Why People are at Your Church - Programs

What connects people to your church? What if your leadership role involves changing that thing?    

Many people connect to your church through the ministry PROGRAMS you offer. Some are drawn to women’s Bible studies, others to the children’s program. Some proudly participate in a certain outreach program—it’s the reason they call you church home. Whatever you do as a church holds the potential to become a reason people assimilate into your congregation.

Programs are highly valuable. They are the means by which we fulfill our vision, the tools to get the job done. Some pastors are worn out with programs because they fill the calendar and create a lot of work, but they are vitally important. Programs are only a negative experience when they become separated from your vision. Programs without vision are just busyness, but programs with vision help us get the real job accomplished.

People who connect to your church because of your programs can occasionally think the means is the end. They can become very focused on what the program is doing and miss out on the vision it seeks to accomplish. But that’s not the biggest danger of a program connection. A greater struggle occurs when leaders decide to change programs. Maybe the meeting days need to change or the focus changes. Imagine the day when the program is replaced by something we think will work better. What happens to our program-connected folks then?

In the local church, programs are the things we change most often, and with every change, we run the risk of disorienting a few people. So, what should we do? Should this prevent us from making needed changes? 

There is something we can do to help PROGRAM people accept needed change. First, we need to bring to the table a couple of more reasons people connect to your church. Each of these must be clear to the leader so he or she can anticipate the challenges and lead effectively.