This is part of a series of interviews with pastors of churches whose attendance has grown 20% or more in 5 years. We hope this series will be a resource of ideas to help increase worship attendance at your church.

At Pentecost we are reminded of the mighty wind of God’s Spirit that blew through the followers of Christ.  As the Holy Spirit appeared 3,000 people were added to the early church.  North Raleigh United Methodist Church has not added 3,000 people after one sermon, but the wind of God’s Spirit has been blowing, giving us a fresh surge of growth.  By the end of June, the wind of God’s Spirit led close to 200 people to join our church (over fifty were youth) this year.  This will probably be the largest growth year, but the last two years are not far behind.  To what do we credit this growth?  Let me first give credit to the wind of God’s Spirit, without which none of this would be happening.  However, God has chosen us to be partners with Him, so below are some of the things we have ascertained from our Discovery Classes (membership classes) as to why people are choosing NRUMC rather than one of the many other churches in our area:

1. Meaningful, relevant preaching.  People are hungry for help for the living of their lives.
2. Open, friendly welcoming congregation.
3. Variety of opportunities for all ages.
4. Clear concern for others who are hurting.
5. Strong music program.

Those are the top five reasons that people are coming to our church as stated in the Discovery Class surveys.  The first two reasons were sited considerably more often than the other three.  NRUMC is in a growing area, so that helps, and we deserve no credit for that.  The Holy Spirit placed this church in North Raleigh back in the early seventies, so obviously the Spirit was looking ahead—no surprise.  We are in an affluent area, but as all churches, we have been hit by the tough economic times.  However, once again the wind of God’s Spirit is blessing us in wonderful ways.  We have seen a 9% rise in giving compared to the same time period last year.  In 2009 we had the largest pledge campaign in the history of the church, while at the same time having a capital campaign to help reduce debt and prepare for future needs.  Future plans include the purchase of six additional acres of land.

I am a firm believer that the hunger for spiritual bread is growing in the lives of people, and they are beginning to give the church another look as they seek this bread.    For that reason, I believe that dynamic, Biblically centered, practical and energetic worship is a key ingredient necessary for growth. I am certainly not an expert in church growth, but I have seen this demonstrated over and over.  I thank God for the privilege of being a part of what He is doing at North Raleigh United Methodist Church.  I am grateful for the powerful wind of His Spirit, and am blessed as I see what God is doing.

David Clift, Pastor

davidclift@nrumc.org

Church website:  http://www.nrumc.org