Church Outreach Can REALLY Work
According to current data, Lakewood Church (Houston, TX) is the largest congregation in the United States. Each week, the evangelical megachurch average over 43,500 in attendance.
That's more than some popular professional sports teams!
And amazingly, Lakewood Church started out in an abandoned feed store in northeast Houston.
So what is the key to growing your evangelical church?
Outreach. You must connect with your community, invite them to your services, and adopt a proactive philosophy that is based on growing relationships in a positive way.
A Good Way to Think About Outreach
Outreach is marketing. But, the goal isn't to sell. The goal is to increase awareness and generate measurable growth.For example, most churches find direct mail to be the most effective method of locating new members.
An investment of $3,000 is enough to reach up to 10,000 local homes in your community (including all design, printing, and postage costs). In this scenario, even a small response rate of one half of a percent could net up to 50 new church members.
And if your direct mail piece is benefit-driven (ie: fundraisers, concerts, charitable events) a much bigger response could be a real possibility. It is not uncommon for campaigns to drive hundreds of prospective members to churches and events.
Direct Mail is also the most affordable form of "physical" marketing (especially the Every Door Direct Mail® program). It delivers physical outreach collateral -- which provides a deeper level of interaction when compared to digital ads which are easily ignored or miss the target.
The goal with outreach is to reach as many prospects as possible, as frequently as possible. Over time, your church will become a household name and build trust and membership within the community. It is important to consistently manage and execute outreach programs. Many churches fall into the trap of trying an outreach program once, and then becoming frustrated when results are not instantaneous. Outreach is a marathon, not a race.