we talk about belonging to a local church, we mean a real family—a community of people who know and love each other. We invite the visitor to become part of this living community. Our invitation should be personal, reflecting real faces, names, and life stories. If we know these faces and names ourselves, it will be much easier for us to introduce this spiritual family to the new person and make him a part of this unity.
2. Truly appreciate your church members.
Honestly, I missed this important moment when I became the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Grand Cayman. I came in full of enthusiasm and determination to serve. I wanted to love and serve people, but I failed to appreciate one key aspect: the church members had been serving the Lord long before I came. They were already working in many ways, and they needed not only my love but also my gratitude for the grace of God that was already at work in their lives.
Instead, the community often heard me offer suggestions for improvements and new ideas. This was perceived as criticism, dissatisfaction, and even a lack of gratitude. By doing so, I unintentionally offended some and alienated others. Some showed me much patience and grace, understanding my good intentions. However, I now realize that it would be better to show these good intentions through sincere gratitude and appreciation for all the good I saw in their lives and ministry.
Looking back, I see that the first two to four years of my ministry in this church should have been spent repeatedly, specifically, and sincerely encouraging, thanking, and acknowledging the merits of many wonderful people. These were people who embodied Christ-centered and Christ-like lives.
If I had known the members of my church more closely and observed their faith in action, I would have had an invaluable arsenal of sermon examples, opportunities to write encouraging notes, and opportunities to publicly celebrate God’s work in their lives. By using such illustrations and words of appreciation, I could create an atmosphere of encouragement, grace, and gratitude. This would have encouraged the current members of the church and made membership attractive to the congregation.
People want to be part of a community that encourages and supports them. Churches and their pastors should be role models in this.
3. Preach a biblical vision of healthy Christian living in the local church.
One reason a Christian may attend church regularly but not join is his or her incomplete understanding of the Christian life.
Can we assume this? Yes, for Scripture is clear that the local church is God’s plan for our spiritual growth and discipleship (Eph. 4:11–16; cf. Matt. 28:18–20). As social creatures, we need community, and God has provided it in the form of the local church. It is a place where we «rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep,» where we show mutual concern (1 Cor. 12:12–27).
However, if the congregation has not yet embraced a biblical vision of Christian life centered on the local church, this requires pastoral analysis. Our task is to preach and teach in a way that reveals the church as an attractive and desirable part of God’s plan for His people.
We need to help both parishioners and current church members understand what it means to be «in» the church and show the dangers of spiritual isolation that arise when a person is «outside» it.
To address this need, a thematic sermon series on church or spiritual fellowship could be organized. Another approach is to delve into Ephesians or 1 Timothy, which vividly describe the beauty and diversity of church life. It is also important to draw practical conclusions about membership as you preach from other books of the Bible, demonstrating how the theme of belonging and community runs throughout Scripture.
In all of this, we seek to present a high, inspired vision of the local church, showing its glory, beauty, and even complexity. This will help people understand why church membership is not just important but essential for spiritual growth and a fulfilling Christian life.
4. Strengthen the boundaries of the church
One of the results of teaching about the importance of belonging to a local church is to establish clear boundaries between the church and the world by restricting certain activities to church members only.
Throughout Scripture, God calls His covenant community to be separate from the world. He establishes certain practices that clearly set God’s people apart from those around them. The boundaries between Israel and the world were to be clear, giving form and meaning to belonging to the covenant community. In this context, the words about people who were «alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world» (Eph. 2:12) sound especially terrifying.
Even in secular organizations, there are clear rules for determining who is «inside» and who is «outside.».
Similarly, in the church, in order for members to understand the importance of membership and for non-believers to understand that they are «separated from Christ,» it is necessary to strengthen the boundaries between the church and the world. To do this, pastors and congregations must determine which types of ministry and opportunities are available only to members.
- Can non-church members teach Sunday school?
- Are they allowed to sing in the church choir?
- Can they participate in small groups or accompany missionary teams?
- Will you invite Christians who are not members of any local church to participate in the Lord's Supper?
Clearly defining the privileges and responsibilities available only to church members helps demonstrate the importance of being «in» the community of God’s people. It also clearly shows what people lose by remaining «outside» church membership. Thus, boundaries not only protect the church but also become a powerful tool for teaching and calling for spiritual growth and responsibility.
Pastoral care for parishioners
5. Personally answer various objections and encourage people to join the church.
After several years of hard work creating an environment where membership is valued and meaningful, we are able to work more effectively with our parishioners. We hope that as the local church grows in value, the congregation itself will do most of the personal work.
This work includes two aspects:
- Identification and introduction to parishioners.
- Response to a parishioner's objection to joining the church.
When I was a political lobbyist, we used a tool called a «flow chart.» Pastors, by creating a similar chart on paper or in their head, should determine whether their congregation is «strongly opposed,» «never thought about it,» or «planning to join next week.» Preaching and fellowship will do most of the work, especially among those who are already motivated to join. But among those who have questions or doubts, more attention is needed.
The commandment to «show hospitality» (Rom. 12:13; 1 Pet. 4:9) is important in helping people take the step toward commitment. Open homes encourage open hearts and open conversations. We can move from brief conversations after services to purposeful discussions around the table.
By being patient and attentive, we can support a parishioner in moments of pain, disappointment, or fear, helping them to come to committed membership. The goal is not to «win» the argument over membership, but to practically love the person in word and deed until the Lord grants them insight and love.
6. Encourage the parishioner to join another local church, if not yours.
Finally, we must remember that the Lord has other faithful pastors and churches.
We should rejoice in this fact. We are not in competition with other churches, but partners with them in the Gospel.
Sometimes we may encounter members whose objections to joining our church seem insurmountable. Perhaps they disagree with us on some important doctrine or church practice. Or perhaps they live closer to another faithful church and can be more actively involved there. In such cases, helping people make the transition from parishioner to member may include supporting them in joining a local church that is not ours.
This can be emotionally difficult for some people—especially those who have become attached to the church but have not yet joined. Such situations require pastoral patience and compassion. But we do it for the good of that person, desiring what God requires of him or her—active membership, which is far better. We are trying to advance the Gospel, not just our church. We are trying to grow Christians, not membership rolls. Sometimes this means helping people join another local church while we continue to shepherd the flock God has entrusted to us (1 Pet. 5:1–4).
CONCLUSION
Pastors often feel uncomfortable with those who attend church but never join. We can be disappointed when things that seem obvious to us are ignored by others. We need to guard our hearts against intolerance and self-righteousness. Although we devote most of our time to our church members because we have a great responsibility for them, our parishioners also need our care and service. The transition from attendance to membership is an opportunity for love. In a real sense, that is what ministry is.
