Running head: BUILDING CHURCH MEMBERSHIPS: FINAL PROJECT

Building Church Memberships: Final Project
Allita Walker
Kaplan University
September 1, 2012 Letter of Transmittal
Allita Walker
51 Pat Mell Road SW
Marietta, Georgia 30060

September 1, 2012

Pastor L. Collins, Senior
New Hope Christian Fellowship Ministries
P O Box 956606
Marietta, Georgia 30064

Greetings Pastor Collins:

I am submitting the attached proposal for consideration by you, the First Lady, and the members of New Hope Christian Fellowship Ministries. This proposal identifies the problems of declining membership at your church as well as possible solutions.

I have been a member of New Hope Christian Fellowship Ministries for over seven years and have watched the revolving door of members for that time. In the last eight months, I have observed many members leaving and attendance declining but unlike in the past, new members are not coming into the ministry. As a result of the declining membership and attendance numbers, the ministry is also experiencing low donations and the ministry is struggling to pay its bills.

During the last few months, the significantly low donations have begun to threaten the future of New Hope. This proposal will address the problems that I have mentioned; it will also offer solutions that have the potential to provide significant relief to your ministry. Your ministry has been serving the Cobb County, Georgia area for over 20 years and my objective is to create avenues that will keep this ministry thriving for many years to come.

Please review the materials that I have included for your edification. The various parts include an abstract, which is a summary of the full report that is also contained. The feasibility study is also included and will show the different proposed solutions, and the criteria I used to choose those solutions. I have also prepared a visual presentation that I would like to present to you and the members of the church. It is my hope that the presentation will bring clarity to the feasibility report and its contents.

I look forward to working with you and within the limits of your ministry to help you move into the next phase of your journey. The solutions offered are only the beginning. Use these solutions as a jumping off point in your quest to build your church membership and retain those members.

Sincerely,

Allita Walker

Abstract
New Hope Christian Fellowship Ministries is a church that has been serving the Cobb County, Georgia area for over 20 years. In recent months, the ministry has seen a sharp decline in membership and attendance. In addition, retention numbers are down causing a lag in financial support for the ministry. The Pastor, First Lady and several of the founding members has identified the problem and are seeking ways to solve this problem. Outreach events are a viable option for this ministry. It requires little money – less than $200 per event; little planning – less than two months from planning to execution; and offers the greatest opportunity to interact with the Cobb County community with a potential to meet at least 100 to 150 people per event. Other options considered include closing the doors to the ministry and disbanding the church. The best option for this ministry has to incorporate several components. They include cost, time, manpower needed, and potential for increasing membership numbers. Outreach events are the method most recommended for this ministry at this time. In addition, retention methods such as committees and clubs are suggested for members to better connect with the ministry. Feasibility Report
Introduction
New Hope Christian Fellowship Ministries has been in existence for the past twenty years. In those years, the ministry has experienced periods where membership and attendance was low. Recently, however, there has been a constant and steady decrease in worship attendance. While it can be noted that many members have left the ministry, there has not been a large number of new members as has been the case in the past. This is leaving the ministry near destitute. Without an increase in membership and attendance, the financial stability of the church will be in question, and the ministry will undoubtedly close its doors. The Senior Pastor and First Lady are diligently searching for solutions to the problems facing their ministry. There are a few solutions that should be explored. The initial task was identifying why members are leaving the ministry and why there are no new members joining the ministry. During the past eighteen months, the membership numbers have fallen from just under 100 members on roll and about 60 to 70 people attending regularly to about 40 people on roll, with an average of ten members attending regularly. Visitors are frequent but there are no retention numbers in relation to these visitors. A major result of these issues is the lack of financial support needed to meet the ministry’s financial obligations and keep the doors open. Research shows that most former members felt the ministry no longer met their needs in respect to time/length of worship services, general direction of the ministry, and the lack of special groups they could belong to.
Although it is a fairly small ministry presently, there are several options that can be used to build and retain membership numbers for New Hope Christian Fellowship Ministries. My first proposed solution would be to sponsor outreach events to meet and establish a relationship with the community at large. Outreach events could range in variety from standing outside of local businesses to picnics or yard events. A second proposed solution would use marketing and advertising to get the name of the ministry out into the community. A third option is for the church to re-activate and/or start new programs within the ministry. The final proposed solution is to cut the losses, close the doors and disband the church.
Criteria
Each of the solutions mentioned were considered as a viable solution for New Hope according to the following criteria. While these were the major criteria that were used to prepare this feasibility report, there are other considerations that must be made in order for any of these solutions to be implemented. Keep in mind that this ministry operates by a set of by-laws and grants each member a vote on any matter concerning a change affecting the overall ministry. Criteria are a set of standards and requirements used to determine the viability of each proposed solution. A set of four criteria were used for this study. The first criterion used in this study was the initial cost of the solution. If there was a cost associated with the solution that cost was noted. The ministry is currently cash strapped so costs were a very important consideration when looking at the various solutions. The second criterion used was additional or ongoing cost(s) for a proposed solution. These are costs considered to be recurring and require a financial commitment from the ministry on an ongoing basis. The third criterion was time. In this area, planning time was considered. The time needed for each solution was also considered. The fourth criterion considered was manpower. This included paid and unpaid staff. The cost for paid staffing was included in ongoing cost(s).
Discussion
Using the aforementioned criteria, here is how each solution stood up.
Cost: Outreach events require costs ranging from negligible to around $200. These costs are associated with literature and any possible refreshments. Marketing/Advertising costs range from $100 - $1000 for marketing, and an additional $45 - $55 for advertising. These costs varied depending upon the media used for advertising and the company used for marketing. Re-activating/Implementing new programs were found to require costs from $45 - $100 annually per member. These costs are associated with member dues, uniform costs – as with the dance ministry, and the annual banquet. This cost would be the responsibility of the participating member. The cost of disbanding the ministry varied in costs from $1500 to $4000. These expenses were associated with storage for the church property until it can be sold or donated. All past due bills and outstanding debt need to be paid as well.
Additional/Ongoing Costs: Marketing/Advertising would require ongoing costs ranging from $130 to $150 year for marketing. Additional fees of $1000 - $4000 annually would be spent on a marketing consultant. Re-activating old/Implementing new programs would range in cost from $45 - $100 per member annually. Because these are recurring costs, these amounts have to be added to this area. Disbanding the church would not require long term costs, but would have some recurring costs. These costs would be for storage rentals and paying past due bills and outstanding debt. There were no additional or ongoing costs identified with outreach events.
Time: These criteria took into consideration planning time and the amount of time needed for performing the solution. Outreach events take on average less than two months to plan. The actual outreach takes one day to execute and can be done in as little as four hours. Planning may involve meetings, solicitation for donations, and securing dates and locations but is not limited to those tasks. Execution would include the event or picnic/yard event. Marketing/Advertising would require at least a one year commitment. Some marketing consultants researched required a one year commitment and others required a two year contract. The planning time associated with advertising can vary depending upon the media. The types of media include print, radio, internet and handouts. All forms of advertising require careful planning for best use of time or space. With print ads, internet ads and handouts, the time is unable to be measured. The time is spent by the person reading the advertisement; however, radio ads have constraints and can be limited to as little as 30 seconds. Re-activating old programs would not need as much planning time as a newly implemented program. Planning time for new programs would range from two to six months. Disbanding the church requires time both in planning and execution. Because there are a lot of elements to consider when disbanding a church, planning could take up to a month but actual execution can take up to one year or longer if there are financial obligations that must be met.
Manpower: The manpower needed for an outreach event can range from a few people (5 or 6) to a larger group of about 20 or 30. These numbers will vary depending on the size of the event. Manpower would consist of volunteers – current church members, ministers and leadership. The manpower necessary for marketing would depend upon the number of consultants hired. The recommended number is one. There would also need to be a group of people who create materials for use in advertising. The group size could range from two to ten people. The manpower needed to re-activate old programs or implement new ones would depend on staffing requirements to successfully operate any program. The manpower needed to staff programs requires only a few to lead the program and then an additional number of 5 or more participants. A minimum of five participants per group is necessary to keep the program going according to the church by-laws. Disbanding the church requires all members to vote. This number is currently at approximately 40. Once the vote is completed and disbanding is decided, only the Pastor, First Lady and Executive Board Members are needed to complete this task. There are seven of them total. See Figure 1 below for summary chart.
Results
Criteria Outreach Events Marketing/Advertising Programs Disband Church
Cost Negligible to $200 $100 - $1K (marketing)
$45 - $55 (advertising) $40 - $100
Annually
(member paid) $1.5K - $4K
Ongoing Cost N/A $1K - $4K (marketing) Annually

$130 - $150 (advertising)
Monthly $45 - $100 annually
(member paid) Exact amounts undetermined
Time 2 months (planning)

4 hrs (execution) 2- 6 months planning
Min. 1 year commitment 1 – 9 months
(planning)

30 sec – 1 year
(execution) 1 – 3 months
(planning)

6 months - >1 yr
(execution)
Manpower 10 – 20 people
(all volunteers) 2 – 4 people
(At least 2 paid) 2 people to lead

At least 5 active members All members to vote

Pastor, First Lady, Executive Board to execute
Figure 1
Recommendation
After reviewing all of the proposed solutions, the criteria and results, it is my belief that New Hope Christian Fellowship Ministries should move forward with any plans to continue the ministry. My recommendation of the best solutions for this ministry is to begin with outreach events. The ministry should explore which areas they want to begin recruiting for and then create outreach events to target this audience. There are many different types of events available to this ministry. They include youth day events, community open house events, yard events, picnics and man-on-the street meetings. Any of these events can yield high contact numbers that have the potential for increasing membership within the ministry. The cost is minimal and can be controlled by the size of the event. Manpower needs can also be controlled by the size of the event. Planning and execution time frames are manageable. In addition to outreach events, I strongly recommend re-activating a few of the old programs so that incoming new members can establish a connection within the ministry and encourage support of the ministry as well. Re-activating old programs will not require an investment by the ministry but rather a financial commitment by the participating member. Manpower needs include at least two members to serve as leadership and at least five active members to participate. Each program needs five participating members to be active according to the church by-laws. Finally, the time needed to plan and execute is minimal since these programs were already previously established.
Conclusion
New Hope Christian Fellowship Ministries is facing an important decision regarding the future of their ministry. Problems exist within the ministry that has caused the Pastor and his membership concern and they are seeking solutions that will best serve their goal of building church membership. The biggest issues identified were the decrease in church membership along with a decline in attendance by remaining members. A ripple effect of this issue is a decrease in regular offerings thus making it a challenge to meet the ministry’s financial obligations. Of the researched proposed solutions, it can determined that the best route for the ministry at this time is to execute outreach events to attract new members, and then re-activate some of the old programs to retain these members. This ministry’s 20 year history in the Cobb County, Georgia community is a positive and powerful testimony of the resilience and commitment of this ministry. Annotated Bibliography
My proposal is ways to build church membership for New Hope Christian Fellowship Ministries. The church has experienced a large decline in membership in addition to slow attendance by the remaining members. This proposal will provide the Senior Pastor, First Lady, and remaining members some guidance to identify what is causing the decline as well as ways to re-build and retain membership. The following books and are part of the research I am using to write my proposal. These are a few of the books and articles I have read or browsed so far. They are credible sources containing information relevant to my proposal.
1. Mellowes, M. (October, 2010). God in America: A PBS Series. The Black Church. PBS.org. Retrieved fromhttp://www.pbs.org/godinamerica/black-church/.
This essay was written by Marilyn Mellowes who was the principal researcher for the PBS series God in America. I decided the credibility of the source by the author’s affiliation with the long standing PBS organization. This is a short essay chronicling the history of the black church in America and its significance to black history. This information is important because New Hope Christian Fellowship Ministries is a black church. The article also explains the changes and growth of the black church. This is significant in showing the current membership of the ministry that change is not only normal but necessary in order for the black church to continue moving forward. For my proposal, this information will be referred to in summary to show the growth and transformation of the black church and how it benefited the church and black history as a whole.
2. Gill, R. (1999). Churchgoing and Christian Ethics. Cambridge University Press. New York, NY.
This book assists me in my proposal because it gives detailed research regarding Christian ethics and churchgoing. I determined the credibility of this source through the use of this text in the Atlanta Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia. This text is used in by a number of the professors of theology. The chapter that I am referencing for my proposal is Chapter 3 – Four Theories of Churchgoing: Believing and Belonging Compared. This chapter addresses the various reasons people leave the church. The author writes that there are those who leave the ministry for various reasons. The question is “why?” There are some who are looking for a place with like believers and others who seek to belong to something. This will help with my proposal because the members need to understand this when going out on outreach events. Those who participate will have to recognize when a person comes to the ministry to get true learning and worship and those who are there just to say that they want to be a part of a church. The reason this is important is because the ministry’s vision is to bring like spirits and believers into the ministry.
3. Virtue, D. (October, 2000). The Best Ways to Increase Church Membership. News Analysis. Public Library.
I found this article at the Public Library in my neighborhood. It addresses the various ways to increase church membership. The writer shares a number of ideas for successfully increasing church membership. One of the things that were noted is that the ministry that is recruiting should have specific events that target the youth in the community. He notes that it is most often easier to attract adults once the children begin to come. This will help in my proposal to show that we must identify the demographics in the community, decide who the target audience is and then implement ways to attract that target demographic. The ideas expressed are not cookie cutter ideas that will necessarily work with every ministry but the suggestions can be adjusted to meet the needs of the ministry.
4. Miller, CJ. (1986). Outgrowing the Ingrown Church. Zondervan Publishing House: Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Outgrowing the Ingrown Church is a book about the ingrown church. The credibility of this source comes from the publishing house. After some research I noted that there were a number of resources (print and e-book) that has been published by this publishing house. This publisher is known for this type of author and reviews all material before publishing. The writer explains that there are seven characteristics involved in the ingrown church. By these definitions, New Hope Christian Fellowship Ministries is an ingrown church. According to the text, leaders have to get in touch with their membership and why the ministry has turned in on itself. The text provides insight into the causes of declining membership, dissension among members and several other causes of church closures. The solution is identified as change. Leadership must become “change agents” for God. The Pastor and First Lady of New Hope, stand firmly on doctrine and I feel this book and its contents will provide a measure of credibility to my proposal. Many of the seven characteristics have already been identified within the ministry but have not been connected to the reasons for the decline. My proposal will directly link the issues with the resulting decline of the church.
5. Warren, R. (1995). The Purpose Driven Church: Growth without Compromising Your Message and Mission. Zondervan Publishing House: Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Like the previous book, this credibility of this source comes from its affiliation with Zondervan Publishing House. The information contained in this text refers to how ministries can continue to keep their general structure and still grow the ministry. The book details the challenges of church leadership when growing their membership. The book gives alternatives to changing the mission of the ministry to attract new members. Having a solid view of what the vision of the ministry is vital when planning to move forward with outreach. This book will help me with my proposal because the information will allow me to show the members and those more resistant to change, that growing the ministry in new and innovative ways does not mean there has to be compromise of the beliefs or mission. The same message New Hope has today can be the same message they use twenty years from now but it can be made relevant to new and old members.