Earlier this week, average U.S. gas prices reached an all-time high at $4 per gallon. The Energy Department predicts gas prices to remain this high through 2009. And if storms affect the oil industry, U.S. gas prices could go as high as $5 or $6 per gallon this year.
How will this affect your church?
Two years ago, when gas prices reached $3 per gallon, 70% of drivers planned to compensate by adjusting their daily lives. And three years ago, when the national average reached $2.50 per gallon for the first time, even Wal-Mart struggled. After 25 years of Americans driving more and more, the Federal Highway Administration reports that Americans are finally decreasing the total number of miles driven on roads each year.
There is no way to be certain about how high gas prices will affect your church. But I do have some theories about what might happen.
10 Theories About Church & High Gas Prices
- An Unaffected Core
I believe that most people who are considered core members of a church are not likely to stop attending church to save money on gas. They may make adjustments in their lifestyles, but cutting church from their lives is not an option. However, core members who live especially far away may have no other choice but to find a new, closer church. - Worse Attendance from the Uncommitted
For every-other-Sunday church attenders, going to church just gets harder when gas prices make it $2 more expensive to go. It is just one more excuse for their long list of excuses. - Greater Challenges in Reaching the Unchurched
Agnostics, Muslims, Buddhists, and non-church-attending “Christians” are rarely, if ever, motivated to visit a church service or event. In fact, many would try their best to avoid anything church related. As gas prices increase, the likelihood that the unchurched will drive to your church decreases. Your best chance at reaching this group is to give them transportation (e.g., bus ministry or church members bring them). - Weakened Advertising Results
Your postcards, billboards, and radio ads need to be interesting enough to create a desire to attend your church. Rising gas prices are like raising the admission price to your church. Even if someone is interested enough to take the time to attend your church, is he interested enough to spend the money to attend your church. - Difficult Volunteer Recruitment
The financial cost issue can even be a factor for prospective volunteers. They may be willing to give their time, but they may not be willing to pay $4 per gallon to get there. - A Shrinking Radius
As gas prices rise, I think a church’s radius of reach will shrink when it comes to reaching new members. Core members may still be willing to drive 40 miles to attend, but first-time visitors will probably come from the nearby areas surrounding your church. So if people are currently willing to drive 20 miles to attend your church, would they only be willing to drive 12 miles if gas prices reached $6 per gallon? - Multi-Site Church Advantage
One of the many advantages of a multi-site church format is it can strategically shorten the distance people have to drive to attend church. And in the big picture, it increases a church’s scope of reach. For example, a one campus church might be able to reach a 20 mile radius, but a two-campus church might be able to reach a 40 mile radius.
- Internet Church Advantage
Churches with an Internet campus can obviously avoid the gas prices issue altogether. Some examples of this church model are LifeChurch.tv (Edmond, OK), Seacoast Church (Mt. Pleasant, SC), and Flamingo Road Church (Cooper City, FL). - Revitalized Ministry Opportunities
Rising gas prices may cause bus ministries to return as a popular and effective method. After all, what better way to solve the gas problem than to bus people to church. - New Ministry Opportunities
Although rising gas prices create a number of problems, they also create some opportunities. Mosaic Church (Charlotte, NC) gave away $2500 worth of free gas ($15 per car) to bless their community and create awareness for their church. And Fellowship Church (Miami, FL) created a direct mail piece that could be redeemed at the church for a $5 gas card.
For Discussion:
- How are rising gas prices affecting your church?
- How can a church minimize the negative effects of high gas prices?
- What are some ministry opportunities in a world of expensive gas?
Higher gas prices are making Youth Trips more and more difficult. I’m in the process of figuring out how I can make trips affordable without killing myself budgetwise.
Even w/ our Internet Campus, its still a concern for the volunteer factor you mentioned. Though it is a daunting question to answer, I think it’s an opportunity to come together as a church–high gas prices is a common denominator that eludes none of us. It’s something we are all dealing with so it is something we can all be praying about.
I think higher gas prices will help correct one of the key problems with American churches. Too many people commute to the trendiest mega-church when they should be committed to transforming the community in which they live through a local church. High gas prices will do two things: reorganize the church into community oriented ministries and reveal the out of order finances in America. This revelation will cause people to look for answers. This could be good if we in the church are prepared to teach biblical principles of finance.
Good thoughts, Wes.
As much as paying higher prices hurts, I think there is a great potential to aid our eternally oriented ministry. We live in a country of luxury. We take everything for granted.
Times like these, though hard, I believe will help people to step back and re-evaluate what really is important and what isn’t. Sometimes we have to lose something that we want before we see what we really need. In the end, Jesus is all that really matters.
I wonder too, if high gas prices will affect giving to churches? As mentioned, the core of your church is unlikely to be affected by gas prices for attendance or giving. But what about the rest of your church? People don’t just drive cars to get to church! Families where gas is a significant part of their budget may be tempted to reduce their giving….
I think this is a global issue that churches will need to address in some way. A Sunday teaching on how to biblically cope with ‘the credit crunch’ would not be a waste in my view.
this is a wonderful time to reflect on all or the things we take for granted, also I agree with all the comments. One thing we must remember is God is the supplier, and as we live in this test of life with the Gas prices and all the other things that go with it lets remember that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills the bible says. He is the giver and he is the taker of all that we have, yes we can look at our world and see what is happening around us and yes we can be concerned. God still is in control of it all.
[...] I’ve been especially interested in how this is going to affect churches. I’ve talked to some pastors and they’ve already seen the effect through lower offerings. I think people will start to find churches “closer to home” rather than driving many miles to a particular church. Here’s an interesting article about gas prices and the church. [...]
Great comments all around. I too am concerned about how it will affect our volunteer base. Our first big test will be VBS in two weeks. I’m wondering if attendance (by volunteers and kids alike) will be down because of $4 gas.
Echoing a couple other concerns, giving at churches will be affected IMO. We’ve seen a drop in giving, but that could be due to graduations and vacations kicking in. Although the drop appears larger than in years past.
Here’s a ministry idea! Make the gas crunch work in your favor. We’re having Family Fun Nights throughout the summer. We just had our first and have two more. I’m tempted to promote it on the web, announcements, etc as - “Take a staycation!” (the new term). We’re offering free food, free homemade ice cream, volleyball, horeshoes, water games, live music and fireworks (4th of July - the good ones are still legal here in SC).
[...] 10 Theories on high gas prices and your church. (might it bring back the neighborhood church?) Check it. [...]
@Ben & @Peg
It is definitely a season of reevaluation and reflection.
@Greg Simmons
I like your idea about the Staycation.
[...] Kent Shaffer did an interesting post yesterday that sparked this thinking for me. It is about how the price of gas is going to and how it already is affecting the local church. [...]
[...] How will rising gas prices affect your church? [...]
This is a very interesting stream of thoughts. I think that the gas prices provide an opportunity to put the local back in the church.
This might not be that bad of a thing. We’ll see!
[...] 10 Theories on High Gas Prices and Church [...]
I think it’s sad that churches have to worry about attendance and donations because of the gas situation. I don’t hear pro sports worrying that they won’t fill stadiums, or concerts cutting back on tours. But the church, who has the greatest story ever told to be told, has to worry. Jesus is bigger than $4 gas. Doesn’t $4 gas fall into the whole Matthew 6:34 message? We should put our treasure into something that will last, not sports teams, musicians, whatever.
[...] “What would the future look like for the church in a city where extreme oil prices prevailed?” Kent Shaffer at ChurchRelevance.com has come up with some theories about the effects of high fuel prices on churches. He quotes figures [...]
Only in America could you write such theories! $4 gas is a distant dream for Europeans and most of the rest of the world. You have the highest incomes, the lowest gas prices and the highest concentration of churches of every flavour. Christians on rest of the planet would love to have these problems.
Try losing the SUV and driving less than 20 miles to the trendiest megachurch. Try evangelizing people by actually relating to them personally instead of through billboards and gas cards. Try walking, taking public transport, or a hundred other creative solutions.
Surely the best-resourced Church in the world can overcome a few extra pennies per gallon?
@Jason
These theories really aren’t about how the church can overcome “a few extra pennies per gallon.” That part is easy.
The point of this article is to get churches thinking about how rising gas prices within the context of American culture are changing culture and changing it differently for different psychographics.
[...] we can expect from such a huge hike. I stumbled upon this great article by Kent Shaffer at churchrelevance.com and he gives these [...]
[...] 10 theories on gas prices and the church… [...]
[...] entries on the rising gas prices: 1) “Will Blog for Gas”, 2) Kent Shaffer on “10 Theories on High Gas Prices and Church”, and 3) I-Monk on “Pray at the Pump: A Meditation on Jesus and Economic [...]
I think gas prices put a spot light on the current state of come-to-us Church ideology. A year ago I was called out of the come-to-us model, and into a home church network. We meet in homes every week. We eat a shared meal together, talk, pray, sing, and study the Word. It’s the most vital time of the week for me, and is the most authentic picture/experience of what Church really is all about that I’ve ever experienced.
The people we are called to are our neighbors and surrounding blocks we live in. We are the salt and light here.
Our network is led by bi-vocational elders. We are trying to live out 1 John 3:18 in the ordinary lives of everyday stuff.
So maybe the solution is a bigger change than a lot of folks might be comfortable with. Maybe solution is fewer come-to-us buildings, and more Church happening on your street, de-centralized, loving with abandon, risking everything to Follow Him.
As C.S. Lewis penned, “…he’s not a tame lion.”
@Dan
Wisely put.
[...] a necessity to reach people who don’t have a relationship with Jesus. Kent Shaffer did an article on this topic back on June 11. Agnostics, Muslims, Buddhists, and non-church-attending [...]