On Sunday, my church focused on the importance of community for Christians. From the sermon to the Sunday School lesson, we emphasized getting involved in a small group or Sunday School class at our church. Every year at the start of the school year, my church and many others focus on getting people engaged and involved in service and a small group. In 2024, it’s a hard sell.
In 2023, Lifeway Research conducted a study that revealed a concerning trend. 'On average, Protestant churches say 44% of their current weekend worship attendees are involved in a small group, Sunday School or similar group, indicating a decline in average small group attendance since 2010 (49%).'1. This decline in small group attendance is a red flag that demands our attention. But why should we care if attendees are in a small group?
Multiple studies have shown that the more active and engaged a member is, the more likely they will remain at their church. Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, answered, “Small groups and Sunday School classes provide the relational glue that allows a local congregation to be a place where people love one another. Groups and relationships that are centered on the Word of God unify a congregation and motivate people to work together on the mission of the church. Churches with few people participating in groups are not in a healthy position to be making more disciples.”2. This underscores the vital role each member plays in the church community.
This lack of making disciples manifests itself in the form of “Scripturally Disengaged” members. The American Bible Society (ABS) recently released the first chapter of their State of the Bible USA 2024 report. For 14 years, ABS has been tracking data that “highlights cultural trends in the U.S. regarding spirituality and Scripture engagement.” Their report gave this alarming observation, “out of 14 years of polling, January of 2024 marks the highest number of respondents ever to be “Scripture Disengaged.” This clearly indicates the impact of disengagement on our church's health and the urgency of the situation.3. We need to act now to reverse this trend and reinvigorate our church community.
When people become disengaged from church, they will soon be “Scripture Disengaged.” This can lead to a halt in their spiritual growth, and eventually, they may stop attending at all, resulting in a loss of giving. The question then arises, what can be done to offset this problem? Especially since the typical “active” church member comes to your main campus on average less than twice a month. The answer lies in the need for strategies to keep in contact with these members. At OnlineGiving.org, we have designed our Custom Forms Feature to help you easily and quickly engage with your members, emphasizing the importance of your role in the church's mission.
Form generators are not new. Form generators allow you to do various things, from surveys to sign-ups. You have probably heard of Google Forms or one of the several companies that provide such services. A church could sign up with one of these companies, but it’s one more place to manage data and one more bill to pay. Our church partners can manage our Custom Forms Feature within the OnlineGiving.org control panel.
Not only do you get our Custom Forms Feature seamlessly with our other features, but it also integrates with the major Church Management Systems. So, you save money avoiding a third-party vendor, and you save time as the information collected flows seamlessly into your ChMS. Don’t waste time manually inputting this data anymore!
How might your church use our remarkable Custom Forms Feature? Here are a few ways our Custom Forms Feature is being used.
- Sign-up and registration - No matter when or where your small groups meet, you can accurately record attendance and sign members up for other events.
- Prayer Requests - Using our form builder, you can easily allow members to share their prayer requests and set actions to automatically notify class members.
- Event sign-ups - From baptisms to attending camp, our forms allow for easy sign-up and payment (if required).
- Sermon notes - You can outline the sermon so people can follow along, filling in blanks on the form and reading included scriptures. When completed, the form can be automatically emailed to the user.
- Surveys and questionnaires - You can use our form builder to query your members about their preferred options.
While our Custom Forms feature will not ensure people get involved or stay in your small groups or Sunday School classes, it will help keep them engaged. To learn more about this feature, schedule a demonstration with us by calling (615) 206-4000 or at support@onlinegiving.org. We will show you how our Custom Forms Feature can enhance your communication and engagement with your attendees and members, boosting your small group community and sustaining the future of your church.
One added benefit is that helping your small groups communicate better will increase their giving! If you need help with your small groups, call us now!
The Stewardship Coach
Studies show small group and Sunday school involvement is declining. https://t.co/u2tMB6uWxC offers many communication and engagement tools to keep your members connected to the mission. Check out our Custom Forms that Foster Community!https://t.co/PQTVdKi5eg pic.twitter.com/BkOgUD46fD
— Online Giving (@onlinegivingorg) August 22, 2024
2. Ibid