http://backtochurch.com/blog/ en akennedy@outreach.com Copyright 2010 2010-08-25T17:59:15+00:00 http://backtochurch.com/img/sidebar_banner.jpg http://backtochurch.com/ http://backtochurch.com/blog/post/lifeway_research_endorses_back_to_church_sunday/ http://backtochurch.com/site/lifeway_research_endorses_back_to_church_sunday/#When:17:59:15Z Philip Nation and Ed Stetzer of LifeWay Research are the official spokespersons for Back to Church Sunday. Check out Philip Nations latest blog post about Back to Church Sunday: http://www.edstetzer.com/2010/08/whos-going-back-to-church.html 2010-08-25T17:59:15+00:00 http://backtochurch.com/img/sidebar_banner.jpg http://backtochurch.com/ http://backtochurch.com/blog/post/reaching_the_unchurched_and_dechurched/ http://backtochurch.com/site/reaching_the_unchurched_and_dechurched/#When:16:41:09Z Reaching the next generation for Christ is very important. According to a new book by the National Back to Church Spokesperson Ed Stetzer, “Unchurched young adults are open and believe many of the things that Christians believe, but they still need to be reached for Christ. The challenge today may not be convincing them that there was a resurrection, but convincing them there was only one that brings them new life – and that new life is lived out in a community called ‘church.’" How can the church draw the next generation in? Some recommended reading: Essential Church? Reclaiming a Generation of Dropouts, Thom S. Rainer and Sam Rainer III Lost and Found: The Younger Unchurched and the Churches that Reach Them, Ed Stetzer Post your thoughts on how the church could reach this generation. 2010-08-11T16:41:09+00:00 http://backtochurch.com/img/sidebar_banner.jpg http://backtochurch.com/ http://backtochurch.com/blog/post/stories_from_our_outreach_solutions_consultants/ http://backtochurch.com/site/stories_from_our_outreach_solutions_consultants/#When:05:50:15Z Encouraging stories about Back to Church Sunday from our Outreach Solutions Consultants! Linda Claudius – Outreach Solutions Consultant: A pastor from Florida called to order the Back to Church campaign kit to coincide with their 4th annual Back to School Bash Aug 22nd..what a great event & service to the community! The first year they had 1000 people show up, 2nd year 2500, last year 4000 and they expect 6000 people this year.. local organizations set up booths, they have helicopters, horse back riding,  race car simulators on site, as well as many other things. They use local Marine cadets to manage the parking and traffic and have invited other churches to participate.  They will give away 1400 bags of school supplies this year!  Mostly everything is accomplished through word of mouth and news articles highlighting the event. Deb Ortega – Outreach Solutions Consultant: I talked to a church in the Midwest that is going to do summer and early fall Block Parties to coincide with Back to Church Sunday. They will divide their area into 4 sections, have leaders for each area and invite all of their neighbors to their parties to get to know them, love them and eventually invite them to church...I loved this idea..so non-threatening and fun! 2010-07-22T05:50:15+00:00 http://backtochurch.com/img/sidebar_banner.jpg http://backtochurch.com/ http://backtochurch.com/blog/post/understanding_those_who_left/ http://backtochurch.com/site/understanding_those_who_left/#When:16:26:47Z Reposted with permission from the Outreach, Inc. Blog: http://blog.outreach.com/ Outreach is always developing campaigns for churches to help you engage with your community. I’ve been blessed in having the opportunity to help with a couple of these projects over the years. I think my favorite though, is Back to Church Sunday. So many people are really struggling with life’s burdens in the current depression – and many of those are previous church goers. As I did the research into the “target audience” of the de-churched, I was fascinated in the statistics and information available. But no amount of data can easily represent a wounded spirit, or disillusioned heart. Just how mature can the church be? Are we willing to own the things we’ve done wrong? And what about an invitation extended to them? Will it even be welcomed? How skeptical and anti-church are the de-churched?  It’s one thing reaching out with a targeted and timely message to a totally unchurched person, but how do you break through the barriers that have been built up in the heart of someone who used to be there, but left? As the campaign tools took shape and the project came together – I continued to reflect on their hearts. God seemed to whisper to me one day, “It’s not about the church – it’s about the people. I want my people back.” Huh! So what to do with that?? I stopped thinking and reflecting – and started writing instead, as if I was sitting across the table with one of those folk. I’ve heard so many of the reasons people come up with for not going to church. Why argue, when often they are right? Instead, I wanted to remind them that the church is no more perfect that anything else in their lives – because its made up of broken people – imperfect people loved by a perfect God. I wanted to re-kindle the sense of longing in their hearts – enough to want to return and try church again. The result of those “conversations” became the little publication – “Re-Discover Church” – one that is proving popular as an outreach tool for your church members to connect with the de-churched friends and family. National Back to Church Sunday is coming up in September and more churches are beginning to engage in this amazing opportunity to re-connect with people who are not attending church on a regular basis. Maybe this is that “one chance” opportunity your church needs to connect with new people. Or even if you’re pretty outreach oriented, have you perhaps overlooked the “been there, done that” folk? Be part of the national movement – you have nothing to lose, and eternal results to achieve. 2010-06-08T16:26:47+00:00 http://backtochurch.com/img/sidebar_banner.jpg http://backtochurch.com/ http://backtochurch.com/blog/post/equiping_members_to_invite_friends_and_family_back_to_church/ http://backtochurch.com/site/equiping_members_to_invite_friends_and_family_back_to_church/#When:17:57:43Z Reposted with permission from the Outreach, Inc. Blog: http://blog.outreach.com/ Recently, I read an article in The Christian Post that surprised me. The gist of the article was that most churchgoers are not ever inclined to invite unchurched friends to worship, even on Easter. In fact, Barna Research reports that only 2% of churchgoers regularly invite an “un-churched” friend or neighbor to church—ever! These statistics really touch the mission of Outreach, Inc., which is to help the local church share God's love. Responding to our mission and these alarming statistics, Outreach is pleased to support National Back to Church Sunday on September 12, 2010! Click on the brochure to learn more about this National day. It’s fantastic to have a single Sunday where the church is focused on inviting the community back to church—it’s even better to get your church members to participate by inviting their friends, family, neighbors and co-workers. After all, according to Elton Trueblood, "Evangelism is not a professional job for a few trained men, but is instead the unrelenting responsibility of every person who belongs to the company of Jesus." Here are a few ideas to help in training your congregation to become inviters: 1. Share your outreach plan. Get your congregation excited! Announce to them how and where you will advertise your church’s outreach event. If you will implement a direct-mail program, include copies of your postcards in your weekly bulletin. If you’re putting up posters around town, encourage your members to ask their favorite retailer to put one up in the store window. 2. Create a buzz. Build enthusiasm and support for your special event using video, announcements, drama, greeter training, and posters promoting your event hung in highly traveled areas. As your members prepare to invite friends, they’ll be glad to know they’re not alone. In addition, displaying an invitational banner outside your church not only serves as another advertising impression for passersby, but it also reminds your congregation that you are actively inviting. You can also create an ongoing buzz and reinforce your ongoing commitment to outreach throughout the year by regularly inviting members to share their testimony during a service, or perhaps tell stories of their inviting experiences. 3. Equip church members to invite. The most powerful invitation is “word-of-mouth.” Make it easy for members to share with friends by providing written invitations for them, complete with the dates and times for your event, a map, and a Web site URL where they can learn more. Here are a few ways your members can get started with inviting friends and neighbors: Doorhangers: For those who don’t yet feel comfortable inviting people personally, a doorhanger might be just the ticket. Try placing an invitational doorhanger in each bulletin and request that members pray about which neighbor’s door to hang it on. Texting: During the Sunday service, a week before your event, have each person pull out their cell phone during the service and text a friend, inviting them to church next Sunday. Facebook: Set up a Facebook “event” page promoting your event and have your members join and invite their online friends. Gift book: Provide your members with inexpensive gift books, such as the ReDiscover Church booklet. They can be easily handed to friends with an invitation to church. According to Lifeway Research, 82% of the unchurched are at least somewhat likely to attend church—if someone would simply invite them. Consider getting started by engaging your church around Back to Church Sunday this fall, and then follow it up with an ongoing outreach plan that will help change the DNA of your church to an outward focus. You’ll be surprised at the inward transformation that will occur. 2010-05-26T17:57:43+00:00 http://backtochurch.com/img/sidebar_banner.jpg http://backtochurch.com/ http://backtochurch.com/blog/post/back_to_church_school_and_small_groups/ http://backtochurch.com/site/back_to_church_school_and_small_groups/#When:17:38:09Z Outreach Magazine has written an article about how to leverage the fall months to bring people back to church, draw newcomers, build relationships with students, parents and local schools, and send small groups out into the larger community with purpose. The article lists three examples of how Back to Church has been executed. Click here to read the whole article. 2010-04-23T17:38:09+00:00 http://backtochurch.com/img/sidebar_banner.jpg http://backtochurch.com/ http://backtochurch.com/blog/post/back_to_church_at_easter_time/ http://backtochurch.com/site/back_to_church_at_easter_time/#When:21:14:29Z How are you inviting people to church this Easter season? Do you have a plan of action? Let’s get people Back to Church! Look at Easter as a connection point between your community and Jesus and your church. When we bring people into the church on Easter we want them to meet Jesus, to begin and grow in a relationship with Him, as well as, help them get to know our church and to enter into a continuing relationship with the church community. When an unchurched person thinks about attending church they don’t grab the phone book anymore, they go online to research churches. How is your church’s web presence? Here are some action items to consider when planning your Easter church marketing: Create a special church website page for Easter – Make it catchy and interesting. At the same time revisit the church website and make sure it contains fresh content and accurate information that portrays your church well. It needs to answer visitor’s questions including where you are located, what type of children’s programs you offer, and even basics like dress code and parking.   Consider a Facebook ad that is targeting your city so that your church will appear on Facebook walls in your local area. Here is an article I found fascinating about Facebook and church marketing: http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/communitylife/evangelism/littleadsthatwork.html Consider a Google ad that targets your city as well. You want your neighbors to be able to find you online as well as on a map. Other effective ways to reach people in your community are: Direct mail: target the neighborhoods around your church with an invitation in the mailbox. Doorhangers: empower your members to go door-to-door Invitational cards: for people in church to hand to their favorite waitress, grocery clerk or dry cleaner.   2010-02-25T21:14:29+00:00 http://backtochurch.com/img/sidebar_banner.jpg http://backtochurch.com/ http://backtochurch.com/blog/post/great_discussion_starter_on_evangelism_and_the_perception_of_christians_and/ http://backtochurch.com/site/great_discussion_starter_on_evangelism_and_the_perception_of_christians_and/#When:20:00:56Z These videos are great! Use these in your churches to start a discussion about the unchurched: There Goes Bob- Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUO_lE5OYFA There Goes Bob- Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efeorzs9-K4 There Goes Bob- Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEViEXfPD7U There Goes Bob- Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds5UezrLQaU 2009-12-14T20:00:56+00:00 http://backtochurch.com/img/sidebar_banner.jpg http://backtochurch.com/ http://backtochurch.com/blog/post/great_quote_from_gerald_ford/ http://backtochurch.com/site/great_quote_from_gerald_ford/#When:19:00:53Z For millions of men and women, the church has been the hospital for the soul, the school for the mind and the safe depository for moral ideas.” –Gerald R. Ford 2009-12-07T19:00:53+00:00 http://backtochurch.com/img/sidebar_banner.jpg http://backtochurch.com/ http://backtochurch.com/blog/post/recommended_reading/ http://backtochurch.com/site/recommended_reading/#When:17:21:04Z Finding a Church You Can Love, and Loving the One You’re In: http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Church-Loving-Youve-Found/dp/0310246792 This book is filled with practical tools and suggestions for those looking for a church home they can really love. Whether you grew up going to church twice on Sundays or never set foot in a church at all, finding and sinking your roots into a church community is crucial to your spiritual well-being. Finding the right church home can be a huge challenge, and also a lot of fun. Kevin and Sherry Harney point out that, while no church is perfect, some will fit you better than others. They show what a healthy church looks like, how to handle hot issues facing churches today, and how to determine whether a church’s unique worship style will inspire or distract you. Even better, the Harneys help you discover how to plug into a church and experience the joy of giving back. In the words of the authors, "Church can be one of the most joy-filled, life-giving experiences you will ever have." Practical, encouraging, and true to the Bible, this book is your road map to finding a spiritual community you can really love. 2009-12-02T17:21:04+00:00 2009 Outreach, Inc.