Growing up as a pastor’s kid, I spent much of my childhood in the church—specifically, in the adult services. Back then, children weren’t separated from adults on Sunday mornings. I remember attending Sunday school. It would be hard to forget since I met my wife in our 4th grade Sunday School Class. I also attended church every week. And while I might not recall a single sermon, I do remember the repeated elements: the hymns like Blessed Assurance and How Great Thou Art, and the invitation at the end of each service. This invitation was a call to come forward if you wanted to follow Jesus, be baptized, join the church, or be called into ministry.
Though I can’t say no one ever responded to the call during those services, I don’t remember it vividly. However, I do remember it well from summer camp, where my own journey into vocational ministry began. The calling of young people into ministry still happens at camps, but the practice of making such calls on Sunday mornings has become rare. This lack of calling has resulted in a lack of the leaders and workers needed to fulfill Jesus’ mission.
In 1885, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus published research on forgetting and learning, which introduced what is now known as the forgetting curve. Today, Americans consume around 34 gigabytes of data daily—about 100,000 words, equivalent to reading the Book of Psalms 2.5 times each day. Unfortunately, much of this information is forgotten quickly. Research shows that within one hour, people forget about 50% of new information, and after 24 hours, this rate jumps to 70%. By the end of a week, up to 90% of what was learned is lost. However, repetition can help overcome this forgetting curve.
A century later, psychologist Robert Zajonc found that repeated exposure to something increases our preference for it. For instance, as a lifelong Californian, I have a strong preference for Mexican food, simply because it’s so prevalent in my area. This principle of creating preferences through repetition can also apply to the practice of calling people into ministry.
You might wonder why I’m discussing psychology in the context of calling, which is fundamentally the work of the Holy Spirit. Acts 13:2 makes it clear: “The Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’” While we can’t dictate the Holy Spirit’s actions, we can prepare people to hear and respond by making the call to ministry both memorable and preferable. This requires repetition.
If you’re a pastor or church leader wanting to increase the number of church planters, start by talking about it – frequently. Incorporate discussions about calling into your regular communication. Add it to your calendar, include it in your message preparation, and make it a part of your worship planning. You’ll know you’re succeeding when even occasional attendees are aware that God might be calling them to start a church.