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What’s Up
Most churches don’t have a momentum problem: They have a maintenance problem. They get something started, they see a few sparks fly, and then … silence. Church momentum dies because the systems and habits that sustain it were never built.
So What
Momentum isn’t magic. It’s measurable. In a growing church, momentum looks like a steady increase in first-time visitors, a growing percentage of those who come back, and a consistent number of returning guests entering intentional discipleship. It’s movement toward the mission … not motion for motion’s sake.
Momentum doesn’t “just happen.” It’s built on two foundational practices. First, a church must stay relentlessly focused on its biblical mission: To make more and better disciples. Not programs. Not pleasing the members. Disciples. Second, there has to be a compelling vision that gives that mission a clear finish line. A mission tells you why you exist. A vision tells you where you’re headed when you’re doing it right. When those two are alive and visible, and the church’s resources are aligned behind them, the snowball starts rolling.
But here’s the truth: Most churches lose momentum right after it begins to build. Momentum takes constant attention, leadership clarity, and measurable accountability to maintain.
The Point Is
1. Momentum Is Movement You Can Measure
Momentum in ministry isn’t emotional energy or “God showing up.” It’s forward progress with evidence. You know momentum is building when you’re tracking and seeing growth in the things that actually matter:
More first-time visitors walking through your doors.
A higher percentage of those visitors returning.
An increasing number of returning guests are intentionally stepping into your discipleship pipeline.
If those three indicators are trending up, you’ve got movement that may become momentum. If they’re not, it doesn’t matter how “busy” your church feels. Activity isn’t the same as advancement. Real momentum shows up in changed lives, not filled calendars.
And that starts when everything in the church is pointed at one thing: The mission. Every sermon, every meeting, every ministry should ask the same question: “How does this help us make more and better disciples?” If the answer is “It doesn’t,” you’ve found the first drag on your momentum.
2. Keep the Mission and Vision Front and Center
Nothing kills momentum faster than silence about the vision. Too many pastors assume everyone remembers the vision. They don’t. Vision leaks. Every month you go without repeating it loudly and strongly, you lose ground.
If you want to maintain momentum, you’ve got to say it until you’re sick of hearing yourself say it … and then say it again. Work the mission and vision into every sermon, every conversation, every newsletter, every meeting. When the leader stops repeating the vision, the people stop pursuing it.
If your church’s mission is to make disciples and your vision is to reach your community with the gospel, you cannot afford to let either one fade into the background. Momentum maintenance starts with vocal leadership. Keep it in front of the leaders and keep it in front of the congregation. One without the other grinds momentum to a standstill.
3. Don’t Just Avoid Distractions … Refuse to Be Derailed
Let’s be honest. Pastors don’t only get distracted by shiny new ideas. Many, if not most, distractions wear church clothes. Member care. Administration. Meetings. Pastor Fetch: “Pastor, could you just…?” That’s how mission drift happens.
When you start spending more time running the machinery of the church than fueling the movement of the mission, you’ve surrendered your role as the catalyst. And without a catalyst, nothing reacts.
You are the spark that keeps the fire lit. Lose focus, and the fire goes cold. To maintain momentum, you must protect your time and priorities like the mission depends on it – because it does. Put your mission-critical appointments in ink. Refuse to let the urgent bury the essential. Even the funeral home works on a schedule. So should you.
4. Face Reality: Measure What Matters
Momentum slows down when you stop facing the truth about where you are. Numbers don’t lie, but ignoring them sure makes people comfortable.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in a church aren’t just attendance figures. They’re the measurable signs of movement in disciple-making:
The number of first-time visitors. (A visitor is only a visitor once. After that, they’re a returning guest.)
The percentage of returning guests who stick around.
The number of Next Step participants – those who attend your membership or discipleship pathway.
The number of adult conversion baptisms.
If you’re not tracking these, you’re not leading, you’re guessing. When momentum stalls, it’s almost always because someone stopped counting what counts.
And … ?
Momentum is a fragile thing. It’s built through alignment, attention, and accountability. Lose one, and the others crumble. Churches that thrive don’t do it because they’re lucky. They do it because they keep their mission in sight, their pastor in motion, and their numbers in focus.
The snowball doesn’t roll itself. It grows only when someone keeps pushing. And that someone is you, Pastor. The leader who refuses to settle for comfort. The one who remembers that evangelism has to be Job 1.
If you want to see what real, measurable momentum looks like in action, and how to make it sustainable, then stop spinning your wheels on old outreach models that don’t work.
Action!
Join me October 28–30 for the Stop Inviting People to Church—and Grow Your Church Anyway 3-Day Challenge. In just three mornings, you’ll discover how to find the right fishing hole (the people most likely to connect), craft the right bait (messages that actually draw them), and use the right hook (invitations that work). It’s live on Zoom, seats are limited to 49, and you’ll walk away with practical tools to help you build … and keep … momentum in your church.
