Charles Stone > Does Increased Church Attendance at Christmas Increase Conversions?

As a pastor, Christmas and Easter tends to pump up my adrenaline because so many new people attend.

Our church averages around 1100 each Sunday and when these holidays come, our attendance more than doubles during our special holiday weekend services and performances.

This year our worship leader wrote a production that interwove themes of  the movie It’s a Wonder Life. It was original, went super well, and evoked lots of great comments. I’ve included a few pictures here.

From conversations with other pastors, their church’s attendance tends to jump on these days as well.

It’s cool to see a bunch of new faces, but in my experience, I don’t see that many people come to Christ on these holidays. I always clearly share the Gospel, lead people in a discreet prayer to trust Christ, and encourage them to note their decision on our guest card. A few do, but not in proportion to the increased attendance.

I’ve scratched my head each year wondering why we don’t see more conversions. As I’ve tried to figure out why, I seem to get more questions than answers.

• Since lots of the new people have not been in church in a long time, does the unfamiliarity with church tend to stifle commitments to Christ?
• Are people’s minds simply on other things?
• Do seekers need more exposure to the Gospel and more time for it to soak?
• Do seekers feel offended because someone asks for such a personal decision in such a short time?
• Do more people trust Christ than those who indicated  on the guest card that they did?
• Should I re-set my expectation for these holiday services to seed-planting rather than spiritual harvesting?

If you are a pastor, does your church experience the same thing during these holidays? Why do you think so? Have you discovered anything that helps others cross the line of faith during these seasonal services?

If you don’t consider yourself a follower of Christ, do you have any thoughts?

This post originally appeared on Charles’ blog.

Charles Stone pastors West Park Church in London, ON. In his 33 years in ministry in the U.S. he’s been a church planter, an associate pastor, a teaching pastor, and a lead pastor. He has authored four books including People Pleasing Pastors: Avoiding the Pitfalls of Approval Motivated Leadership (InterVarsity Press, 2014) and Brain-Savvy Leaders: The Science of Significant Ministry (coming April, 2015, Abingdon Press). His articles have been featured in several magazines including Leadership Journal. His education includes an engineering degree, a masters of divinity, a doctor of ministry, and he’s currently completing a masters in the neuroscience of leadership. He loves popcorn, going to action movies with his wife Sherryl, and living in Canada. He blogs at www.charlesstone.com

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