Church planting is the need of the hour! Pastor, if you feel called to plant churches, this blog has some key insights for you. Here are seven church planting statistics you should know:

1. Less than 18% of Americans attend church!

Why plant churches? Because the Great Commission is a call not only to ‘make disciples,’ but also to ‘baptize’ i.e., incorporate into a worshipping community! While that is reason enough, here are some eye-opening church statistics that further stress the need to start more churches:

Did you know that 65% of the population in the US has no real church connection? It gets worse – the last decade witnessed a 19.4% decline in church attendance!

There is a crying need for more healthy, spirit-filled churches in every community. As missiologist C. Peter Wagner said, “Planting new churches is the most effective evangelistic methodology known under heaven.”

Do you agree?

2. There are 156 million unchurched in the US

Here’s another way of looking at it: If America’s churchless were to form a nation, it would be the 8th most populous country in the world!

Doubling the number of existing churches in the US would still not be enough to reach out to all these people. In fact, America would need 200,000 new churches of 1,000 people each to fulfill this current need.

Are you ready for the challenge?

Reaching the unchurched is one of the primary burdens of any church. At Portable Church Industries, we value that burden and help churches get better equipped to invite and engage the community. That’s why we help churches launch in familiar and neutral spaces like bowling alleys, movie theaters, pizza parlors and more!

This gives the churches the unique advantage of “going to the people” instead of asking the people to “come to church.”

3. 47% of America’s unchurched is open to being invited to church by a friend

It’s all about relationships, isn’t it? That’s why 47% of America’s unchurched is willing to take up a friend’s offer to visit church. On the other hand, only a meager 14-18% of the population is open to other outreach efforts like flyers, newspaper and billboard ads.

A key benefit of launching your church in a casual, non-traditional setting is that you can invite everybody! The 17 year-old who shudders at the idea of wooden pews and a steeple, the divorced mom who has been hurt by the “church,” and anybody else who finds a traditional church intimidating – all are welcome.

Are you ready to receive visitors in your church?

4. Churches that plant, grow three times faster

Is your church lacking growth? Pastor, perhaps it’s time to plant a new church! Yes, that’s right. A Ph.D. dissertation researched 624 Southern Baptist Convention churches that had planted a church each. The end result? The parent churches witnessed a 21.5% increase in attendance for the next 5 years from the time of the church plant.

Why does this happen? Planting new churches helps established churches renew their missional heart and passion. It brings back the focus of the church to the Great Commission.

Are you focusing on the seating or sending capacity of your church?

5. A new church gains 60-80% of its membership from new conversions

In fact, many denominational studies have confirmed that most members of a newly planted church have not been a part of any other congregation before.

On the other hand, churches that are over 10 to 15 years old gain 80–90% of new members by transfer from other congregations.

Is your church attracting new believers or shuffling the “flock”?

6. Churches with 10,000 or more members are going multisite

The rise of the gigachurch, with over 10,000 in weekly attendance, has been making headlines for some time now. Ed Stetzer talks about how these churches are choosing to expand: not by increasing the space of their buildings, but by adding new sites and services.

Multisite churches are the future! Pastor, are you ready?

If you are considering a multisite campus for the future, check out this FREE 7-part micro course developed by Portable Church and various multisite church leaders. Get the course right away for a first-hand account of the challenges and best practices of launching campuses.

7. Buildings comprise the second largest area of expense for churches

And that’s not all! A permanent building comes with an array of ongoing and hidden costs, besides the initial construction or mortgage expense. There’s maintenance, repairs, cleaning, electricity, Internet, phone and security services to think about too! Together, these costs can comprise between 30-40% of a church’s budget!

How can your church drastically cut down on operational expense? By going portable! Launching in a portable venue enables your church to leverage its income for ministry and outreach. After all, buildings don’t grow your ministry, effective ministry does!

Not only do rented venues cut your costs dramatically, but they also allow for better flexibility and growth to match your church’s changing needs.

So, are you ready to start a church? If you are looking for a unique, portable venue to host your church services, Portable Church can help set you up! Give us a call today at 800.939.7722 and we’ll help you find the perfect venue for your church.

We have also put together some of the most important things to keep in mind as you launch your church in a FREE e-book for you. Download the 5 Essential Ideas for Church Planters today!