Walking with a big or small group of people who have the same faith, mindset, and way of thinking could sound easy, but, in reality, it is a full-time job. If you are a pastor or church leader you already know this. Reasons behind these challenges include your own personality, habits and discipline, and people from different cultures, routines, and mindsets. Today I am going to share with you three ways you can have engaging relations with church members.
Know Their Interests
Before they listen to you, you need to listen to them. Try to know their interests first. Sometimes, it sounds strange when you are a leader that you need to listen first, but, if they are coming with the wrong intention, you can educate them according to scripture. But they will not listen to you until you first understand them or at least hear them. Matthew 7:12
Engage them on Social Media
Social media has become a vital part of our everyday activities. According to Statista, in the United States, an estimated 196 million people used social media in 2016, a number forecast to exceed 216 million by 2021. With these huge numbers of social media users, one can not deny the influence it has on the daily lives of people living everywhere on Earth. Pastors and church leaders should actively dedicate some time to engage their church members and new members or people looking to know more about Jesus or Word of God on social media.
Make Them Independent Learners
In my years of experience, I have seen many pastors and church leaders educating and delivering people without focusing on making church people independent learners. The whole purpose of teaching the truth and Word of God is to make them understand the importance of knowing God at every step of their lives. Not all pastors and Bible teachers can lead them forever. Guided by the Holy Spirit, leaders must emphasize putting members into a habit of studying and learning from the Bible themselves. The entire Church must understand the voice of the Holy Spirit in the Bible and in the speech of pastors.
Church leaders could adapt in many other ways to keep congregations spiritually healthy and welcoming. The ways mentioned in this article are methods I learned when studying to be an Evangelist and more than 17 years of working with different churches. I hope these ways will help you in taking your congregation into a new way of connection, community, love, and support. I believe, this is the whole purpose of churches because God is Love. 1 John 4:7-21
