Ministry Expansion May Lead to Growth - LifeWay Research

A new survey conducted by LifeWay Research shows that the majority of Protestant churches (65 percent) have expanded their facilities, increased their presence on the Internet or added worship services within the past five years.

The study, "Effects of Ministry Space and Outlet Expansion," was based on interviews with 1,000 pastors in February of this year. According to the research:

• 28 percent of the pastors interviewed said they added an additional worship service or venue on site.
• 28 percent of the pastors said they participated in starting a new church.
• 27 percent of the pastors said they built new or additional ministry space at the same site.
• 14 percent of the pastors said they began offering streaming video of the worship service on the Internet.
• 10 percent of the pastors added an additional worship service off site.

The research also attempted to determine if the changes made at the churches represented in the study, led to attendance growth. LifeWay discovered that:

• Overall, 44 percent of the pastors that engaged in ministry expansion experienced an increase in worship attendance of at least 10 percent in the past five years.
• Among churches that were not engaged in ministry expansion in the last five years, only 34 percent experienced attendance growth, 37 percent had no change in attendance and 29 percent experienced decline.
• Of the new attendees who came in the last five years, the pastors in the study estimate that 49 percent have transferred from other churches, 32 percent were unchurched and 19 percent were children born to current members.

"Many churches who do not take steps to expand are struggling," said Scott McConnell of LifeWay Research. "Pastors of churches who take the same message to more people through new methods and new media are expressing the positive impact of these steps of faith."

For further details about the study, visit www.lifeway.com.