Tips

Tips

MINISTRY COMMUNICATIONS

If you create the church bulletin, publish a newsletter, generate flyers or develop publicity and advertising communication for your church, these tips are for you.  How you communicate about your ministry builds the platform for who you reach and who you will attract to the ministry.

These tips provide insight on how to focus your message, talk directly to your target and get the results you desire.

Tip #1 - Always have a target group in mind. The key to delivering effective written communications is to have a specific group of people in mind as you write and create your website, newsletter, bulletin, welcome brochure and any other communication tool used by your ministry.

For example, if you are trying to attract new residents, think of what a new comer needs to hear about your church. Then make every effort to communicate from a new resident’s perspective. This may mean that your website has links to map/directions and other key community resources.

Tip #2 - Give them a reason to “lean in”. When developing the headline for your press release, newsletter, flyer or postcard always add “the lean in factor.”  In other words, say something that is relevant to a person’s everyday life. For example, if you are promoting a new Bible Study for Young Mothers, you might say, “Are you looking ways to build positive, healthy minded kids? Attend Our New…”

Another example, one church placed on it’s Easter flyers, “It’s Not Just About Eggs.” This message along with the impactful graphics gave readers a reason to look beyond the headline. If you are writing headlines that just say your church’s name or a “what you would expect statement”, you may be losing the opportunity to gain more readership by adding the “lean in factor”.

Tip #3 - Align photos with who you’re attempting to reach. Do the photos on your church’s website speak to your target audience? Next time you place a photo on the web or in your welcome brochure, ask yourself, what does this say to our target audience? Pictures say a thousand words. If you want to attract young families with children, be sure your pictures address things families want to see. If you are trying to build a singles ministry, pay attention to how the couples and individuals interact in your photographs.

EVANGELISM

Are you on the Evangelism Team? Will you be planning a special event? Do you volunteer as a greeter? If so, these tips are for you. These tips share how to reach out to the community and welcome guests so that the first impression is awesome. So much rides on the very first impression. These tips help to clue you and your team in on what to do, and say to outreach to the community and make them feel welcomed from the very first moment

So much of how we welcome guests depends on our mindset and attitude. Reaching out requires a willingness to get out there and invite the community.

Tip #1 - Think of your newcomers as guests instead of visitors. One of the best-kept secrets to delivering an awesome welcome is creating a mindset for hospitality. If you desire to grow your ministry and make folks feel welcomed, adopt a guest-mindset.

According to several dictionaries, a guest is defined as “a visitor who hospitality is extended.” The suggestion of extending hospitality to a guest ministry instead of greeting a visitor makes all the sense in how we communicate on Sunday morning.

Tip #2 - Put a smile in everything you do. This sounds so simple but too many ministry ushers forget the simple art of smiling. If you usher, greet in the parking lot or answer the phones for your church office, remember to smile. Warm welcomes are one of the things new members often share when asked why they chose a particular church. A smile is the starting point for a warm hello.

As a leader in the guest ministry, give feedback on how friendly your team appears. You may want to make random checks to see just how friendly you sound on the telephone too. Sometimes the very first impression of a church is when a new comer calls for directions.

Tip #3 - Invite guests one-on-one. People respond to people. Ads are nice but nothing beats a personal invitation to your church. If you truly want to reach out to the community, get your members involved in one-on-one invitations.  Create evangelism tools that allow your members to share personal invitations with friends, neighbors and coworkers who do not have a church home. Planning a Bring a Friend Sunday is a great way to get your members focused on sharing the Good News with people they know.

In our seminars, we share a F.A.S.K. approach to inviting. You’ll find out what that stands for in a seminar, but in the mean time, just think of the circles of people you know. Take the time to invite somebody next Sunday!