Reaching Out: From A to Z!

The following models of evangelism are most effective at reaching people who are going through change--new job, new marriage, birth of a baby, losing a job, losing a family member, going through a divorce, moving into a new community, experiencing serious illness or injury, etc.

According to Herb Miller, only 5% of UM’s are willing to evangelize; however, 80% are willing to invite. Sixty-three percent of the unchurched would respond positively to an invitation to worship. One in four would actually show up.

It’s been stated that typical UM’s in Korean invite two people to church each week. Whereas typical UM’s in America invite one person every 38 years!

Simply telling a congregation that they should be inviting people, just isn’t enough. It must be modeled by the church’s leadership, kept before the people (e.g. through a Friendship Candle¹ on the altar), and people must be given tools such as the following evangelism models. Many of these work best when used together (e.g. doing B, C, H, K, N, and P together).

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¹A Friendship Candle is lit for each first-time, local adult visitor attending the previous week’s worship service(s). One is left unlit to remind the congregation that there are still others in need of Christ’s love experienced through the church.

Newcomer Attraction Strategies

1. New Church/New Worship Service (This is an objective of the conference’s 2010 Plan)
   • Most effective models for reaching unchurched.
   • Require a lot of planning and intentional inviting. (See resource section)
   • Starting a new church requires a healthy church, fully committed.
   • Starting a new worship service requires a well-though plan and a trained leader.
2. Relational--relatives, neighbors, fellow workers/students, acquaintances
   • Most common reason new people attend church.
   • Most effective model for bringing people into a relationship with Christ.
   • Requires intentionality, persistence, and consistency.
   • Is a model anyone can do, individually, at any time.
   • Variations of this model are 1) where people join secular groups and intentionally building relationships with unchurched persons, and 2) where people invited unchurched persons into their home for meals to build relationships with them.
3. Special Services--community days, cantatas, bring-a-friend days, etc.
   • Is effective in getting people into church for their first time.
   • Gives members a reason to invite their unchurched friends to church.
   • One month prior, have worshippers list five unchurched acquaintances and have them pray for them daily. Then--two weeks prior--invite one to the special service. Have Ad. Board members and staff announce ahead of time, the number of guests they have coming, so as to challenge and inspire the rest of the congregation.
   • Two weeks prior, enclose in the worship bulletins, business-sized cards that have the church’s worship times, address, and a friendly invitation. Encourage members to share them with their unchurched acquaintances.
   • Place professionally-made invitations in the church’s narthex and challenge worshippers to take some to give to acquaintances. For each that a worshipper delivers, he/she puts an ornament on a narthex Christmas tree or a star on a bulletin board or a candle on the altar, etc.
4. Programs/Ministries--softball team, VBS, day care, weddings, workshops, etc.
   • These can be good sources for a church’s prospect list (fishing pools).
   • The list, however, requires intentional, regular, ongoing cultivation.
5. Servant Evangelism--acts of kindness that exemplify Christ’s undeserved love
   • These include: washing car windshields in parking lots, free car washes, giving away cans of pop at intersections, store entrances or events, raking leaves and mowing lawns for free, cleaning toilets in gas stations for free, giving free light bulbs or smoke detector batteries away door-to-door.
   • This works best if done in groups.
   • Silent prayers are lifted up for the person/s receiving the act of kindness.
   • Usually a brief note of explanation accompanies the act.
   • Conversations about the act with the receiver is encouraged.
   • Money is never accepted (Even if offered).
6. Adopt an Institution--nearby public school, factory, shopping center, sport team, etc.
   • This is a subtle model that’s primary objective is to build a relationship with a specific group in the community. Eventually reaching unchurched as a result.
   • Solicit prayer concerns and let the employees know you’re intentionally praying.
   • Volunteer to assist them (e.g. tutor students, open businesses’ doors for customers, offer free gift wrapping, clean car windows while they work, etc.).
   • Provide something for them (e.g. plate of cookies for the lounge every week, supplies they need but can’t afford, child care).
   • Host seminars for them on stress reduction, financial planning, parenting, coping with retirement, loss of job, etc.
   • Invite them to special worship services specifically honoring and praying for them. Follow up on the unchurched who attend.
7. Small Groups
   • Is a highly effective way to attract and assimilate unchurched people, especially programs like ALPHA. (See resources.)
   • Is an excellent way to deepen their relationship with Christ (discipleship).
   • Works only if the group intentionally focuses on reaching new unchurched members on a regular basis (e.g., having an empty chair at all meetings).
8. Prayer
   • This model relies on God’s spirit to meet the unchurched.
   • Requires a team of prayers to regularly (daily) pray for the unchurched.
   • This can happen through a prayer center, staffed on a rotating basis; names and photos of the unchurched are regularly provided by the congregation; a log of prayer requests, including their answers, is kept.
   • This can also be done by placing door hangers in neighborhoods--letting residents know that they are being prayed for, and encouraging their requests.
   • Another variation is, either individually or in groups, to do prayer walks through neighborhoods--praying for the homes and people.
9. Invitation: Telemarketing
   • Is highly effective in reaching unchurched persons.
   • It works best if it is used with the start of a new church or worship service.
   • It requires lots of calls. For an established church, 1 to 2.5 people will show up for every 100 calls attempted. Thus, it works best in populated areas.
   • It may not be as effective in communities that have had a lot of telemarketers.
   • It’s more time effective than door-to-door invitations.
10. Invitation: Door-to-Door
    • Inefficient (50% won’t be home) but it allows personal face-to-face contact.
    • Not well accepted by people living in communities with a high crime rate.
    • Visitors must be outgoing, positive, and warm. They must be clear about their mission and good at reading people’s body language.
11. Invitation: Mass Mailings
    • It’s effective for projecting church’s image into the community.
    • Must be done on a regular basis to be effective.
    • Typically it takes seven invitations before a person interested will respond.
    • It’s expensive.
12. Invitation: Direct Mailings
    • Very effective way of cultivating a church’s prospect list.
    • Can be produced in-house at low costs (if 200 or more are mailed).
    • Best if announcing specific events.
13. Invitation: Phone Calls
    • Excellent way of cultivating a church’s prospect list.
    • Excellent way of welcoming new residents and first-time visitors.
    • No cost (if callers use existing phone lines).
14. Invitation: Exterior Signs
    • Most effective if a sign’s message faces the traffic and its letters are large.
    • Messages changed frequently will be read more regularly.
    • Humorous messages interspersed with serious messages increases the readership.
    • Listing worship times is important (on your church’s answering machine too).
15. Invitation: News Releases
    • Must be announcing some special event or unusual story.
    • No cost.
    • It helps to develop a working relationship with those receiving the releases.
16. Invitation: Yellow Pages
    • It is important to list worship times, locations, and phone numbers.
    • Large ads may not be cost effective.
    • Avoid advertising in Yellow Pages outside your local area.
17. Invitation: Newspaper Advertising (See Igniting Ministries)
    • Avoid advertising in a newspaper’s Sunday Services “tomb stone” section.
    • Cluster your ads at key seasons of the year (e.g., Christmas and Easter).
    • Select a newspaper that best hits your target area.
    • Leave “white” space and use illustrations/pictures in ads.
    • Copy should be catchy and focused on the needs of the reader.
    • Can be cost effective.
18. Invitation: Television & Radio Advertising (See Igniting Ministries)
    • Must be done well. Copy must be catchy and focused on the audience’s needs.
    • They’re most effective in advertising special events.
    • Ads must be run multiple times during airing periods.
    • TV effectively reaches a broad part of the population. Reaching a particular segment is possible by airing ads during certain programs.
    • Radio is an excellent way to reach a particular segment of the population.
19. Invitation: Billboards
    • They allow a church to project a particular image into the community.
    • They are subtle, thus its hard to measure their actual effectiveness.
    • Can be expensive.
    • They’re an excellent way to support broader outreach campaign.
20. Invitation: Misc. Ads--maps, place mats, sport programs, neighborhood letters
    • These are effective ways to project an image in the community.
    • Their effectiveness at reaching the unchurched is hard to measure.
21. Regular Media Programs
    • Broadcasting regular TV programs is extremely expensive; however, can be the most effective way a regional church reaches the unchurched.
    • Regular radio programs are more affordable but will reach a select audience.
    • Printing a community newspaper can be funded by advertisers; however, its content must be practical, well written, and non-sectarian.
    • These are great ways to project a particular image in the community, as well as, to have a regular communication link to the community.
22. Witnessing: Testimonies, Tracts and Pamphlets
    • Door-to-door/street-corner witnessing works best when the spirit sends and equips the witnesser and prepares the heart of the one/s being witnessed to.
    • Distributing religious pamphlets works best when used in an established relationship. (A variation of this is the distribution of tiny, simple pamphlets left in bathroom stalls and other frequently visited public places.)
23. Revivals
    • Whereas, revivals are an excellent way to breathe God’s spirit into a congregation, it is not an effective way to reach the unchurched.
24. Crises
    • Man made or natural disasters can bring opportunities for the church to have a tremendous witness to unchurched people.
25. Incentives--money, candy, Big Mac’s, donuts, prizes...
    • It sometimes motivates the unchurched--especially children--to come to an event that exposes them to Christ’s Gospel.
26. Gimmicks--pastor preaching from a roof, live tiger at the children’s message...
    • It sometimes motives the unchurched--especially children--to come to an event that exposes them to Christ’s Gospel.
    • It can raise a church’s visibility in the community.
    • It can project an image in the community that your church is not typical.

SOME HELPFUL EVANGELISM RESOURCES

ALPHA Course: A ten-week course designed to introduce non-believers and seekers to Christian and to a living relationship with Jesus Christ. Course materials can be borrowed from the North Indiana Conference Media Library. Call Bonnie at 800.783.5138. Materials can be purchased through Christian Book Distributors (CBD). Call 800.247.4784. Or visit www.alphana.org for more information.

Becoming a Contagious Christian: A course designed to equip believers for effective evangelism in today’s world. It can be done in four two hour sessions or eight 50-minutes sessions. It’s available through Zondervan. Call 800.727.3480 or visit www.zondervanchurchsource.com. Or contact Willow Creek at 800.570.9812 or www.willowcreek.com.

Igniting Ministries Campaign: A television and welcoming ministry of the United Methodist Church denomination, providing TV spots three times a year, hospitality resources, marketing resources and grants, visitor follow-up programs, etc. Visit www.ignitingministry.org.

Starting a New Worship Service or Congregation? A very helpful resource for churches launching a new worship service to reach the unchurched is the book entitled, How to Start a New Service, by Charles Arn. There are also helpful resources on the conference website and through Ed Fenstermacher at the Conference Service Center. Call 800.783.5138 or e-mail ed@nicumc.org. Ed can also assist a church that would like to help start a new congregation.