Your Faith Community is Only as Vital as its Outreach Program
No matter how vital and fast-growing your parish might be today, you are losing members at a rapid rate. Some members marry outside the faith; others change jobs and relocate; still others become ill or die; and a few simply stop coming to your church or to any church. Every change in a high-profile position within your paid staff can lead to an exodus of parishioners. That’s why newcomers and loyal, active parishioners are the lifeblood of every church. To attract them and keep them you need to reach out to them. A church outreach program is an important, on-going effort that requires a substantial commitment of time, energy and money. While primary responsibility for the program rests with the pastor, key assignments should be delegated to a member of your staff or a volunteer, someone who has experience in marketing, advertising, public relations or market research. You will also need someone who is skilled in photography and design to help implement the plan. Once you have your committee in place, you are ready to begin your outreach program.
Start by conducting a parish census. Your goal is to learn who you are attracting (by age, household size, education, profession, etc.), how far they drive to attend church services and how often they come. Follow up with an opinion survey of your congregation to learn their preferences as to worship style, programs offered, the facilities, music, etc. (You may be surprised to learn that some of your members are also members of another are church, which has a different worship style or programs of particular interest to them.) Study the tithing patterns of your congregation both in terms of financial giving and the giving of time and talent. Compare your findings with those of other area churches.
Audit the services, ministries and programs offered by other area churches. See if there are any unmet needs within the community.
Next, compare the statistical profile of your congregation with the Census Bureau’s demographic data for the surrounding community. Then decide what segments and zip codes you want to target in greater numbers.
Of course, you can increase your church’s profile with ads in Sunday’s metro newspaper. But a simple listing of the hours of services does not position your church. Other churches may have the same convenient hours of service or a more convenient location. You need to announce the theme of Sunday’s services and include a succinct, unique statement that will set your church apart and attract kindred spirits. If special events are upcoming, they should be announced in advertising and/or press releases.
Your outreach program should also include a variety of community-wide special events. For example, you might:
- Run an annual bazaar preceded with an opening-day parade that leads people right into the church grounds.
- Co-sponsor an annual event with another non-profit organization, such as a hospital. The event might be a Walkathon, a Health Fair, blood mobile drive or flu shots.
- Stage free concerts by your choir in a public park.
- Offer free baby sitting one night a month in the church hall.
- Start a Vacation Bible School. Sponsor athletic tournaments.
You can focus your efforts on specific unmet needs of the community. For example, you might sponsor:
- Support groups for the grieving, the divorced, single parents or senior citizens.
- Hold seminars on financial planning.
- Run job hunting workshops.
You can also raise your profile within the community by adopting a highway for clean-up, opening a food bank or launching a thrift shop (which also generates added income for the church). You can start a Newcomers Club to welcome people who have just moved into the area and who are not yet affiliated with a church.
Once you start brainstorming, you’re sure to come up with ideas that best fit your church. Then, you need to prioritize them, select the most promising ones, establish budgets, set benchmarks for success, recruit volunteers and measure the outcomes.