Winning Them Back: Digital Solutions for Reaching Our Missing Members

If you’ve been in ministry for any length of time now, then you’ve probably experienced at least one of the three B’s: the busy believer, the bored believer, or the blind believer. Churches everywhere have had to wrestle with the question, “how can we reach these believers?” 

The problem? They either come to church and don’t get involved or they don’t come at all. But why is it that these believers join our churches and find themselves in one of these three categories? Well, there is an array of possible answers to this question, many of which are specific to each of these believers. Yet, there are some possible answers that we will address.

THE BUSY BELIEVER

This is the believer whose schedule prevents them from being able to be as active in ministry as they would like. Maybe they have a work schedule that keeps them away. Maybe their childcare situation is not conducive to more ecclesial activity. Maybe their transportation is on the fritz. But, whatever the reason, these people are unable to attend church as regular as they would like. This includes Sunday morning, Bible study, and various other church events.

THE BORED BELIEVER

This is the believer who has gotten bored with the traditional way of doing church. Not that there is anything wrong with tradition. But, as Jaroslav Pelikan has noted, “Tradition is the living faith of the dead, traditionalism is the dead faith of the living. And, I suppose I should add, it is traditionalism that gives tradition such a bad name.”

Often times, many churches have fall prey to traditionalism to such an extent that countless members are bored with their ministries. It is the mindset that, “we’re just supposed to go to Sunday school because that’s what Christians do.” Or, “you need to be in church...” with no substantive reason behind it. Sunday school doesn’t appeal to these people for this particular reason. Even more, ministries must assess whether the congregants even know the purpose of Sunday school and Bible study, to begin with. A topic we will address in the next section.

Thus, the church becomes unappealing to those who want to grow in their faith by way of innovation. Yes, they may come to the regular worship service on Sunday. But, how are they learning to engage their faith formation process when they leave the four walls of the church?

THE BLIND BELIEVER

This believer just doesn’t see the importance of going to Sunday school or Bible study. It is for this reason that ministries must undergo the task of assessing whether their congregants even know the history and value of Sunday school and Bible study. This failure to educate members regarding the reasoning behind various church events presupposes that everyone was raised in the church and already knows why the church does what it does. This is a grave mistake that excludes those whose only understanding of church is that “that’s what Christians do.” 

Thus, this believer is blind simply because they have not been educated by the ministry.

A Digital Solution

Digital media is an essential aspect of today’s culture. As such, many people are open to using it for their everyday functions. They’re on social media. They’re downloading online courses to grow in a particular niche. They’re setting up and running digital businesses. They’re even banking and paying bills online. People are heading to Google to search for things like, “online church service” and “online church sermons” in order to feed their hungry souls. They’re looking to watch live church services online because they understand that they can have immediate access to spiritual food even when the church is closed.

The bottom line? People are already online!

For this reason, ministries must learn to make use of digital resources as a way to reach the three believers in question. Think about how your social media can function as a tool that connects each member to their church. The advantages of social media are that they allow ministries to meet people right where they are and to connect with them like never before! The various types of social media platforms present to us a smorgasbord of opportunities to connect.

Further, ministries must begin integrating online courses to help new members learn about their faith in Jesus and their church home. Online courses allow us to take Sunday school online and to appeal to a greater number of our congregants!

So, how is your ministry using digital media to reach the busy, bored, and blind believers in our churches? Leave a comment to let us know!