How do you grow your crowd?  Sounds arrogant- prideful.  “Why should we seek a big crowd.  What are we, Hollywood?”  I know some churches via their pastors that revel and pride themselves in their small size.  To them it is a mark of maturity and strength of their message.  If you are quiet enough you can hear them chanting, “Us four, no more, keep the heathen out da’ door.”  However, the last time I checked, everywhere else in nature, the healthier something thing is the bigger it grows.  So wake-up.  You have something to say and you want people to hear it, right?  If it is important you want as many people as possible to hear it. Here are 5 tips for growing your audience.  P.S. This doesn’t take God out of the picture.  It does speak to your part of the responsiblity.

  1) Say it well.  Your communication needs to hold your audience’s attention.  If you loose them while you are talking  you won’t get them back after they have left.  They certainly wont tell others.  Present content that is captivating and evocative.  I love to say it, entertain them.

2) Say it sweet. People love to laugh and humor makes the most difficult pill go down easier. Learn the art of humor.  It is more about how things are said rather then what is said.

3) Say something helpful.  Hungry people want food.  They do not want discussions about how important food is.  Meet someone’s need and they will come back with a friend.

4) Say something no one else is saying. Your content needs to stand out from the crowd.  Be original.  Talk about what no one else is able, willing, or wanting to share.  Just make sure it meets a need people feel.  While you could talk about the mating habits of bombardier beetles I don’t think that is an itch people need scratched.  I could be wrong. You would stand out but probably stand alone.

5) Say it a different way.  The way you present your content is enough to build a crowd.  Few people actually have original ideas.  Great communicators find new ways of saying old things.  How many illustrations did Jesus use to describe the Kingdom of God?  Mix it up.

We do all of this to get one person in our audience to bring somebody who isn’t.  If our crowd feels we say it well, say it different, make ‘em smile, and fill their soul then they will pass it on.  We have gained the right to be heard again and be heard by others.  Noone brings a friend to a restaurant they know has lousy food. Scratch an itch and the word will get around and the seats will fill.  God still needs to bring the growth but we need to plant with skill.

Which of these is a weakness for you?  How can you get better?