12 Ways to Increase Attendance at Your Church This Weekend

We’re now beginning to see attendance at some churches meet or exceed pre-COVID numbers, but other churches are still struggling. In either case, here are some simple ways to increase your church’s attendance this weekend:

1. Make sure you’re there. If you and your family are present, that commitment might itself increase the attendance.
2. Set a goal to invite a certain number of people this week to attend church with you. Push yourself in setting that goal, as you’ll likely find it’s not difficult to extend invitations. 
3. Pray for a larger number of people to hear the gospel. Pray diligently for people to come to hear about Jesus.
4. Call at least three regular attenders this week, and let them know you’re looking forward to seeing them. Even for regular attenders, an encouraging word makes it more likely they’ll be there. 
5. Call at least two former attenders this week, and let them know you’ve missed them. You never know who might respond to that call positively. Hint: be sure to use the phone. Voices speak more loudly than emails to regular or former attenders. 
6. Invite somebody who can’t come without transportation—and provide that transportation. That “somebody” might be a neighborhood child, a senior citizen, a physically challenged person, or a nursing home resident. An invitation might be both a surprise and a blessing.
7. Send an email invite to your friends who don’t attend church. An email is less personal, but more efficient. If you invite ten of your friends to attend with you next Sunday, perhaps some of the ten will be there. 
8. Tweet your excitement about your church. If your excitement is genuine, it can be infectious. Link to your church’s website, and let the world know what God’s doing there.
9. At work or school, quietly “brag” a bit about what God is doing in your congregation. Somebody might actually be listening and then express interest in your church.
10. Invite your neighbors or co-workers to church, followed by lunch at a restaurant. Make a day of it, and some folks might be interested.
11. Talk to unchurched family members about your bringing their children to church with you this week. Ideally, you want their whole family to come . . . but children are a start. Be sure to emphasize what your church offers for little ones. 
12. If possible, prayerwalk your neighborhood and invite anyone you see to attend church with you. You might preface that invitation with, “We’re just out praying for our neighbors. How might we pray for you?”–but let prayer open the door to invitation. 

What simple ways would you add to this list?