Attract Reach Keep Blueprint Report

8/8/2019 Attract Reach Keep Blueprint Report

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Attract Reach Keep

Blueprint

5 Strategic Steps to Moving Beyond the Walls

Prepared byLynette Hawkins


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2010 Copyright Lynette Hawkins, All Rights Reserved. Copying any part of thisdocument must be granted permission by author. www.awesomeinsight.com

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Table of Contents

Introduction

5 Strategic Steps

1. Create a plan to communicate beyond the walls of

the church.

2. Set up team(s) to focus on communication,

outreach, welcoming and keeping new people.

3. For every communication effort, determine a

target audience

4. Shape messages and ministries/ministry eventsthat encourage lean-in

5. Be faithful to the Great Commission

"Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by theDivision of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ inthe United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved."


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PREFACE

Welcome! I say welcome because what appears to be at the core ofevery healthy and growing church is a church that grows in theirrelationship with Christ and knows how to welcome with Christian love.

As we journey together to become more familiar with communicationplanning and how to effectively position your ministry in thecommunity, it is my prayer that you will grow in your understanding ofvery practical ways to share the Gospel with others in your communityas you seek to be even more faithful to the Great Commission.

Today, more traffic may come to a congregations website than wouldever pass by that congregations building. The yellow pages andreligion section of the newspaper are no longer the only sourcesavailable to reach and invite the community to a worship service.Although the Message of the Gospel has not changed, the way in whichpeople communicate and respond has been impacted by the changesin methods of communication.

To assist ministry leaders who are challenged to attract, reach andkeep new people, we have prepared this report. This coupled withinformation we share in the ARK seminars and other resources help toshare ideas to reach out & invite. This report offers a simple approachto encourage congregations to start with understanding of their targetaudience and build plans to communicate and connect people to Christbeyond the walls of the church. It is so important that we understandthe target groups needs and begin to communicate in ways that arerelevant to those we are attempting to reach. It is our goal to shareideas to effectively communicate with people who are with out church

homes and may not have a relationship with Christ.

This report provides practical, easy to follow information to assist youin working with ministry leaders at your church and help establishsystems to touch lives. The report includes strategies, ideas andresources that you can use to pass on this information.


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We have developed the content in an easy to follow way; sharing 5practical strategies. Note from the start that, a warm welcominginvitation and good advertising alone will not grow a church. Thechurch is called to make disciples. Scriptures states:

Matthew 28: 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them

in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy

Spirit,

NRSV

Growing, healthy congregations are faithful to making disciples inChrists name. When a congregation understands the local churchsrole is disciple making, growth may very well occur. Welcoming,inviting and reaching out beyond the walls of the church are creative

ways we can fulfill our purpose to make disciples. It is so importantthat everyone reading this report knows up front why we are doingthis. The answer is simple. We are called to make disciples.

Creating ideas that fit a churchs budget, goal and local culture arecritical to any communication plan. We aim to share ideas that canwork with smaller congregations of less than 100 people as well aslarger congregations. How often a medium is used and how broadlythe message is shared will greatly depend on what a congregationsbudget can afford.

Again, welcome!

Lynette Hawkins


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HOW DO WE KNOW THIS APPROACH TO

MINISTRY COMMUNICATION WORKS?

Look to the Book of Acts

Our approach to effective ministry communication planning is simple.It models a biblical approach to reaching outward. We suggest thesesteps:

Pray Identify a target audience Understand the People Youre Trying to Reach Communicate so They Lean-In (Tailor the message)

Paul, a missionary apostle, is a great example of how we rely on Godas we approach people with the Good News. In looking at Paul, we seehow he engaged the people he was attempting to reach. His approachwas to tailor or adapt based on the audience. We call this targeting. Inother words, he took the Message and adjusted the way hecommunicated based on the culture or context.

Paul segmented his audience. His approach to the Hellenistic Jews wasdifferent than the approach for the Athenian Gentiles. When Paulshared the Gospel with the Athenian Gentiles he started at the altar ofthe Unknown God but when he shared with the Jewish people hestarted with Abraham and on to Jesus. Another way of saying this is

he used common ground to effectively communicate and reach thosehe was trying to reach.

As ministry leaders, we urge you to understand your target audience.Whether planning a specific ministry event or getting the word outabout the church and worship service, communicate so that a specifictarget group understands; yet remain faithful to Gods Word. Ministryleaders must find a balance between making the Message relevant tothe target and maintaining the biblical understanding.

Although the way we communicate today may have changed, theMessage has not changed. As we reach out and invite, we too must doas in the Bible. When Paul spoke he adapted his presentation for thepeople to understand, but the Message did not change. We must seekto meet people where they are.


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Make Reaching Out an Effective Communication Plan

Moving beyond the walls of the church is an essential part of church

vitality and growth. Becoming more outwardly focused allows theministry to grow in size but also in the ways in which it can serveGods people.

Too often congregations take a very inward approach to ministry inthat most of the events, activities and ministries are set up to servethe members of the church. In some cases, very little is done to invitepeople who are not family members or connected to the church insome way. Some church leaders struggle with how to reach out,encourage members to invite and stay connected to visitors when they

come to the church.

In this report, we will share very practical strategies and ideas to helpequip leaders to overcome some of the challenges of attracting,reaching and keeping those who are yet to come. Our additionalresources available in our seminars, ARK Huddle and other sourcesfurther clarify how to effectively communicate.

Our ideas are based on five basic strategies.

1. Create a plan to communicate beyond the walls

of the church.




target audience

4. Shape messages and ministries/ministry

events that encourage lean in5. Be faithful to the Great Commission


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Step #1 Create a planto communicate beyond thewalls of the church

One of the reasons so many of our congregations struggle with

reaching new people and young families is that there may be no planto do just that. Reaching out starts when steps are taken to be evenmore faithful to the Great Commission and go.

With communication tools and a strategic plan to be intentional inreaching out your church can begin reaching out. There are some basicelements that must be in place to help shape a plan.

Lets review these basic steps:

a. Goal: What will be the goal(s) of your communication planning? Forexample: Is it to reach new neighbors, reposition the ministry or reachmore young families?

Determining a goal for communication helps to set a direction on howto proceed. It also gives you a measuring tool once the plans are inplace and you look back on what has been accomplished. When yourministry team can agree on the goals of communication, youre well onyour way to gaining buy-in on what is to take place next.


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b. Strategy: How will you approach communication planning? Thisstep may require that you take a look at what events and ministrieswill need to be communicated. In addition, how will you connectpeople to Christ and the church once the events are planned. Oneplace to start is to take a look at a 12 month calendar

Annual Events Special Services Occasional Events One-Time Events

What will be your strategy for each of these areas?

c. Communication System: What are the tools youll use forcommunicating and how? List all of the communication tools you use.

Heres an example of what your system may look like.

How will you use each communication tool?

Flyers/InviteCards

Bulletin Board

Banner Outdoor Sign

Newsletter

Email

Website/

SocialNetworking

Sites

Bulletin


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Step #2 Set up team(s) to focus on communication,outreach, welcoming and keeping new people.

One of the first steps to take when planning to reach out is to create ateam or team structure to support the efforts of attract, reach andkeep. This step is essential in that there is a need to have leaders witha heart for reaching out and welcoming people. If your church hassystems in place to help discover spiritual gifts, now may be a goodtime to seek those individuals who have gifts for evangelism andhospitality.

Find volunteers who are committed to serving in the areas ofcommunication, outreach, welcoming or hospitality, membership

assimilation. Heres our view of the roles of these teams.

a. CommunicationTeam

An Overview of a Communications

TeamResponsible for all the messagesabout church activities within thecongregation to the community/public.The work of this team may varydepending on the individualcongregation, its leadership and howit is defined by the leadership. Thisteam may include people who workon the newsletter, website, socialnetworking, advertising, bulletin and any other tools used at yourchurch. The overall responsibility is to manage the communicationsystem for the church.

Why Consider A Communications Team At All?

Organizing your communication provides a better way to reach peoplewho are open to responding to invitations. If we send a message outwith no target in mind, those who are without a church home maynever see it. Planning as a Communications Team helps to shape themessage and communications items with thoughtful prayer, vision and


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insight to where God is calling you to go. The work of this team mayalso help to identify insider-words that need to be explained whenused in printed materials and verbal announcements.

b. Outreach Team

An Overview of an Outreach Team

This team often called the Evangelism Team seeks to lead, plan andfacilitate all aspects of the Great Commission by focusing on the needsof the people beyond the walls of the church and providing opportunityfor members to invite and be even more faithful to Great Commission.(Matthew 28:19-20). This team also provides leadership and tools toconnect people who visit to Christ and the church. This team maymanage the visitor contact and an intentional connection system.

Team tasks may include Keeping the Great Commission on minds of members

Plans for outreach activities Tracking Sunday attendance Communicating beyond the walls Building community partnerships to reach Identifying new events and opportunities to go Training the membership on outreach

Why Consider an Outreach Team at All?

Motivating and equipping members to invite people outside of thechurch is possibly one of the most effective ways to build newrelationships and bring new people. This team offers an organized wayto tap some of your members circles of influence we call, F.A.S.K.(Friends, Acquaintances, Strangers & Kin). If every member wouldshare invitations within their FASK circle and make an effort to reachout, imagine the number of people who could be reached for Christ.

c. Welcoming

An Overview of a Welcome Team

In some congregations, this team is called the first impressionsteam. A welcoming team may consist of ushers, greeters, parking lotattendants, first aid, security and any one who new people may seewhen they arrive. The welcoming team serves with an extraordinarywelcome by providing a warm and safe atmosphere to usher in Gods


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presence. This team serves the people and creates an atmosphere forhospitality. The team oversees the welcome and first impressions.

Why Consider a Welcoming Team at All?

Intentional welcoming via a team(s) provides an opportunity for you togive Gods best. If you think welcoming is simply having an usher takesomeone to their seat and collecting the offering on Sunday morning,you may need to broaden your thoughts. A team greeting and payingattention to the details helps to set the tone for welcoming. Theyprovide the friendly smiles, warm greetings and communication thatdemonstrate Christian love from the moment guests appear on thechurch doorsteps.

d. Keeping New People Team (Keep)

An Overview of a Keep Team

A Keep team maybe just the working name for the people that followup on visitors, integrate people into the life of the congregation andthose that make sure that new members meet people and discovertheir gifts. Some congregations refer to this team as the membershipteam. In some cases this team works very closely with the Evangelismteam managing the assimilation process for the church. Theresponsibilities of this team or teams vary by congregation. Theimportant work they do focuses on a:

Church visitor follow up Spiritual gift discovery classes Connecting new members to small groups & ministries New member classes and integration Shepherd or buddy system New member follow up

Why Consider a Keep Team At All?

Many congregations experience an open back door. In other words,

people join the church but they never see them again. Having anintentional system of communicating with newcomers helps to closethe back door and encourage active involvement in ministry. TheKeep team components build the system that manages therelationship from visitor to new member to active ministry leader.

The key to any successful event or ministry that reaches beyond thewalls is to follow up with the new people. Suppose you have a


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wonderful Church in the park event and more than 300 people showup. Will they come to visit your worship services because the musicwas good and the church was nice enough to sponsor this event?NoThey will possibly connect to your congregation if they feel andsense a Christian spirit of love through someone who may call, thank

them and give them every reason to want to come back.

Building a system that connects new people with their contactinformation, follow up and further invites increases the possibilitythat first time contacts may come again. Some congregations call,others visit or drop off a loaf of homemade bread, regardless of themethod, follow up does matter.

Heres an example of how a system can work.

#5 Follow UP &

Connect them tothe ministry

Keep Teams

#2 Reach Out toCommunity

Outreach Team

#3 Welcome

Visitors

Welcome Teams

#4 Invite them

Back

Outreach/Keep

Teams

#1 Reach Target

& Lean-inMessages

CommunicationsTeams


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Step #3 For every communication effort, determine atarget audience

The first step in any effective communication efforts for reaching outis to do your homework and know who you are trying to intentionallyreach. This step is important so that you can understand theirlanguage, know what they deal with in life and prepare to effectivelyshare.

Be Intentional!

a. Know who you are

If you are a congregation seeking to reach out for the first time, agood place to start is looking at your membership first.

Who currently attends your church? What are some common characteristics they share? Why do they seem to like your church? If youre missing some from the pews such as young adultswhy?

This step will uncover who you are but also who you may be able toattract. If you are a church with families that has had a history of

strong childrens ministries, then use that as a basis for yourintentional reach out plan. Acknowledge who you are first.

b. Identify a target audience for every ministry

communication

When creating a flier, website or simply anannouncement, ask yourself, Who are wetrying to reach? Whenever, you aremaking plans for a community event,

determine how you can effectivelycommunicate to a specific audience.

c. Get use to being intentional and

identifying target audiences


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Encourage ministry leaders to identify a specific target group whenforming new ministries and new events. This does not mean that thechurch will only be open to this group. As you know, the doors of thechurch are open to everyone; but targeting helps to pinpoint a specificgroup to tailor the communication messages and ministries.

d. Do your homework.

Take the time to understand the needs, language and where yourtarget audience goes. It is hard to reach people who are not churchedif all your fliers are delivered to neighboring churches. Seekunderstanding of the people you want to reach.


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Step #4 Shape messages and ministries/ministryevents that encourage lean-in

BEING RELEVANT MATTERS!

If I were to tell you that the local grocery store has cat food on sale at20 cans for $1.00, would you run out and buy any? The answer issimple. If you have a cat you would at least pay attention to themessage. People pay attention to things that matter to them. For catlovers the price of cat food may matter. Why is this relevant toreaching out to the unchurched?

a. Shape relevant messages.

To get the attention of those yet to come, the communication methodand ministry must be RELEVANT to those who are to receive it. Inother words it must speak to a need or concern of that group. When amessage is relevant, people are likely to lean-in and pay attentionto what is being said.

Key Point: People pay attention when the message taps a personalneed or interest. If you really want to get the attention of the

The Lean-In Explained

Hundreds of messages are delivered to ourcommunities everyday. Its likely that people

will pay more attention to those messages thatconnect with some aspect of their every daylives. To get lean-in, the message must be

perceived as relevant.


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unchurched and get them to LEAN-IN, create a relevant message fora relevant ministry!

b. Apply the Lean-In Factor to All Your Communications

Take a close look at every way you communicate from the churchbulletin to the outdoor sign. Will people lean in and pay attention?

Realize

UNCHURCHED PEOPLE DO NOT ALWAYS

WAKE UP

WITH CHURCH ON THEIR MINDS!


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Step #5 Be faithful to the Great Commission

Its time to go

According to recent studies on Americans there are millions who do notregularly attend church. People who are formerly unchurched oftenshare they came to visit their new church because of an invitation by afriend.

Invitations are how we reach out to people in our call to makedisciples. To make disciples we must simply go and start with invitingothers to experience the love of Jesus for themselves.

Getting over the fear of the e-word may be one of the biggest hurdlesmembers of your congregation face. Teaching moments about sharingfaith can help to ease the fears of evangelism. To help membersuncover how to talk about church and share the Gospel, preaching andteaching moments with tools and insight will be helpful.

Before planning a special service or preparing for an outreach event,be sure to familiarize yourself with the communication tools that canhelp you get the word out. Heres a short list of just a few:

Church Website

Millions of people visit the Internet each day looking for spiritual andreligious information. Young adults are more likely to go to a searchengine to look up the location of your church than a phone directory.Is your site use to share upcoming events, video streaming and smallgroup activity? With that in mind, how can you go?

E-mail

Electronic mail is convenient and a very efficient way to get the wordout about the life of your congregation. From e-newsletter toannouncements, this tool can connect to the community of membersand new comers. Today, web-based email services are available tomake it easy to share with hundreds or thousands of people withoutspending any money. How will email be a part of your efforts?


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Press Coverage

Getting free publicity by being featured in the local newspaper or

television is a great way to get the community buzzing and memberssharing even more. If you are going to contact the media about anupcoming event, it does matter that you know how to be mosteffective in positioning the ministry. Its so important that you knowwhat information to share and how to share it to get the attention of areporter or news crew. How will you think out of the box to get mediacoverage this year?

Community Walks

New apartment buildings, sub-divisions and people moving in arehappening in many neighborhoods. As our neighborhoods change, dowe have a presence to let newcomers know about our ministry?

Social Networking Sites

Social Media or Web 2.0 opens up opportunity for two-waycommunications between the ministry leaders and the community.From blogging to texting or placing a ministry page on a socialnetwork, this tool requires new understanding on ways to effectivelyuse it to reach the next generation. Although this approach to

communication is newer, it is growing in its impact with reachingyounger people. Learning ways to connect with these tools can add tothe ability to get lean-in and reach people where they are.

Advertising

So often media sales rep connect with churches to share aboutmediums available to reach out. Some of these mediums are awesomeothers may be a total waste of money because they have little

opportunity to reach out for you. Do you know how to evaluateadvertising options?

Events for the Community

With the economic downtown, families are looking for free options toshare with their families. Sometimes ministry events like outdoorpicnics, seminars, Vacation Bible School are the best kept secrets of


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the church. What events are you planning and how will you connectthe guests?


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Leadership skills are keys to being effective.

Strong, effective leadership drives strong effective communications. Asyou seek to build plans to move beyond the walls, be sure to take thetime to identify leaders with a heart to reach out and lead into newterritory. The success of any communication effort will greatly dependon how the leaders shape the various ministries they oversee.

Magnet Leaders help to attract the types of people who share giftsfor this type of ministry.

An Overview of a Team Leader within Communication Planning

As leader of any aspect communications ministry, you may facilitate, build,budget, organize and lead many aspects of the team. You are leader of the teamthat will help to proclaim the Gospel in the community and congregation. Theleader will help to facilitate the communication initiatives of your congregation.Duties and role may be further defined by the leadership of your church and thework you oversee. To shape the work of each team, a job description should bewritten to shape the scope of work and expectations of the team leader.

Here are a few guidelines to be sure to include in what you expect.

1. Establish a Vision for the Team

Every effective leader takes the time to shape the vision for the team. The teamleader may need to meet with the leadership of the church to collaborate on thevision for that particular ministry. Agreed upon vision and goals and how theyalign with the congregations overall mission and vision are essential. Encourageleaders to determine long term and short-term goals for the team. It may behelpful to create a mission statement for each team.


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2. Recruit Volunteers

Identifying people who desire to be a part of aspects of communication planning

requires intentional recruitment of volunteers. Recruitment is a person-to-personcontact. Yes it is great to announce it in worship service, put a message on thebulletin board and bulletin. However one of the best ways to get committed teammembers is to:

a. Ask people in person. - Call or stop members at Sunday service andsimply ask for the skills and talents to be shared with this team. Explainthe purpose of the team and the tasks that are ahead of you. Let themknow ways you can see them helping the team.

3. Lead the Team

Ministry leadership requires understanding of what it takes to be aneffective Christian leader. Some of the best volunteer leaders showtheir Christian love through their personal commitment and dedicationto Gods work and the work of the team. Building team leadershipskills that understand how to recruit, motivate and lead teams isessential.

Start Today

Now is a great time to begin to shape plans to reach beyond thewalls of your church. Whether youre an older establishedcongregation or one that is just getting started, the act of attract,reach, keep happens when you take the steps to start. Withattention to being intentional with a strategy and relevantapproaches to communication, your congregation can move forwardand seek more ways to be a faithful and healthy congregation. As apoint of review, here are the five strategies outlined to make plansto attract, reach and keep those who are yet to come.

1. Create a plan to communicate beyond the wallsof the church.




target audience


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4. Shape messages and ministries/ministry

events that encourage lean in

5. Be faithful to the Great Commission

It is our hope, that the approaches shared will bless your ministry asyou seek ways to reach out and invite. Being effective in positioningyour ministry to the community is one factor in overcoming thechallenges faced with changes in the neighborhood, decliningmembership and financial woes. Blessings on your ministry!


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Lynette Hawkins

http://www.awesomeinsight.com/

2010 Lynette Hawkins.

All rights reserved. No portion of this report may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means - electronic,

mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other - except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the permission of the author.

Published in Greensboro, North Carolina by Beyond Marketing Group, Inc.

[email protected]

About the Author

Lynette Hawkins writes, speaks andpresents seminars on topics relating toeffectively communicating to reach the

next generation of disciples. She is anelder in her church and very activelyengaged in leading communications andevangelism. She works with clients whoseek effective ways to move beyond thewalls in positioning the ministry to the

community and making plans to attract,reach and keep new people. Her practicaltips are based on Scripture, research andexperience. Lynette has more than 25years of professional experience in

marketing and communications. She hasushered and greeted too.

She is the lead consultant for AwesomeInsight, an initiative of Beyond MarketingGroup, Inc. Her articles appear inChristian publications and she wasrecently interviewed about hospitality onTCT (Total Christian Television). She is anactive blogger atblog.awesomeinsight.com. If you wouldlike to contact Lynette, you can reach herat [email protected]. Her websiteis www.awesomeinsight.com.

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