The following questions provide clues for identifying the problem(s) for which non-growth is often a symptom:<\/p>\n \n
1. Is the problem with the organization or the organism?<\/em> Churches are both structural and spiritual, and a growth-restricting problem can sprout in either area. The solution, of course, must be in the same area as the problem.<\/p>\n\n 2. Is non-growth due to a “growth-restricting obstacle” or a “non-growth excuse”?<\/em> One is an actual barrier that keeps a church from growing. The other is a rationalization of failure to grow, often used as justification for non-growth. I have seen many churches die because “the community was resistant,” but then a different church moves into the same facility and experiences significant growth.<\/p>\n \n 3. Is the problem “visitor volume” or “visitor retention”?<\/em> Churches need enough people who: a) visit (volume), and b) stay (retention). For visitor volume, the target rate should be 5 percent: five of every one hundred people in church should be first-, second-, or third-time visitors. For visitor retention, a good rate is 20 percent: at least two of ten visitors should be active in the church one year after their first visit.<\/p>\n\n 4. If the problem is “visitor volume,” are members inviting friends?<\/em> Three of every four new members begin attending their church through the invitation of a friend, neighbor, or relative.<\/p>\n \n