What would make you want to go to a church event (or what makes you not want to go?)

[elliejjtiny]

Either Sunday services, special ones like carol services or social events.

I'm just wondering as our church numbers are dwindling at the moment as a few of the elderly people have died recently, a couple of families have left and nobody new has come for years.

We used to get quite a few people come for our carol service and for the family fun day (barbeque, games and a bouncy castle) but now hardly anyone comes to those things either.

We've got a facebook page which gets lots of views. I'm just wondering if there was anything we could be doing differently. It's a bit depressing when you organise an event and hardly anyone comes.

Very well said @HazelMember

@elliejjtiny is the fun day you mentioned essentially something like a village summer fete?
Run and organised by the church but actually a community event for any locals.
Perhaps it's how it's worded.
A poster adverting
"(Name of Area)'s Summer Fete.
July 5th in the grounds of St Mary's Church.
Everyone Welcome "
is different to
"St Mary's Church Summer Fete".
One gives the impression it's a local event, one gives the impression it's a church event.
Is this the type of event you are talking about?

We normally put

Family fun day

Trampoline, bouncy castle, climbing frame,
indoor and outdoor games
refreshments

at st marys church, x village, postcode
time
Suitable for children of all ages from babies to teens
everyone welcome

something like that but without spelling/grammar errors!

would i be allowed to call it x village family fun day? I don't normally do that in case people think we are pretending to be the local council.

@elliejjtiny I wouldn't automatically think the council are the organisers if I saw an advert for a family fun day.
A lot of community events don't have anything to do with local councils.

We normally get people coming from the town about a mile away from the village as well (we get more people from the town than from the village actually). Do you think it would put the people from the town off coming if we call it x village family fun day? Or should we call it x village/y town family fun day?

@elliejjtiny maybe "Family Fun Day at X Village"
So it's a fun day at X Village but not for the village.
If that makes sense.

You need to ask yourself how is this going to increase church attendance. Do lots of fun days make people want to strengthen their connection with God?

Other faiths have very healthy places of worship attendance without having to put on fun days etc.

I can't speak for the OP but I see "church" as being a community of people who are very involved with the wider community - not just a place to worship.
I am not a Christian but I do sometimes go to events churches put on and while it don't think I will ever become a Christian the fact a group of people are there helping and making a difference is just nice.
(and that doesn't just apply to Christian churches - other religions too)
For some people with similar thinking might actually start attending the service side of church so potentially it could increase congregation numbers.

The aim of fun days and community days is not to get regular church attendees. If it were it would put a lot of people off (as shown by a lot of the responses to this thread).
Christians are called to love their neighbours, and to show God’s love in the world.
A church (especially a rural church as this seems to be) should be a place of welcome and safety, and for a lot of people it can only be that if they don’t feel pressured into performing a belief they don’t hold to fit in.
Christians loving their neighbours in their communities doesn’t often present as “hey you! come to church on Sunday”, it’s far more likely to be something like making a meal for an elderly neighbour, running a coffee morning or food bank, giving a bag of baby clothes to a new parent, or driving someone to an interview/appointment.
Church is more than just Sunday, and more than just a building.

Thank you. I think I need to speak to the clergy and say that realistically we have 2 options. Either we carry on as we are and accept that we will be a church with a tiny congregation (and stop moaning about it) or we make the effort and turn the church into a place that supports the community.

Some people were talking about producing fancier, more professional leaflets (we normally just do something ourselves on the church computer) and dropping them through the letter boxes of every house in a 5 mile radius of the church. Which I thought wouldn't work as we have been sending out home made leaflets to the local area for 30+ years and only about 5 people have responded during that time. Also they want to knock on doors which I thought wasn't great either. I am in charge of the church social media so I will set up an Instagram account for the church. I really like the idea of putting up posters in shop windows. We have a business park 10 minutes walk away from the church with things like kfc, McDonalds, trampoline park, gym, pub etc so if we advertise there we can reach loads of people.

Interesting set of responses.

As for declining numbers, I think the pandemic accelerated this, especially when there was (and still is) the option to view a service remotely. I know my mother reduced attendance, not going if the weather was cold or wet, whereas beforehand it would have had to be significant snow to stop her.

Hold onto the Gospel, don't try to make it trendy. The Church of Scotland has strayed from the Bible and is in tatters. Serve people in the community by listening and acting as good neighbours. Warm space, kids clubs, older people's lunch clubs, boys brigade etc- what are people interested in? Build relationships with families over decades. We have people who have come to our toddlers for twenty years - spread out kids then as a grandparent, then come to ladies events but never a church service, but they know we are there for them. You can do everything but God builds the church. It's hard but you can make plans endlessly to no avail. How well is the weekly prayer meeting attended? Prayer is the fuel!

We used to go to Carol services when our children were young, but they’re staunchly atheist now.

Our village church does only one service a month now due to the fact barely anyone goes. Our local Catholic Church however always has a pretty big crowd. I think lots of Catholics feel duty bound to attend.

@elliejjtiny knock on doors !
Are they mad 🤣
Yes set up Instagram. Also post on local Facebook groups. Anywhere with a community notice board put up posters.
Just keep advertising. Be friendly and don't try to necessarily recruit or convert - just be there for the community.
Good Luck 🙂

Agree.

My (RC) parish church has a superb organist/ music director, three choirs, and the pews are packed every sunday.

When the DC were younger child friendly activities/events were why we went (messy church, crib service, toddler story time etc).

The volunteers were always lovely.

I wouldn’t attend a church event now.

I think support the congregation that supports you.

Other people will have only the most fickle ties, even if you do manage to put on an event here or there they can make use of.

I think this is a case of know your "audience."

"No one has time to read leaflets."

Oh come on. It takes a minute.

"I think Facebook is a waste of time because once the notice has gone off the screen unless someone remembers exactly which church and where you are that notice is gone for good."

No, people can click follow to get notifications or they can click 'interested' on an event and they'll get a reminder.

"If you want bums on seats you need to stop looking at profits and the insular way you go about things "

What does that even mean?

Does an Anglican service take longer than an hour?

No - they usually don't.

Music! I bloody love a stonking good hymn, and really love a expert organist that can literally raise the roof. I am not a committed churchgoer but I really appreciate a warm welcome. I don’t like the hand shaking part. I’m super lucky to live near a Cathedral. The hangings for special occasions are fabulous, especially remeberance. The cathedral is linked to a school that has lost so many to war. They also do fabulous music events and had the Moon and the Earth as spectacles. They also bloody love lighting up the steeple for a special event in the calendar.

Oh I like hymns, a primary school bangers and hymns would be fun!

Saw the Earth at Sherborne Abbey.
Don't know if it was the same exhibition but it was absolutely amazing.

What would make me go to a church event?
Custom. Fear of missing something. Chocolate biscuits at the coffee mornings. Duty. Meeting local people and nattering. Love a quiz. Up to my ears in it. Concerts with delicious refreshments. Bric a brac stalls. A good many hymns, esp 'O Love that wilt not let me go'. Strong suspicion that Jesus's teaching in Matthew 25 is the only way that goodness just manages to hold off evil in this world and you only have to look around to see people behaving in loving ways which I think accord with that teaching, even if they wouldn't see it themselves.

So many have already said - have an event arranged by the church but make it evident from the publicity that it's for the whole community, and money made will be for church, and ask if anyone would like to help with this, this or this. We have an event which gets willing volunteers who rarely or never come to church but they like the whole coming together and working together of the event.

Out of interest, can you explain more about the Church of Scotland straying from the Bible and being in tatters. I've no axe to grind. I'm C of E in England and have lived with the Book of Common Prayer (BCP), then the Alternative Services Book (ASB), and now we use Common Worship.