Generally we try to hook people in using programs.

"Christianity Explored," "The Y Course," "Shepherding a Child's Heart" and the like.

People come for the free dinners, and then are invited upstairs into the church for a video, then we move them right along into a Bible study. From there we invite them to join us for worship on Sunday. It quite often works.

I have no memory of a church doing a membership drive.  Ever. Never seen it happen.  I have memories of an annual stewardship drive/visitation that my parents often ended up being visitors for.  But I have never seen a membership drive.

I have seen churches blitzing a geographic area with pamphlets, invitations to worship, and so on.  It doesn't seem to have a great deal of effect, but I think some churches have had limited success with it.

paradox, a couple of churches I attended used the blitz method in a geographical area. Was not too successful.

Hi Crazyheart,

One of the churches in our presbytery told us the most successful drive they conducted was for choir members.  They blitzed their area with "Singers Wanted" flyers.

Tangent: 

Nice shoes, but they don't look very comfortable.  Do I see hearts?

I did one of those stewardship campaigns myself in my last year at my family UCC. That tended to be more oriented to getting current members to commit to a level of giving than getting people out. We call it Canvass in UU'ism.

As for promoting/marketing the church with a Membership Drive, I don't recall seeing it in any of my churches. We promote the UU fellowship around town in various ways, but not as part of a formally planned campaign (although maybe we need to look at doing it that way). The UCC that I attend does a lot of promo work through it's website and community activities. They host a lot of concerts and community events. But, again, I don't any sign that it's part of a "drive" as much as just ongoing marketing of the church (they even have a lay/diaconal minister in charge of community development who manages a lot of it).

Mendalla

I heard about a minister who went to her first service in her new church and discovered mostly empty pews.  She spent time knocking on doors in the neighborhood asking people about their lives and how she could help.  Finsihed up with lots of members.  

P3 - hearts in the toes. Uncomfortable but sexy, what?

My church has also tried the blitz method. Yet again, not too successful. Maybe we should all just give up on the blitz.

Once a year at Islington United where I went as a child, there was a "Rally Day." They would hire a gospel magician or the like to come and entertain during regular sermon time. It was supposed to bring new people to the church (and to excite the regular church-goers for the upcoming year).

=A=

I don't think there will be many people just deciding to walk into a church servoce with the idea of joining.  Genuine caring from minister and or congregation could be a valuable way to get and keep members though.  I'm no longer attending but no one from the congregation seems to have noticed.  I know other people who had some difficulty getting accepted into a congregation and left in frustration or with hurt feelings. Could be that a 'contact the missing members drive' would bring some back into church. 

I think personal invitation is the way to go.  I've met people who tell me the reason they are in a particular church is because a minister, friend or neighbour invited them to attend for the first time. 

When I first moved into this area (over 30 years ago) my neighbour came over to introduce herself.  Either that day or shortly after she invited me to Bible study at her nearby church.  I was lonely in a new city, I liked her, I needed to meet people, so I went.  And I did form friendships - some I continue to this day.   I appreciate the friendliness of that church that welcomed newcomers.  However, it was Baptist and I couldn't agree with the theology so I found a nearby UCC that became my church home until just recently.  It took me awhile to meet people and feel at home - perhaps because I didn't have a neighbour introducing me around. 

So I would say the first step in any membership drive would be personal contact - the next step is to welcome them once they come through the door.

I tried going to a few churches a couple of years back but I just don't relate to it and I can't get into it.  It's not that there is anything wrong with them, it's just that I don't feel comfortable and I guess I don't "get it".  Churchgoing was not a part of my formative years.

I might go to church if a churchgoing friend invited me and I thought it might be interesting but I feel disinclined to go out to large public gatherings on a Sunday morning, especially by myself.

That's why the whole free-dinner-and-video-concept has been used so much.

Sounds like people want or need some human contact if they are going to start or restart church attendance.  Hopefully once they are getting inside regulaly someone will help them with getting accepted into one of the groups within the church.  Doesn't sound like rocket science - any idea why it rarely seems to happen?

kay, you know the old church adage "We don't do it that way."

So I have learned.  Too bad really as there are planty of people who would go to church if they didn't sense that the congregation weren't being totally honest and accepting of them.  It seems like this is a nice theory, nothing else.  We know the words but aren't about to make the dreams real.