Getting People To Show Up

I get this sinking feeling the first few weeks of program, “Will anyone show up?” I don’t know why I worry like that because I have students telling me that they are coming, and each week they show up ready to go and grow.  As silly as a worry as it might be, whether people will show up is nothing to take for granted.

Courtesy of Ishmael n. Daro/Creative Commons License

One of the biggest stresses a youth minister will face is attendance because it’s one way youth ministries compare one another.  It’s the pressure you receive from your pastor, the parents, the teens and yourself.  While it is a sign of health and growth, it isn’t the only one.  Still, to have a healthy ministry you need people to show up.  While you can’t force anyone to show up, you can encourage it by:

• Communicating Consistently: Saying it once doesn’t make it so. Even if you say it crystal clear the first time you are going to have to say it again.  Repeat your invitation to people so that it sinks in and sticks in their mind.  

• Making It Accessible: Going to a church (No matter the event) for the first time can be intimidating.  To breakdown the confusion and intimidation you need to make sure the time and location are clear.  You also want to make sure when people arrive that they know where to go and what to do when they arrive.

• Hitting Up The Right Mediums: Never put all your eggs in one basket.  With a plethora of mediums (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Email, Carrier Pigeon) in which people communicate you need to decide which are the most used by your target audience.  What might be effective in one church might not in the others.  Do your research by knowing who is using what and focus.

• Investing In Inviters: Best way to get people to show up is through word of mouth.  People are going to trust a friend’s recommendation more than a Facebook post.  Make sure you encourage your teens and their parents to spread the word.  Create a buzz by casting vision and creating a place worth coming.

Again, you cannot force someone to come to your ministry, but you can encourage them to show.  It takes a loving and compelling invitation that radiates throughout your ministry.  Create a culture of invest and invite and you’ll never worry if anyone will show.

How to you get people to show to your ministry?