Relationships: the glue that holds your church together
I came across this posting by Rick Warren, Pastor of Saddleback Church and author of the Purpose Driven Life. I thought it was well worth reproducing. It has a lot to say about a healthy church. The importance of helping members develop friendships within your church cannot be overemphasized. Relationships are the glue that holds a church together. Friendships are the key to retaining members. A friend once told me of a survey he took in a church. When he asked, "Why did you join this church?" 93% of the members said, "I joined because of the pastor." When he then asked, "What if the pastor leaves? Will you leave?" 93% said "No." When he asked why they wouldn't leave, the response was "Because I have friends here!" Do you notice the shift in allegiance? This is normal and healthy. Lyle Schaller has done extensive research that shows the more friendships a person has in a congregation, the less likely he is to become inact...