Category: Ministry

4 Ways to Help Busy Families

Posted in Church Chat, Church Consulting, Church Revitalization, Leadership, Life Happens, Ministry, UncategorizedLeave a comment

God created the family before He created the church.  Because of this, the church should be especially sensitive to the challenges and pressures families face today.  Here are a few ways the church can provide much-needed help to families.

1. Decrease the scheduling demands.  Many churches expect people to be at the church every night of the week, but this just isn’t possible or healthy for the family.  Churches should streamline Sunday activities to free up time for family outings.

2. Provide opportunities for families to serve together through the church. Family-oriented mission projects and service teams are great ways to allow families to serve together.

3. Provide opportunities for families to fellowship together. Family picnics, church fellowships, pizza parties, father/child outings, and mother/child outings are just a few ways to bring the family together.  When planning for the family, the church should be aware that many do not have “traditional” families. In response, churches should provide opportunities for single-parent and blended families as well.

4. Supplement costs. Often larger families cannot afford to send more than one child to camp or on a special trip. Providing scholarships or fund-raising opportunities for these families will meet an important need.

In some ways, the church becomes an extended family.  The Bible teaches that the bond between God’s children in this extended family should be strong, authentic, and transparent. Let’s do all that we can to strengthen the family in the home and in the church!

Be Encouraged

Posted in Church Chat, Ministry1 Comment

 “So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”   1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NLT)

The Apostle Paul told those who were members of the church at Thessalonica to encourage each other and to build each other up. Here are 50 Ways to Praise people which should accomplish both these tasks:

 That’s incredible! How extraordinary! Far out! Outstanding performance! I can’t get over it! Great! Amazing effort! Unbelievable work! Wonderful! Marvelous! Phenomenal! You’ve got it going on! Superb! Cool! Excellent! You’re special! Your work is out of sight! First rate! You’ve outdone yourself! Thumbs up! Your help makes a difference! It couldn’t be better! Bravo! Awesome! Breathtaking! You’re a great example! Dynamite! What an imagination! Well done! You’re sensational! A+ work! Super job! Take a bow! Hooray for you! Top of the class! You’re #1! Very impressive! Wow! Beautiful! You’re super! What a genius! Very brave! You’ve earned my respect! Spectacular work! Got it going on! Yes! That’s it! Keep it coming! Homerun! Ooooohhhhh Yeeeaaaahhhh!

Since you read my post today, let me give you a big You’re a “10” in my book! God bless!

6 Keys to Obtaining Guest Contact Info

Posted in Assimilation, Church Chat, Church Consulting, Church Revitalization, Leadership, Ministry, WorshipLeave a comment

There is one KEY ingredient for effective follow-up to take place–you must get the CONTACT INFORMATION of your guests! The only way for an effective follow-up system to work is to have a way to communicate with guests the following week. Here are some tips for obtaining the contact information from your guests.

How to Obtain Guest Contact Info

1.  Guest parking. Save the best, most visible parking spots for guests. The guest parking spots should be near the desired guest entrance and parking lot greeters should be near the area where guests park. Making a good first impression in the parking lot relaxes guests and increases the likelihood that they will share their contact information when asked to do so.

2. Utilize good greeters. Every church should utilize a greeter team. Although the church may not need parking lot greeters in order to park cars, their presence is still vital. They can cheerfully greet guests and members as well as answer questions as folks are entering the facility. Greeters should be stationed at every outside entrance and greeters or ushers should be placed at all the entrances into the worship facility. If the building is large, greeters should be scattered throughout areas of the building as well.

3. Use a connection card in the worship guide. There are lots of ways to obtain guest contact information, but one of the best ways is to insert a connection card in the worship guide. A card that is attached to the worship guide is good, but it is noisy when someone tears off the perforated portion. Some guests are hesitant to tear off the card because they do not want to attract attention. When inserted in the worship guide, the connection card should be placed on fairly thick paper. Cards can be printed three-to-a-page on standard 8.5 x 11-inch 70-lb. paper. 70-lb. paper is better than the thickest 110-lb. card-stock because it will not fall out of the worship guide as easily. It is also good to have connection cards on the back of the pews or seats in case some guests do not get a copy of the worship guide as they enter the worship service.

4. Ask for less; get more. Most people ask for TOO MUCH INFORMATION on the connection card. As a result, guests avoid filling out the card altogether and follow-up does not take place. Ask for basic contact information such as name, address, email, best phone number, etc. Generally, when you ask for less information, you will get a higher rate of return from your guests. It’s better to receive less information from your guest than to receive none at all.

5. Recruit the right person to extend the welcome. In many cases, guests are never even acknowledged during the worship service. Of course, they should never be singled out or embarrassed, but it is helpful to acknowledge them and to thank them for coming. The church should recruit a genuinely friendly person who is able to communicate in a comfortable, relaxed manner. Many times the best person for this role is someone other than a staff member. At some point during the service, this person can verbally welcome guests and ask them to complete the connection card. Encourage the guest to drop the completed connection card in the offering plate as it passes or to hand their card to an usher after the service. It is best if the offering is taken up at the end of the service, so guests will have more time to gain confidence in the church leadership and more time to complete the information.

6. Offer a gift to those who complete the connection card. It is often helpful to offer a gift to those who complete the connection card. One effective approach is to place copies of a small Christian book on tables by the exits in the worship center. During the welcome time, guests can be told to pick up a copy of the book as they exit the service as a gift for completing the connection card. The church should place a generous supply of books and allow guests to take them on their own. That approach seems to say “since you are trusting us with your contact information we are trusting you with our stack of books.” The church demonstrates a generous spirit with this approach. Be sure to hide a letter inside each book that thanks the guest for coming and invites them to attend again in the near future.

These are not the only ways to obtain contact information from guests, but keep it mind, you MUST get the contact information from your guests in order to follow-up. For more information along these lines, check out the following posts:

Churches Are Too Much Like Car Dealerships

The Chick-fil-A Church

The 3-minute Rule

Welcome Home from Gracee

Posted in Life Happens, Ministry1 Comment

2012-10-04 18.18.27Through the years, one of the reasons I loved walking through the door of our home was because our dog Gracee was always there to greet me.  Whether I went home for lunch or went home for the evening, she was thrilled to see me.  She often brought a toy along for the tail-wagging greeting in case I was in the mood for a few minutes of play.

Interestingly, her feelings toward me were not based on my recent accomplishments, my standing in the community, or the strength of my credit rating.  She just liked me because I liked her.  Forgive me if I’m taking this too far, but isn’t that an honorable approach.

As Christians, we are instructed to love those who love us, but it doesn’t stop there.  We are even instructed to love those who hate us.  Listen to this Bible passage and see if it challenges you like it does me.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?  You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  Matthew 5:43-48, ESV

Stuck in the Mud

Posted in Church Chat, Church Revitalization, MinistryLeave a comment

As a boy growing up in Eastern Kentucky, my brother and I often rode bicycles and motorcycles in the mountains. Occasionally, we would get bogged down in a muddy area and get stuck. Regardless of what we seemed to do, we weren’t going anywhere. At that point, we had to try something different in order to get unstuck. Sometimes a simple push would do the job, but one time we had to hook a rope to my motorcycle and pull it out with a truck. The goal was always to get unstuck, so we could keep using the bicycles and motorcycles for their intended purpose–speeding along the trails.

Studies indicate that 65% of churches in Kentucky and 75% nationwide are “stuck” (plateaued) or “sinking” (declining). Not surprisingly, 55,000 churches will closed their doors between 2005-2020.

Churches that are “stuck in the mud” usually do not have a plan of ministry while those that have “traction” do! Here are some questions that will help as you think about a ministry plan.

5 Questions to Ask if Your Church is Stuck

1.  Does your church have a ministry plan? You know the saying, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail!” Also, “if you aim at nothing, you’re probably going to hit it.” A ministry plan does not have to be elaborate or complicated, but a Biblical plan that can be understood and followed can be the KEY to moving a church forward.

2.  Does your plan have a leader? The senior or lead pastor is the key person in developing and communicating the ministry plan. He is not the only person who is important to the process, but he is vital for success. John C. Maxwell says that anyone can steer the boat, but it takes a leader to chart the course.”

3.  Does the staff know the plan? Many church staffs are working hard, but they’re not working together–not working in the same direction. To move a church forward, the staff must be moving in the same direction. The staff must plan the work and work the plan–the same plan!

4.  Do the members know the plan? It is common for the ministry plan to be lost between the staff and the pew. The plan must be communicated over and over, again and again.

5.  Does the plan shape our decisions and ministries? Sometimes the most difficult question is not what do we do, it is what do we no longer do? “Churches tend to function day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month, and year-to-year doing pretty much the same things. They assume that existing ministries continue to be sufficient for today’s needs and tomorrow’s opportunities” (Gary L. McIntosh). Being busy is not enough! We must not just do good things; we must do God’s things, i.e., the ministries to which God has called us!

Let me know if we can help you in any way as you strive to get your church unstuck!  You can reach me by email or at (502) 489-3571 or toll-free at (866) 489-3571.