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Church Outreach: Throwback Ways To Make Big Impressions During COVID
Our ministry partners have embraced technology for their church outreach in amazing ways during COVID. Whether it's sending mass text messages, creating virtual connect cards, personalized email campaigns, and obviously live streaming. But we've seen something else happen lately with their outreach...
Why?
They're finding that people are starving for genuine human interaction and neighborly love. Here are some traditional church outreach methods that we've seen our ministry partners embrace that are making big impressions in their local community.
Most of us get dozens of emails and text messages daily. Seeing one come from the church is already the norm. We expect to receive them. But a handwritten letter...that's not expected. In fact, they grab most people's attention. After all, many of us are only used to seeing a handwritten address on envelopes for wedding invitations. People will always take the time to read a handwritten letter.
Letter Ideas:
Many churches have limited the use of phone calls to only returning calls from church people. Why? Because people no longer answer the phone. Try this instead...
Email or send a text to your people saying that you'd like to catch up via the phone. If you're wanting to meet with multiple people, try creating an event in ChurchTrac and send invites to everyone with a zoom link.
Home visitations have made a BIG resurgence over the past few months for church outreach. Why? Because our people are spending more time at home. They're traveling less, eating in more, and many are working remotely. Here's how to do home visitations right in 2020:
Do this: Send out a mass email to your people in advance letting them know you'll be around their neighborhood on a certain day. You can always create a Form Card on Church Connect that gives people the opportunity to sign up too!
This may not seem glamorous, but it's a great outreach method for people that don't attend your church. Build a team of some of your youth or college students to go around the neighborhood to offer a helping hand. Whether it's something as simple as blowing off a driveway, raking leaves, or shoveling snow off of a walkway. Actions often speak louder than words when it comes to church outreach. This "sweat equity" will pay dividends for your church's reputation. Your volunteers will also get to see tangible evidence of what their hard work has accomplished.
Done smartly, this type of church outreach can be profound (and yummy). One ministry decided to get a group of volunteers together to make their favorite deserts to hand-deliver throughout their community. Each person baked their desserts at home and then brought them to the church to be distributed throughout the neighborhood. We really liked this church outreach idea because it was super cost-effective and got the community excited. After all, who doesn't love a slice of homemade pumpkin pie? 😋
As you do church outreach, make sure you keep track of everything in ChurchTrac. Whether it's adding another person to your database, or using the handy notes feature to record updates on the people you visit. With ChurchTrac ChMS, all of your church outreach is kept in one church database for all your leadership to use.
Till next time 👋
Churches are bringing back traditional church outreach.
Why?
They're finding that people are starving for genuine human interaction and neighborly love. Here are some traditional church outreach methods that we've seen our ministry partners embrace that are making big impressions in their local community.
Handwritten Letters
Most of us get dozens of emails and text messages daily. Seeing one come from the church is already the norm. We expect to receive them. But a handwritten letter...that's not expected. In fact, they grab most people's attention. After all, many of us are only used to seeing a handwritten address on envelopes for wedding invitations. People will always take the time to read a handwritten letter.
Letter Ideas:
- Asking how you can pray for them.
- Asking how you can serve them.
- Share a special verse of the week.
- Share a quote from last week's sermon.
Phone Calls
Many churches have limited the use of phone calls to only returning calls from church people. Why? Because people no longer answer the phone. Try this instead...
Email or send a text to your people saying that you'd like to catch up via the phone. If you're wanting to meet with multiple people, try creating an event in ChurchTrac and send invites to everyone with a zoom link.
Home Visitations
Home visitations have made a BIG resurgence over the past few months for church outreach. Why? Because our people are spending more time at home. They're traveling less, eating in more, and many are working remotely. Here's how to do home visitations right in 2020:
- Reach out a day or two in advance to see if a home visit is okay with a person.
- Schedule a time that works for them to meet.
- Ask them their preferences regarding masks, indoors vs outdoors, etc...
Do this: Send out a mass email to your people in advance letting them know you'll be around their neighborhood on a certain day. You can always create a Form Card on Church Connect that gives people the opportunity to sign up too!
House/Yard Work
This may not seem glamorous, but it's a great outreach method for people that don't attend your church. Build a team of some of your youth or college students to go around the neighborhood to offer a helping hand. Whether it's something as simple as blowing off a driveway, raking leaves, or shoveling snow off of a walkway. Actions often speak louder than words when it comes to church outreach. This "sweat equity" will pay dividends for your church's reputation. Your volunteers will also get to see tangible evidence of what their hard work has accomplished.
Food Delivery
Done smartly, this type of church outreach can be profound (and yummy). One ministry decided to get a group of volunteers together to make their favorite deserts to hand-deliver throughout their community. Each person baked their desserts at home and then brought them to the church to be distributed throughout the neighborhood. We really liked this church outreach idea because it was super cost-effective and got the community excited. After all, who doesn't love a slice of homemade pumpkin pie? 😋
Keeping Track of your Church Outreach
As you do church outreach, make sure you keep track of everything in ChurchTrac. Whether it's adding another person to your database, or using the handy notes feature to record updates on the people you visit. With ChurchTrac ChMS, all of your church outreach is kept in one church database for all your leadership to use.
Till next time 👋