North Ridge Community Church in Cave Creek, Ariz., has attracted a number of newcomers through its outreach to young mothers, Vacation Bible School and its interactive website, according to Executive Pastor Dan King.
“There are certain ministries that have been very effective,” King says. “We started a young mothers’ group. It tends to be something that draws the unchurched. That’s been a very productive tool. Our Vacation Bible School—we pour tons of resources into it and have perhaps as much as three or four times our average Sunday attendance come into VBS.”
One woman who’d developed an antagonistic attitude toward church began attending the parenting group at North Ridge. Although she’d had negative experiences in church previously, she found a home at North Ridge.
“She came to Christ, took on some leadership roles and a year-and-a-half ago was hired as a women’s ministry director,” King says.
While ministries for parents and children have boosted the church’s numbers, King also credits North Ridge’s website with attracting new worshipers. They use it to survey congregants about how they discovered the church as well as to track the online searches that lead people to North Ridge’s website.
In addition to its tech-based outreach, the church launched a 5 p.m. Sunday service to attract individuals who can’t attend morning worship or prefer to attend worship later.
That service “certainly attracts more new people than any of our other services,” King says.
The number of attendees also swells at North Ridge after major holidays such as Easter or on other special occasions featuring guest speakers, according to King. The challenge, however, remains retaining these newcomers after the holidays pass, he says.
The age of the pastoral team stands out as another challenge.
“Most of the staff have been here for a lengthy time,” King says. “We came when we were in our 40s. That now puts us in our 60s. In terms of attracting new younger families, we recognize that our age is hurting us a lot.”
White, upper-middle-class professionals make up the bulk of community members in Scottsdale and the other areas North Ridge serves. They tend to be middle-aged with children in high school because the cost of homes “is pricing young families out of the market,” King says.
That makes it that much harder for North Ridge to attract a younger crowd. Still, the pastor says the church has drawn in a steady stream of new believers over the years, so much so that he’s heard too many anecdotes about converts to name.
“Those stories are flying,” King says.
NORTH RIDGE COMMUNITY CHURCH
Cave Creek, Ariz.
Senior Pastor: Mike Burnidge
Twitter: @MikeBurnidge
Website: NorthRidge.org
Founded: 1994
Affiliation: Nondenominational
Locations: 1
A 2015 OUTREACH 100 CHURCH
Attendance: 1,250
Growth in 2014: +241 (24%)
Fastest-Growing: 60
