From the chair of the Diocesan Evangelism Committee…
I invite you not just to benefit from the resources and ideas that our Committee has gathered for the last year or so but to contribute to them. Evangelism is done most effectively by parishioners, not by the national church. Each of us has a story that explains why we are followers of Christ, and our invitation to you is to find effective ways to share the story of faith.
I look forward to seeing how we spread the Good News in the years ahead.
Father John Harwood
The Methodists have the most robust mainline denominational training and resources for hospitality and welcoming.
Welcoming Ministry Online Course
Six-week online class with assignments, teacher and class discussion for $30.
Link: https://www.umctraining.org/product?catalog=Welcoming-MinistryWelcoming Overview includes checklists for improving church hospitality.
The article outlines the basic idea that different people visit churches for different reasons, and some suggestions for beginning to think through the challenge.
A solid curriculum for super-basic, hands-on training for a group of ordinary parishioners. Looks dated but the content is still applicable. (From http://www.umcom.org/learn/welcoming-resources)
Instructions and checklist/survey for guest auditors to fill out. Although if you’re interested in a guest audit, please reach out to the SFRC and they’ll get your parish set up with a guest audit and follow-up visit.
Best part of this: “Rule of 10” which instructs parishioners to greet anyone that comes within 10 feet of them, especially people they don’t know.
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The Lutheran Church (ELCA) has lots of resources aimed at congregations (e.g., inserts for bulletins). These are pretty basics, but the idea is good and adaptable.
Resources:
April 06, 2020
Netflix and church? Leaders feel like they’re competing for their church members’ attention. Explore how you can use Netflix-like engagement tactics.
MYCOM
How many people are watching your videos?
July 14, 2020
Wondering what engagement vs. views are when it comes to your Facebook videos? We explain what you should be looking for and why.
WEB MINISTRY AND SOCIAL MEDIA
How to give your church’s Facebook page a facelift
September 06, 2017
Discover new ideas to freshen up your church’s Facebook page and increase engagement.
ADMINISTRATION
Connectional Giving team highlights the importance of stewardship
February 05, 2019
The Connectional Giving team increases awareness of and financial engagement with the apportioned funds, six church-wide Special Sundays and the missions of The Advance.
COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING
Improve your Instagram ministry with one simple change
February 05, 2019
Instagram is the social network with the highest level of engagement. If you know how to do Instagram well, it can be a great tool for building relationships.
How to be a better email communicator
April 09, 2014
Email has slowly become the primary communication channel for many churches. Are you sure people read your emails and act appropriately? Learn how to increase engagement now!
MYCOM
I’m struggling with Facebook
February 27, 2019
The original strategy of creating and scheduling content that relies on organic reach spurred by engagement through Facebook is no longer a sure path to success.
COMMUNICATIONS
Latino Leader Panel
November 18, 2019
The communications agency of the United Methodist Church wants to hear from you! Be a part of our Latino Leader Engagement Panel and share your opinions and suggestions.
COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING
Learn the 3 dimensions of excellent content
September 07, 2017
Understanding all three of these dimensions will move your content from flat to fully formed content that will help drive engagement and get people in pews.
Seminary-based resources. At Patricia Lyons is the dean of “Evangelism Initiatives” for VTS, but their website yields nothing, alas. I am using her new book, “The Evangelist’s Breviary,” right now, and it’s rich and provocative in ideas.
If you turn directly to Mother Google, the riches are too numerous to capture. If you search for “how to evangelize,” you get 2.7M links.
I especially liked the concreteness of:
Welcoming Overview includes checklists for improving church hospitality.
Welcoming Resources:
Encourage Guests to Return with Great Follow-Ups
