Tag Archive - evangelism

What Ants Can Teach Us About Discipleship

August 1, 2011 in Communications with 0 Comments

Ant Farm

If you’ve ever flown on Southwest Airlines you are well aware that their open seating policy is very different than any other airline. While it may feel like a cattle call from time-to-time, you may not be aware that the study of ant colonies played a significant role in changes to Southwest’s method of seating.

In 2007, a surge of complaints from Southwest customers concerning their seating method spurred the company to assess the situation and consider assigning seats. In Peter Miller’s book “The Smart Swarm” he profiles the work of Doug Lawson, Southwest’s manager of financial analysis. According to Lawson, “the best way to determine whether assigned seating would be faster was to create a computer simulation of passengers boarding a plane, and then try out one pattern after the other. Other airlines had done more or less the same thing over the years. But Lawson’s plan had a difference — it was based on the behavior of ants.”  Continue Reading…

Inside the Mind of the Online Church Shopper

June 6, 2011 in Communications, Web Ministry with 1 Comment

Online Church ShopperOne of the greatest missed opportunities that churches overlook is with the online church shopper. Unfortunately, most churches aren’t paying attention to their website analytics. For most mainline American churches, traffic reports, or analytics, will tell you a story – a significant amount of your website traffic, in some cases most, is coming from the first time visitor seeking a new church home.

Let me first define what I mean by online church shopper. The typical online church shopper is either an individual or couple that has recently moved to a community and is seeking a new church home, or it’s an individual or couple who feels wronged or is unhappy with their current church and is seeking a new church home. Continue Reading…

Does Your Church Know Their Visual Cues?

June 2, 2011 in Communications, Web Ministry with 0 Comments

Visual Cues

For a number of years, I’ve been fascinated by the idea of how the work of web architects and building architects merge. Meaning, how do we translate the visual cues that the visitor may experience on your website to the physical architecture of your building? Cracking this nut creates an enormous opportunity for churches.

In 2007, I had the opportunity to sit-in on the keynote presentation at the IA Summit in Las Vegas.  Joshua Prince-Ramus was the speaker, he’s an acclaimed architect who has worked on such buildings as the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas and the Seattle Central Library. Prince-Ramus shared how he used data visualization analysis to develop the design for the Seattle Central Library project – meaning, the architectural blueprint of the building is the visual representation of data collected.  Continue Reading…

Rethinking the First Time Visitor Card

May 26, 2011 in Communications with 15 Comments

First Time Visitor Card

A few years back, my father retired after 40 years of ministry. For much of his career he was responsible for evangelism at various churches around the country. A key tool that he relied on heavily was the first time visitor card. You know, that index-size-card stuffed in the back of the pew, or for some that slip of paper you use to take notes. Well, for many churches around the country, it’s the single-most important means of following up with first time visitors. And for the sake of this post, let’s include the first time visitor pads passed up-and-down pews each Sunday — a hybrid of the visitor card.

89% of people will not share their details with companies with which they do not have any relationship unless this is strictly necessary.

I remember my father bringing home a stack of first time visitor cards after each Sunday service. Throughout the week, he would meticulously call each person to invite them back to church and seek ways to assimilate them into the life of the congregation. Well, things have changed. In recent weeks, I’ve come to the conclusion that those churches still reliant on first time visitor cards are fighting an uphill battle.

Research from the fast.MAP / Direct Marketing Association (DMA) May 2010 Data Tracker revealed 89% of people will not share their details with companies with which they do not have any relationship unless this is strictly necessary. That’s not good news for churches hoping to connect with first time visitors.

As the demand for high quality data has grown so has the public’s skepticism, and the willingness to share the details of their life. Twenty years ago, we weren’t too concerned about sharing a phone number. Then came unsolicited phone calls and spam. Now we hold tight to our privacy. As we should.

It’s time to rethink the first time visitor card … and many forward thinking churches have already. Just beginning my hunt for a better mousetrap, I’m not convinced that the answer is a card, pad or other similar tool. I do know the answer lies in our willingness to first build a relationships of trust. Seekers, church shoppers, first time visitors, or whatever term you prefer — people are tired of church websites and advertising that over promises and under-delivers. It’s going to take sweat equity and radical evangelism.

How is your church rethinking the first time visitor card?

Image is available from the United States Library of Congress’s Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID ppmsca.03199.

Training Members to Be Your Greatest Social Media Advocate

May 9, 2011 in Social Web, Web Ministry with 1 Comment

Social Media Mosaic

While many non-profits and churches are just beginning to realize the potential possibilities of social media, others are reaping the rewards of their hard work. While it’s critical that your organization have a Facebook fan page and  Twitter account – that’s just a first step – you are missing a huge opportunity by not training your members to be your greatest social media advocates.

It’s my strong opinion that the 500 million members of Facebook aren’t simply visiting to wish each other a happy birthday or post vacation photos. We naturally are looking for ways to learn, grow and seek stronger relationships. And for many, life has left them wounded; they are seeking a nurturing community. Your church or non-profit has a great opportunity to reach out to these seekers through the tools of social media.

With a basic understanding of the social web, you realize how quickly a message can spread through a network. Many progressive churches have realized the power of their networks. Two of the largest churches in the country have created websites devoted to training both lay leaders and their members to embrace new media:

Your church may not have the capacity to create a website to share resources, but you could certainly provide face-to-face training opportunities:

  • How to use Facebook or Twitter;
  • Basics of web safety;
  • Nurturing through Facebook;
  • Etc.

While for many, the primary goal of social media training will be for the purposes of evangelism, there are numerous reasons you should consider training your constituency:

  • Event promotions,
  • Growing your network,
  • Increase giving,
  • Storytelling,
  • Disaster relief efforts,
  • Etc.

As you begin to consider and plan a training opportunity, you must first know your social media goals. Each organization should create a unique social media strategy. It’s not something that is created in a cookie cutter fashion. You’re congregation isn’t like the church down the street, so your social media plan should represent the heart of your ministry.
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