6 reasons your new member class is not effective

Thom Rainer May 1, 2019

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An effective new member class is a gift. It provides front-end assimilation, a valued quality when it comes to getting people comfortable with new faces and inspired about getting involved in the life of the church. It gets people involved in ministry. It moves them toward groups and into wise stewardship. 

While I am a big proponent of new member classes, not all of these classes are created equally. Some are effective and some are not. If you think your church’s new member class is not as effective as it could be, there are possibly some quick and helpful solutions. 

Common problems

Let’s look at the six most common problems in new member classes so you can make those adjustments.

1. The class is not a priority. A membership class should be a regularly-scheduled event. It should be a priority of church leadership. Church members and guests alike should hear clearly the importance of the class in the life of the church.

2. The class is missing one or more of the three key ingredients. Every new member class should include three key elements: informationabout the church; expectationsof members; and a clear assimilationprocess as soon as the class concludes. Failure to have all three ingredients significantly weakens the effectiveness of the class.

3. The class has information overload. New or prospective members will only retain a modest amount of information. Too many membership classes try to share almost everything about the church instead of hitting highlights and pointing the members to sources of information for future consumption.

4. The class lasts too long. While this issue is certainly related to the number of hours a class lasts, it is more tied to the number of days a class continues. Classes that go beyond a single day tend to lose people.

5. The class is boring. The leader of the class needs to be a good communicator. Different delivery approaches, such as adding video elements, can help as well. Classes can also turn boring when there are not enough breaks.

6. The class has no follow-up process. The conclusion of the new member class should be the beginnings of assimilation. Communication of information is not sufficient. The church must have a clear process to make certain new members get connected, get involved, and get committed.

New member classes are vital to the health of a church. But these classes are only effective if the commitment, priority, and effort of the church leadership is evident on an ongoing basis.

Photo source: istock 

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Thom S. Rainer is the founder and CEO of Church Answers, and online community and resource for church leaders. Prior to founding Church Answers, Rainer served as president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources. Before coming to LifeWay, he served at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary for twelve years where he was the founding dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions and Evangelism. He is a 1977 graduate of the University of Alabama and earned his Master of Divinity and Ph.D. degrees from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Learn More »

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