Church Executive DONOR ENGAGEMENT HANDBOOK | Page 4
4 ways to nurture your
community & engage
your congregation
By Troy Pollock
As you and your team return from a summer season filled with
vacations, conferences and enjoying time with family, it’s a
great time to reset priorities and develop a plan for the rest of
the year.
What are your goals? Challenges? Opportunities for growth?
And more importantly, what steps are you taking to nurture
your community this year?
A recent study from Barna found that while the majority of pastors are
optimistic about the future growth of their church, nearly 75 percent of
churches do not have a formal strategy in place to achieve that growth.
While every church wants to reach new people and better engage with
those who are already a part of their community, many don’t know where
to start.
Below are four steps to create meaningful interactions with your
congregants and keep them engaged throughout their journey in ministry.
#1: Know your audience
When we start talking about a church’s target audience or
demographic, some people get uncomfortable. “Isn’t the gospel for
everyone?” some might say, suggesting that defining a target audience
is limiting or exclusive.
But here’s the secret: you already have a target audience, whether you
know it or not. Yes, there will be outliers that might not fit into the cultural
norms of your church — that makes your community diverse and unique.
However, when you get down to the core of your congregation, everything
your church does and says is going to appeal to one group more than
another. Music, preaching style, weekly rituals and more.
Invest time to identify the traits of your church culture and the
demographic you’re exceptionally good at serving because of those traits.
That will not only allow you to connect in more meaningful ways, it will
also enable you to focus ministry efforts on the missions and activities
that matter most to your community. As we further define the steps to
nurture your community, you have to know who you’re trying to reach
and what next step you want them to take.
#2: Make them feel seen
We know that more than 33 percent of people search for and view your
website before they ever arrive in person. A recent study by Vanderbloemen
showed that most churches view the online community experience as a
first step to move people towards an in-person gathering.
So when they do arrive, seek them out and welcome them. There’s
nothing worse than showing up for weeks, or even months, without
someone acknowledging your presence. Take the time to notice and
connect with your people. This could be through responding to those
who filled out a contact card, looking at a donor dashboard to view giving
trends, or having a mentor program to personally dive into the needs and
interests of new members.
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One of the speakers at Summit, our annual Pushpay user conference,
recently shared a story about her journey and experience in joining a new
church. She said that after a few visits they asked if she was interested
in becoming more involved in the church. When she said yes, they
scheduled one-on-one time with her and a ministry mentor, encouraged
her to take a personality test so they could learn more about her strengths,
and then discussed different areas of the church that might be a good fit
based on her passions and talents.
Wow. What a personal way to welcome people into your
community and tap into groups and volunteer opportunities that
really matter to them.
Another great way to nurture both newcomers and long-standing
members is through technology. Depending on the tools you use,
ministry leaders can segment app and website content for various
audiences to ensure that what people get is most pertinent to them. For
example, an unmarried person who is shown a sermon snippet on an
upcoming dating class will feel more seen, understood and engaged.
Likewise, a family with young kids will find more value in getting
updates about the children's ministry. Being able to deliver relevant content
is personal, meaningful and results in a deeper connection over time.
#3: Reciprocate generosity
Many of us have been in a situation where as soon as we get out
of the welcome phase, we are bombarded with requests to volunteer,
give and do. While serving is what we are called to do, many members
of your congregation give selflessly to ministry efforts. How are you
giving back to them?
Generosity is reciprocal. By giving something simple but meaningful
up front — like a personalized note, a thoughtful event, or a great
experience — a church can model the generosity it wants to grow. This is
instrumental in helping nurture church engagement and growth.
#4: Encourage meaningful participation
Now that you’ve taken the time to know your audience and have
acknowledged them in meaningful ways, it’s the perfect time to invite
that person to participate to the same degree that you’ve invested and
given to them. Invite them to take the next step that makes the most sense
for them. Anticipating needs and showing interest in where people are in
their faith journey — and in what capacity they can participate — will
allow your team to build stronger connections within the church.
As you build a community of actively engaged people, the nurture
journey isn’t over. It’s a cycle. Start back at phase one and continue with
them as they continue to invest in the church.
To learn more about how you can nurture your community visit
Pushpay.com/Nurture.
Troy Pollock is Chief Ambassador at Pushpay [ https://pushpay.com ]. He has
more than a decade of experience in the faith and technology industries. Pollock
is passionate about helping customers grow participation and engagement in
their ministries.
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