Church Executive SEPT / OCT 2019 DIGITAL ISSUE | Page 31

Be intentional — Use tools that tell you what pages people spend time
on, where they click, and how they interact. Then, use that to help you
craft future messaging and next steps. It all comes back to getting a clear
picture of your people, so you can speak their language and help them
to engage.
Kline: Social, social, social. Kids to grandparents are spending hours
scrolling through social media feeds. As a church, you've got to cast
your lure where the fish are biting. Post memorable moments from
Sunday, teasers for upcoming events — things that keep people engaged
in church life.
This is an opportunity to think like Jethro. Get a few people from
your congregation to help generate engaging content — maybe just
something they found humorous during the week.
Especially for pastors, authenticity is key. People need to know you're
real, not just a figurehead.
DIGITAL GIVING PLATFORMS
A church’s digital giving platforms might not spring to mind as a
resource when it comes to staying connected with members all week
long. But are there ways in which giving tools can be mobilized to
this end?
Kline: I always urge churches to focus on what gifts do. Promote
causes and impact stories. Then, link those to giving. A church we work
with has a tagline that I love: "You don't give to a church; you give through
a church."
I also recommend creating a forum, or an online form, where people
can share their impact stories — maybe even connected to the giving
function. It provides a constant pipeline of impact stories.
Kehayias: Absolutely! People want to make a difference. They
want to impact others and be a part of life change. Show them how
their giving can do that through videos or pictures. Show real lives
that are being transformed by their dollars and they’ll keep coming
back for more.
And, um, again: measurable. And I’m not just talking numbers
measurable. I’m talking spiritual-health-of-a-heart kind of measurable.
MOBILE APPS
Obviously, a church app is a powerful tool for staying connected
to members during the week. However, many churches leaders are
intimidated at the prospect of developing an app. What’s the reality?
What does the app development process actually look like?
Kehayias: Here’s what you do: Find a vendor or an app platform
that’s all over the engagement tracking and ChMS integration scene.
The deeper the integration, the better. Why? When someone registers
for an event in your app, that registration should land right into your
central system, attached to the individual’s record, further enhancing
your picture of them, so you know who they are and can help them
figure out their best spiritual next step.
Kline: Mobile apps have become plug-and-play. Essentially, you’ll
go to a webpage that manages your app, select the features you want to
turn on or off, add your content, and then click a button to publish. Then,
there might be code to embed on your website that links to your app in
the app store.
You can take your app a step further by integrating it with your
ChMS, website and live streaming provider. Upload the Sunday sermon
to Vimeo, to YouTube — it should be right in your mobile app.
Once that process is ‘demystified,’ in what ways can a church app help
churches stay connected with members all week long? What strategies
and practices have proven particularly effective, in your experience?
Kline: Make it easy for church members to connect with their small
groups or even with individuals in the church by offering contact
information, or a church directory, right in the app.
Kehayias: You’ve got an app integrated with your ChMS. And you’re
capturing data to tell a story of who your people are. Great! Now, as you
get to know them better, you can push events or groups or messaging
that is tailored to what you know about them, which will be more suited
to their tastes, and then they’re more likely to engage.
And speaking of engage, don’t just get your sermon out there. Provide
supplemental resources, suggested reading, or daily “faith in action”
steps to take.
Pro tip: Turn your readers into doers, by giving them fun ways to
“level up” by rewarding streaks (taking certain actions every day) or
displaying a progress bar for Bible studies or devotionals.
GENERAL
How do the stay-connected strategies discussed differ from visitors, to
new members, to established members?
Kehayias: Visitors will never get involved if they don’t come back. I
know — shocker, right? Find ways to be welcoming and highlight why
they should return. Maybe invite them to a Meet ‘n Greet or provide free
childcare for date nights.
New members might be more responsive to joining small groups
or recurring volunteer opportunities. Dangle mission trips in front of
them; that’ll really expedite a growth spurt.
Established members? They might be interested in taking steps
toward leadership. Or running new guest orientation. (And those old-
timers could always use a refresher on the simple things.)
Kline: I put the most emphasis on visitors. A lot of them don’t know
anyone, so you must create as many active and passive touch points as
possible. Thank them for coming, and invite them back.
This is where church technology saves you time with automated
emails and text messages. You can also auto-assign tasks to volunteers so
they can follow up with a newcomer whose interests they share.
Continue reaching out to visitors that way for a few weeks. Hopefully,
your technology can recognize if a person has responded or if they
should be pulled off the list.
How can the strategies discussed be made as personal as possible,
although driven by technology?
Kline: Technology should foster human connection, not replace it.
Again, thinking like Jethro, churches should see technology as a tool
to manage administration, automate processes and empower members.
It's those members and their empowerment that will help create vital
connections outside the church, all week.
Kehayias: Each person is unique in their journey to become more
like Christ. When you have a clear picture of your people, you can
identify areas where they might need to grow. You become equipped to
shepherd them. And you can present opportunities and encourage them
in ways that make the most sense to them because you’re speaking their
language. That will lead to higher engagement. Which can result in
discipleship. And life change. And that’s the whole point, isn’t it?
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