Church engagement is not just about filling seats on a Sunday morning. It’s about creating an environment where people can grow closer to God while connecting with a real community—finding a sense of both spiritual and social fulfillment as they take on an active, involved role in church life.
According to Barna’s 2026 Discipleship in Community report, there are two defining characteristics that effectively foster discipleship and, in turn, church engagement:
- Belonging
- Deep relational connection that “feels like family”
For example, data shows that when a church generates this type of environment through intentional small groups, churchgoers are 40% more likely to report that their church does a good job at building a deep and meaningful community.
Strong church engagement is a good indicator of the overall health of your church body. It’s also a helpful measurement of how effective your programs are at building community and empowering your members to contribute to your mission.
While it’s clear that engagement is something every church leader should be trying to improve, it can often be challenging to identify just how to achieve it. To help you get started, we’re sharing six ways you can grow your church engagement heading into 2026:
1) Have an impact in your community
“For too many of us, church is a service at a [specific] time with a certain expected product. That’s produced a consumer-driven [church], and what we’ve got is a lot of customers when we really need a lot of co-laborers.” – Ed Stetzer (Source)
One of the key aspects of our faith is how we care for our neighbors and help those in need. Your church likely already has programs that help you live out this mission across the street and around the world.
You can increase engagement at your church by keeping your congregation informed about these programs and offering opportunities for them to get involved more. Perhaps you have a prayer team for an overseas missionary that they might join. Or maybe you can encourage members to volunteer at a local organization your church partners with.
Another way to show your members how they are having an impact is through financial transparency. When members see how their contributions are making an impact—fulfilling the church’s mission and helping neighbors in need—they’ll feel a stronger connection to your work, greater confidence in your organization, and higher motivation to support your mission.
>> How to Add More Transparency to Your Church Finances
One Church Software offers online portals that make giving a breeze for your members. Our software also has tools that enhance your financial visibility so you can easily put together impact reports and show your congregation where their dollars are making a difference.
2) Offer non-traditional ways to participate
At the height of COVID-19, many people were engaging with churches without ever stepping foot in a physical building. Even though there is an element of community that is best lived out in person, we can still take a lesson from the pandemic and invest in offering alternative ways for people to participate in church community.
For example, it’s important to consider how people first engage with your church. Many people would like to sample your sermons online prior to attending in person. One Church Software can help you upkeep a high quality sermon archive with seamless integration to YouTube or Vimeo for video hosting. This way, you can have past sermons readily accessible for potential new members to view, and you can make a positive and professional first impression.
Giving people the option to view your church services digitally isn’t just for the benefit of new members—it’s also a great way to stay engaged with existing members who may be traveling, ill, or otherwise unable to attend in person.
Finally, make sure that your church’s online presence is welcoming and accessible. Your website should be easy to navigate for a new visitor. This will help them locate groups and activities that may encourage them to engage further with your church.
And your social media profiles should be an inviting, dynamic place where your church community can stay connected online. Ask engaging questions for people to respond to, respond to questions and comments, and keep your members updated on recent and upcoming events.
3) Turn new visitors into dedicated members
If you’ve ever been “church shopping” before, you know how powerful it can feel to truly connect with a church’s community during your visit, whether that involves one person or several.
Barna reported in a recent blog that a mere 53% of adult churchgoers say that they engage with other attendees before, during, or after church. Church engagement often hinges on simple interactions that provide an entry point for deeper community.
So if you want to nurture a more engaged community in your church, encourage everyone—from leaders to members—to view the church experience as far more than just what happens during the service. Lead by example to show them that, while it can be tempting to sneak out the back door and choose an “Irish goodbye” over sticking around to socialize, the moments before and after service are really where the true opportunities for connection lie.
In addition to encouraging your congregation to interact with and genuinely care for those sitting around them on a Sunday morning, there’s also something crucial church leaders can do to engage with new attendees (or those who have lapsed in attendance).
That’s crafting a church guest follow-up system! We’ve got a sample workflow you can use (along with the advanced functionality of One Church Software’s new Version 7) to automate this process and ensure that no one falls through the cracks.
>> Creating a Church Guest Follow-up Workflow (w/ Email & Text Templates)
You can also use some of our smart features to personalize what information you send to new and current churchgoers. For instance, you can send out your kids’ programs and events just to families and not to single members or married couples without children. There are endless customizations you can utilize to make your communication more effective in helping people connect with your church community.
4) Provide resources that matter
Jesus walked the Earth over 2,000 years ago before there was social media, internet, cars, modern medicine, or zippers.
While Scripture contains many lessons that transcend time, one of the challenges many church leaders face today is equipping their congregations with resources that bridge the gap between Sunday sermons and Monday realities.
People want their faith to matter—to guide them through real decisions, real pressures, and real goals in a world that looks nothing like the one Jesus’ first followers knew.
Ask yourself questions like:
- Are your churchgoers struggling to secure a stable career?
- Do you have families with two working parents who are looking for ways to impart their faith to their children?
- Are the single men and women in your congregation looking for meaning outside of a relationship?
- Do you live in a college town where the young people in your church are making decisions about their future?
These are all great opportunities for your church to increase engagement by offering key resources that benefit and speak to the unique challenges of your churchgoers today. You could organize small group meetings or even larger events around the topics that matter most to your members.
Not only will this equip them with valuable resources and knowledge, but it will also stimulate discussion. For instance, imagine you organized an event where members had the opportunity to participate in a book study regarding the topic of faith-based parenting. Just think how many helpful discussions would be sparked, and friendships formed, as the attendees asked one another questions and shared strategies. Just like that, you’ve helped your members feel seen, heard, and less alone—building powerful bridges of connection in your congregation.
Be sure to consider your congregation and think outside traditional norms when it comes to your church’s demographics. According to The State of Today’s Family published by Barna, the nuclear family unit is no longer the norm in the general population, and having kids, while still common, is a life event that is shifting in terms of timing and context.
5) Look at your church with fresh eyes
When you want to encourage a behavior, it’s important to prime the environment to make that behavior as easy and appealing as possible. It’s like when you set up a quiet corner in your home with a Bible and journal—when you see those items every time you pass that spot, you’re more likely to spend time in prayer and reflection than if everything is tucked away out of sight.
This same principle can apply when you’re designing your church with the goal of increasing engagement. When was the last time you considered what your church looks like through the eyes of a new visitor? Oftentimes, how our building is laid out is based on fitting objects in the space rather than considering the visibility or functionality that may benefit our guests the most.
Is it easy for someone to attend your Sunday morning service and then slip back out without ever interacting with another person? If so, you may have an engagement issue.
Take a moment to survey your space and answer the following questions:
- Can a new person easily locate where to find more information about community groups or events?
- Is it clear to guests where and how they can place their children in the nursery or kids’ program?
- When someone leaves, can they tell what the next steps are? If this is something you mention during your service, consider offering a pamphlet or physical card that directs them to where they can find out more.
- Are there any groups or events that people have to really dig for in order to know they are happening?
Consider rearranging your space to make it more visitor-friendly. Things like clear signage, natural flow, and even a greeter can help visitors feel welcomed from the moment they enter your space.
And make sure your first-time guest card has an area to indicate events, topics, or groups they may be interested in. One Church Software can help you create a workflow that will notify guests and members of events and groups that match their interests. And with Version 7 about to be released, the process is more seamless than ever before.
6) Get to know your congregation
There is no greater asset to increase your church engagement than genuinely caring for people.
Take some time to familiarize yourself with the people of your church. This is more than just updating your members’ profiles in your ChMS; get to know what they are struggling with as well as what they are celebrating.
One Church Software’s People and Contacts features can help you keep track of all the details, from family members, to important dates, plus plenty of custom fields to capture every detail.
Caring for your congregation is a big responsibility, and it’s just not humanly possible to remember everything about everyone. That’s where our system comes in: giving you the tools and support to make every member feel known, valued, and connected.
Strong engagement is the key to catapult the growth, effectiveness, and culture of your church. It’s important to regularly review your core offerings and consider how you may need to pivot in order to serve your congregation well.
A smart Church Management Software can amplify your efforts and lighten your workload as you employ these strategies to improve engagement. One Church Software is the all-in-one, comprehensive solution trusted by hundreds of churches to build a healthy, connected community. And we’re thrilled to share some exciting news: Version 7—our biggest and best update yet—is almost here.
While we’ve made improvements across the board, we focused especially on helping you support your people and strengthen engagement in meaningful, lasting ways. Check out what’s coming in Version 7 here.
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