10 Ways High Gas Prices Affect your Church

[SDG]

10 Theories on High Gas Prices and Church

June 11, 2008

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.

8 Theories About Church & High Gas Prices

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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).

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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?

7. 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.

8. 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).

9. 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.

10. 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.

Source
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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?

[SDG]

Speaking to a highly requested evangelist in the last few weeks .... he told me that preaching opportunities are dwindling as some churches are tightening up their belts.

[Cindy]

When I was little, sometimes we had to walk to church. I guess that's impossible now. Maybe you could ride a bike or a scooter if you have one.

[commonsense]

When I was about 10 we moved and then lived 3 blocks from church. My mother never drove and my dad's hours weren't a nice 9-5 (railroad) so we usually walked to church. It's why they bought that house.

In todays world no one walks and few live close enough to walk to work or church. It might be interesting to see if any habits change.

[LadyChocolate]

Originally Posted by commonsense

When I was about 10 we moved and then lived 3 blocks from church. My mother never drove and my dad's hours weren't a nice 9-5 (railroad) so we usually walked to church. It's why they bought that house.

In todays world no one walks and few live close enough to walk to work or church. It might be interesting to see if any habits change.

i might have to make my own "mochas" at home instead of going to Caribou That'll put several gallons of gas in my car...

Or, I can just walk to Caribou, not waste gas, and still have my coffee!

[Rico]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080614/...xN7WHKPiqyBhIF




The Saudis are concerned that sustained high oil prices will eventually slacken the world's appetite for oil, affecting them in the long run.

Crude prices have reached record highs, surpassing $139 per barrel on June 6 after surging nearly $11 in the biggest single-day price leap ever.

The prices had receded by Friday, with the benchmark light, sweet crude for July delivery falling $1.88 to settle at $134.86 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. In London, July Brent crude lost $1.84 to settle at $134.25 on the ICE Futures exchange.

Meanwhile, the average national price for a gallon of regular gas in the U.S. rose to a record $4.066 Friday, from $4.06 a day earlier, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service. Diesel also set a new record, rising 0.2 cent to $4.796 a gallon.

Even with record highs in the U.S., prices remain far cheaper than in Europe and some parts of Asia. Oil-related protests have swept Europe, with fishermen staging strikes in Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium and Italy. Several Asian countries, including India, Indonesia and Malaysia, have slashed fuel subsidies, raising prices for millions of consumers and sparking demonstrations.

[TRFrance]

I think saints will still show up on Sundays as usual, but stuff like mid-week Bible studies, prayer meetings, and other events at church will probably start to suffer from reduced attendance.

Interesting.
Although we think of the Kingdom of God as being ultimately spiritual, and transcendent, which it is... it's still affected by things such as gas prices, and basic economic realities on the ground.

[SOUNWORTHY]

I talked to a friend who lives in Mexico working among the Indians and he said the Mexican government put a cap on gas prices and it is around $2.50 a gal. Maybe some of the illegal's will decide it's too expensive here and go home!!

[Cindy]

Maybe we will start having church at home, or have a home church in a neighborhood.

[Cindy]

If just me, hubby and our kids and their families that live across the pasture, and the 2 and their families that live with us, and my bro-in-law next door. We could have a good size house church.