The Objective of Church Events

If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s how important community can be. Being a part of a community can play a major role in your mental and spiritual health. This is one of the many reasons your church may host events for its congregation to be a part of. 

The frequency of events and the type of events hosted at a specific church can vary greatly. Some churches are very event-driven while others have a rather sparse event schedule. 

Neither way is wrong, and neither way is right. 

There is no one right way for the church to do ministry, if we had that figured out, every church would be exactly the same and the good news of Jesus would be successfully spread to the ends of the earth. We aren’t there yet.

Different models of the church can be used to reach different types of people. This can be an advantage. It’s less about what type of events your church hosts, how often your church hosts events, or even how many people show up to church events, and more about the heart and intention behind an event.

Goals of a Church Event

Target Audience 

Much like Sunday services, events should always be open and welcoming for visitors and new guests. If your events are only tailored to your current attendees, you could be missing the mark. Events can provide your congregation with an opportunity to invite friends, family, neighbors, or co-workers to church. They provide an open door for those who may be hesitant to attend a Sunday service for one reason or another. 

When it comes to getting your event in front of attendees and non-attendees alike, the Torchable app can help with that. The Torchable app is coming soon and will allow church attendees and community members to see what church events are happening in their area on any given day. 

Next Steps

Events should always operate as a way for your congregation or visitors to take the next step in their faith or church involvement. The goal of an event should never be simply to get a lot of people to show up but to help people encounter God, engage in biblical fellowship, and take the next step. Visitors especially should be provided with a reason to come back instead of simply attending an event and moving on. 

Volunteer Lead

Volunteer buy-in and participation is always a good sign. Strong volunteer leadership speaks to the health of a church. If your events are planned and executed by your staff alone you are missing a major opportunity. Opportunity to let church members operate in their God-given gifts, the opportunity to let church members serve, and the opportunity to give volunteers a greater level of ownership which will likely transfer to other areas of ministry. 

Event Schedule

The goal of your event schedule should never be to keep people busy or to keep them within the walls of your church. Your congregation should not have to choose between community participation and church participation. They can go hand in hand. 

It is important to continually evaluate your event schedule. Many churches get stuck in the same routine of hosting events that aren’t successful simply because “it’s what they have always done.” That isn’t a good enough reason to host an event. Analyze the impact of each event and always be looking at how you can make an event support the mission of the church. 

Documentation

If you are utilizing social media, photographers, or videographers to document your event, make sure the goal of these platforms is clear. Are you sharing to highlight the event itself? The details, the snacks, the attractions or are you sharing to highlight the stories, the people, and what God is doing through it all?

We know, that some churches choose to use attractions to entice people to come to events. That’s okay if that is a strategy you use, but let’s not stop there. 

As the saying goes, keep the main thing, the main thing. And that’s Jesus!

Planning your Next Event

As you plan your next event, whether it be a women’s night, a kid’s event, or a worship experience, run through these checkpoints to help set the goal of the event and be sure it is supporting the mission of your church. 

Utilize the Torchable App to extend your reach and invite everyone in your community to be apart of the events and services happening at your church!