Earlier this week, I introduced a new series on the church attendance panic we’re currently seeing in many churches. As we continue the conversation, I caught up with Bryan Collier, Lead Pastor of The Orchard in Tupelo, Mississippi, to get his thoughts on attendance, societal shifts, and his church’s mission. Catch the interview and highlights below.
Highlights:
- Regular attendance is declining in many churches because of family/community obligations.
- The Orchard is striving to leverage outside activities even though they may take people away from the church building on Sundays.
- “Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, you have a chance to connect with someone you might eventually bring to church.”
- Strategy from the start: “Don’t be here too much. We want them [the congregation] in discipleship, but if they’re at the church three or four times a week, that’s less time they have to be in the world changing it.”
- Make the most of the time you have with people while they are in the building.
- It’s important to develop multiple discipleship streams and create different avenues to share the Gospel through. How can we plant seeds in those in-between moments of life? (i.e. podcasts, videos, on-the-go resources, etc.)
Photo credit: Aaron Mello via pexels.com
Read the Other Articles in the “Panic at the Church” Series:
- Panic at the Church: Dealing with Less Frequent Attendance Patterns
- Church Attendance Decline? There’s a Problem with Your Product. – Panic at the Church (Part 3)
- Large Church Gatherings Are a Strategy, Not the Mission – Panic at the Church (Part 4)
- Why You Might Not Want People In Church Every Sunday – Panic at the Church (Part 5)
