Nurturing New Members
Each church is - or should be - family.
Not the sort of family where everyone is at daggers drawn however! It must be the sort of family who support each other both inside and outside the church. The sort of family where people invite themselves to each others houses and welcome those who call. God intends each church to be a taste of the fellowship we will find in heaven. Restricting ourselves to our blood and marital family and close friends is not enough.
We all are intended to be life long disciples of Christ.
Churches who build 'all-member discipleship', mentoring & accountability into their church tend to keep their members. Sadly in too many churches new members find that it is a survival of the fittest.
Running classes for children is a must.
That does not include putting the new members as helpers however. After all they need the adult teaching at least as much as the 'old stagers'.
Articles to Ponder.
Here is a collection of articles from the Adventist Review leading to the above observations. Although from a North American point of view, we can still learn much from what they have to say on nurturing new members.
New Members: Getting Them--Keeping Them
Don J. Wood surveyed 45 new Adventists in western Canada to see how well
they are settling in. Here's what he found.
How Friendly is Your "Friendly" Church?
People tend to stay in a warm, cosy church. Here's how to make it happen in
yours.
Growing With God
How to slam shut the back door of your church.
Churches Observed
Some things may surprise you. Some may not.
Growing Together
God doesn't call us to root things up.
Where are the Young Families?
Four suggestions for filling those empty pews.
