Elevation Church: Getting Involved

A huge hindrance to church growth is not having a plan for those who want to dive deeper. Want to know why people leave church? There are many reasons, but let’s try a simple exercise before we dive in. Imagine what the experience is like for someone looking for a church. Someone enters your doors, then attends a service and is super excited about the church. Now they are asking themselves “what is the next relevant way for me to get involved?”. If you don’t make it easy for them, they flounder. Some will search or seek out a leader, but most won’t. So what happens to most people? People leave the church. Maybe not in the next month, but at some point for sure. How do you avoid this hindrance to church growth? Read on and see a tactic Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina (USA) does effectively that helps them grow the church.

Case Study Summary:

Best Practice Embraced: Steps for Involvement are thought out and easy for a new person to learn about
Church: Elevation Church (North Carolina, USA)
Church Growth Hindrance Avoided: Not having a plan for those who want to dive deeper
Takeaway: Plan for discipleship

What Elevation Church does well

Elevation church thrives because leadership at Elevation think about discipleship outside of the teaching in the service. They have Steven Furtick, so obviously people stay-right?. Have you heard him speak? He is very gifted for sure! But truth be told, people only stay so long for a gifted teacher. No offense to Steven Furtick, but if Elevation only offered an entertaining service and a killer sermon, they would probably stay at a decent size, maybe even hover in the thousands. But they wouldn’t experience explosive growth. And Elevation has experienced huge growth, and quickly. Why? Discipleship and people diving deeper is obviously a priority they have thought through.

Elevation’s Website is Disciple-Centric

You never want people to hunt for finding their “next step” for getting involved at the church. On the home page of Elevations website they have a “get involved” section with options for giving, small groups, and more. Anytime someone wants to take a next step, all they have to do is go to the home page and they can most likely find an option that is relevant to them. See the screenshot below. They even have a spot to sign up for “egroups” on the bottom, so they have thought through the many ways someone can take the next step in their discipleship and give them options. Great Job Elevation Church!

Why People Leave Church

People leave a church when they can’t see a path for their involvement. And each person is a little different in what their next step could be. A mom will definitely ask a different question than a single woman 5 years younger than her. The mom/wife will be most concerned about her families next step for involvement, and want to see that her husband can find a place to belong as well. The single woman will ask entirely about her next step and perhaps if there are ways for her to find a woman who can mentor and speak into her life. These are all potential paths for their unique discipleship. And one a church leader needs to think through. How do you meet their needs? Is your church called to meet that specific need at this time?

“Just Keep Coming on the Weekend” is Not Effective Discipleship

A church that hasn’t thought through what discipleship looks like will not have a clear answer for when someone asks “How can I get involved?”. Some leaders even default to saying “just keep coming on the weekend” thinking that at some point, the person will hear about ways to get plugged in. Simply put, that is not discipleship. The moment a person can’t see their spot long-term in a church, they lose confidence in everything the church may do to help them grow as a disciple, and…they leave.

Make the discipleship path clear and obvious

How do you make discipleship clear? How do you map out the “next steps” for someone? Start by thinking about the core values you would like to see a Christ follower at your church embrace and the behaviors that may help them get there. Those avenues for that growth are probably the best next steps for them.

Maybe ask, what can we do to help people learn more about God and how they can serve him? What ways can we help them embrace the fruit of the spirit?

Each church is different in how they approach discipleship. The important thing is to use discernment, pray, and let God direct the steps your specific church will take to make that path clear. Once it is, make sure to incorporate those pathways into your website and digital platforms, just like Elevation Church.