customize your invitations - National Back to Church Sunday

Transcription

National Back to Church Sunday Planning Guide
Copyright © 2014 by Outreach Publishing
Published by Outreach, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any
electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without
permission from the authors, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.
Outreach, Inc., Colorado Springs, CO 80919
Outreach.com
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW
INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used
by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Printed in the United States of America
Table of Contents
Participating In Back to Church Sunday
Inside Your Back to Church Sunday Kit
Event Time Line
5
8
Prepare For Your Event
Campaign Preparation, Planning and Marketing
10
Marketing Strategies
11
Digital Promotion
12
Facility13
People14
Sermons15
Worship15
Children’s Ministry
15
Hosting Your Back to Church Sunday Event
Tips for a Great Service
17
Tips for Greeters
17
Follow-Up18
Connection Ideas19
Get Other Churches Involved
21
Terms of Use
Use of the Back to Church Sunday Trademark
24
Thank you for participating in Back to Church Sunday,
the largest annual community-based church outreach
effort in the nation.
Back to Church Sunday is a campaign strategically
designed to help churches like yours reach out and
invite everyone in their community to try church
again—or perhaps attend church for the very first
time. This powerful, national movement encourages
church attendance by inspiring and empowering church
members to personally invite neighbors, friends, and
loved ones to a special Sunday service. And through
church participation, we pray that spiritual renewal will
occur around the globe!
When you participate in Back to Church Sunday, you will
intentionally reach out to those who have left the church,
or who have never attended church, and encourage
them to try your church. You will also be encouraging
your members and those who visit occasionally to come
back to church. Using the resources in this planning
guide and kit, you will inspire your own members to be
inviters to a special service that will be a catalyst for
those looking to attend or return to church. Not only
will you see increased attendance on this day, but—it’s
also a way to reignite a passion for evangelism in your
congregation!
Inside Your Back to Church Sunday Kit
Your Back to Church Sunday Kit includes everything you need to plan a successful Back to Church Sunday event.
For a full list of resources available for Back to Church Sunday go to BacktoChurch.com or Outreach.com or call
1-800-991-6011.
One Question
Invite Videos:
Practice Invite (run time 2:48)
One Question (run time 2:09)
Invite Videos: Intended for use with your congregation in the weeks leading up to Back to Church
Sunday, these videos are a great way to inspire and encourage the members of your congregation
to invite their friends. They are perfect for showing on Sunday mornings, posting on your church
website or sharing on your church social media pages. There are six videos included in the kit.
Plan on showing one during your Sunday service for the three or four weeks leading up to Back to
Church Sunday.
Additional invitation videos are available at BacktoChurch.com
Come to Church Videos: post these videos to your church
website and social media pages and encourage members to
share them and send them to people they want to invite.
We Are the Church
Shred Preconceptions
Come to Church Videos:
Shred Preconceptions (run time 2:28)
Church Rocks (run time 3:17)
Day of Event Videos: Welcome visitors to your church on Back to Church Sunday to help them
realize that they made a good decision to come to church and they are now a part of a family that
is making a difference in your community and around the world. “We Are the Church” is a perfect
“day-of-event” video to share in church or post on your website or social media.
Additional welcome videos are available at BacktoChurch.com. To customize your videos with your
Day of Videos:
church logo, service times, and website call 1.800.991.6011 or visit BacktoChurch.com/videos
We are The Church (run time 2:31)
Build Your Kingdom Here (run time 4:39)
Sermons: Choose from four sermon outlines in MS Word format. You can easily customize the one you choose to meet your
congregation’s needs and your personal style. You may wish to write your own sermon for Back to Church Sunday.
Sermon titles include:
Church. What is it Good For? based on Revelation 2:17
Our Doors are Open based on Luke 15:1-10
What Difference Does Church Attendance Make? based on Hebrews 10:19-25
Back to Church Sunday based on Acts 2:41-47
PowerPoint Templates: Use one or more of these PowerPoint templates for announcements, sermon notes, or song lyrics during
your Back to Church Sunday service.
Printable Bulletin Insert: These files have graphics to create 5.5” x 8.5” inserts for your church bulletin. Use these inserts for
announcements, sign-ups, and sermon notes. Note: If you print the file on a standard printer, a band of white will border the graphics.
Event Planning Template: This file is in MS Word format with a table you can use to plan your service. The table lists common tasks
and time frames associated with planning and hosting your service.
Print Ad Sample: This Word document has sample text for an ad in a newspaper or other periodical.
Promotional Announcement Samples: This is a Word document with sample announcements for church bulletins, website, or emails.
Press Release Template: This Word document contains a press release you can customize for your church and distribute to media
contacts. Includes instructions for best use.
Back to Church sunday 2014 Planning Guide 5
Digital and Social Media Handbook: This resource document explains how to develop a digital and social
network strategy to promote your church and its services. It includes tips and information to help you reach
a virtually unlimited audience via blogging, make yourself available on the Internet, and use social media like
Facebook and Twitter. It also explains how to get free Google advertising for your church and more.
Web and Social Media Images: These include banners and buttons you can use on your website and social media to help promote
your Back to Church Sunday service.
Resource Catalog PDF: This catalog includes pictures and descriptions of the promotional tools, resources
and follow up campaigns you can use to help you make your Back to Church Sunday service a success. Order
tools, banners and bulletins at BacktoChurch.com.or by calling 1-800-991-6011.
Postcard Invitations: Make sure everyone in your neighborhood knows they are invited to your Back to Church Sunday event by
sending an oversized postcard invitation to every home surrounding your church. Outreach has many designs available that can be
customized for your church. Once a design is chosen, Outreach will print, address and send the cards directly to the post office for
your church at the lowest possible price. Place your order for Back to Church Sunday postcard invitations by visiting BacktoChurch.
com or calling 800-991-6011.
Worship Music Ideas: Suggested song lists for different types of services to help your congregation celebrate and worship on Back
to Church Sunday. Each song set was selected with familiarity, and ease of learning in mind. Includes CCLI numbers for
easy reference.
Event Decorations: Your kit comes with one 8’ Back to Church Sunday tablecloth and twelve balloons. Here are some use ideas:
Balloons:
- Hang on your Back to Church Sunday banner by the street or on your church sign
- Hang by the front door to direct people into the church
- Hang in various places around your lobby to welcome visitors
- Hang on your visitor table with name tags ready to use
- Hang in your refreshment area
- Hang in your children’s and youth areas
Tablecloths
- Use on a visitor table when people first come into the church lobby
- Use on a name tag table, where everyone puts on a Back to Church Sunday name tag to encourage friendliness
- Use on refreshment tables
- Use on the check-in tables in your children’s area
Extra tablecloths and balloons can be purchased at BacktoChurch.com
Public Service Announcement Scripts: Use these scripts to record public service announcements for your church’s Back to Church
Sunday services. Most Christian radio stations will record and broadcast these announcements for no charge.
Name Tags: Encourage everyone in your church to wear a Back to Church Sunday name tag. These will help
visitors feel welcome and allow everyone in your church to connect more easily with members and visitors.
You can use a Back to Church tablecloth on a folding table in the lobby to lay out the name tags and pens.
You could also place a name tag inside of every bulletin and then make an announcement from the stage
encouraging everyone to fill them out and get to know each other after the service. At minimum have the
greeters and ushers wear the name tags, so that visitors know who to go to for directions and questions.
Extra name tags are available at BacktoChurch.com
Connection Cards: One of the most important things you can do on Back to Church Sunday is capture contact
information from visitors. Studies have shown that if a visitor will come three times to church, there is a 50%
chance they will become a member. The connection card will help you follow-up with visitors, but will also track
how successful your Back to Church Sunday event was.
Place a connection card inside of every Back to Church bulletin. Before you take the offering, have someone
from the stage encourage everyone to take out the connection card and take a few minutes to fill it out. Ask
everyone in the service to complete it, not just visitors. This will give you an opportunity to get information
from visitors and also gives your regular members the opportunity to take the next step in ministry or share
prayer requests.
Extra connection cards are available at BacktoChurch.com
Back to Church Sunday Thank You Cards: From the information you receive on your Connection Cards, you can
send a note to every visitor letting them know you were glad they came and inviting them to come back.
More Thank You card options are available at Outreach.com/cards
T-shirts. Make the Back to Church Sunday T-shirts available to your whole congregation as a way of spreading
the word about Back to Church Sunday. They make a great conversation tool for helping your members reach
out and invite friends. Also encourage all of your greeters and ministry leaders to wear the shirts on Back to
Church Sunday. This will help visitors know who they can go to for directions or information.
Extra T-shirts are available at BacktoChurch.com
Back to Church Sunday Event Time Lines
A thorough event plan is essential for all the key elements of the campaign to be executed smoothly and with the greatest
results. You can take advantage of the national promotion and buzz created by thousands of churches participating
in Back to Church Sunday on September 21, 2014, or you can set your own date and promote it through local media
channels. Use the time line below as a general guide for an effective Back to Church Sunday after you’ve set your event
date. Be sure to develop a specific project plan with volunteer’s names, deadlines, and activities clearly stated.
Six weeks before
•Meet with your leadership team to share the vision and pray.
•Order resources and tools for the event at BacktoChurch.com
•Add you church to the FREE roster of participating churches at BacktoChurch.com so people can find you!
•Set up a social-media plan, recruiting an administrator to do updates on your church’s Facebook page.
Five weeks before
•Share the vision with your congregation and kick off a prayer initiative for the friends and family you members intend to
invite. Add reminders and ongoing messages about the campaign to your church’s website, newsletters, bulletins, weekly
announcements, Facebook group or page, and Twitter account.
•Place your order for Back to Church Sunday postcard invitations by visiting BacktoChurch.com or calling 800-991-6011.
Outreach has many designs available that can be customized for your church. Once a design is chosen, Outreach will print,
address and send the cards directly to the post office at the lowest possible price. Make sure everyone in your neighborhood knows they are invited to your Back to Church Sunday event.
•Place your order for indoor and outdoor signs and banners. Banners can be customized for free with your church logo at
BacktoChurch.com.
•Place your order for InviteCards and DoorHangers to equip your members to be inviters. View design options and place
your order at BacktoChurch.com.
Four weeks before
•Make necessary improvements to the facilities for the event.
•Plan the preaching and teaching schedule for Back to Church Sunday
•Prepare a follow-up campaign after the Back to Church Sunday event, such as: Son of God, Jesus Is___.,The Song or Faith
Commander. On Back to Church Sunday you can invite all of your visitors to come back next week as you start the new
sermon series and small groups. You might even consider having small group sign-ups on Back to Church Sunday. If you
are using the Connection Card, you can encourage everyone to write “Small Group” on their card as a way of saying they
are interested in being part of a small group. This will provide a way for the church staff to follow-up and help people get
connected. (See the resource catalog in the kit for more information)
•Meet with the worship/program team and outline the program for Back to Church Sunday (see music sets on your Resource DVD).
•Implement in-reach promotion strategies, such a promotional Back to Church Sunday videos, a testimony, or a special announcement from the senior pastor about how your church is participating in Back to Church Sunday.
Three weeks before
•Distribute invitation tools to your congregation.
Make InviteCards available to all church
members to keep in their wallets and
purses as a way of inviting those they
come into contact with in the community.
Put two customized postcard invitations in every bulletin as a
way of letting your church members know about Back to Church
Sunday. Encourage them to give cards away. Consider printing
extra invitations for members to give away then have Outreach
mail the rest to every home around the church.
Make a stack of DoorHanger invitations available in the
lobby and encourage everyone to pick up 10 or 20 and
distribute them in their neighborhood. You can also plan
a day where the whole church goes out and distributes
DoorHangers, while praying for your community.
•Show one of the Back to Church Sunday invite videos during your worship service as a way of reminding your congregation that the event is coming and to encourage them to invite their friends and family.
•Put up Back to Church Sunday signs and banners around the church to inform church members, build anticipation and
maximize participation. Banners can be placed on either side of the auditorium stage, in the lobby and/or in the youth and
children’s areas of the church. These same banners will help welcome visitors on the day of the event. Show multiple images
•Make sure the pastor or someone else makes an announcement during the service about Back to Church Sunday and what
your church will be doing.
Two weeks before
•Show one of the Back to Church Sunday invite videos during your worship service
as a way of reminding your congregation that the event is coming and to encourage
them to invite their friends and family.
•Make sure the pastor or someone else makes an announcement during the service
about Back to Church Sunday and what your church will be doing.
•Continue to distribute invitation tools to your congregation to equip them to invite friends and family.
•Continue in-reach promotional strategies and begin to reach the community through prayer walks and
external media.
•If appropriate, invite people to help spruce up the church on a Saturday workday.
•Distribute press releases to local media outlets and record PSAs for local radio stations (see the Resource DVD).
•Put up outdoor banners and yard signs to invite your community to attend Back to Church Sunday.
One week before
•Continue in-reach promotional strategies.
•Create and distribute a weeklong prayer guide to encourage members to reach out to their friends.
•Devote a weekend sermon to preparing the hearts of your members to reaching out to people in the community. Have an
extended time of prayer during the service for those who are being invited.
•Meet with your assimilation and hospitality teams. Review tips, affirm their roles and make sure everyone has a good understanding of the follow-up methods you plan to use to best encourage visitors to return.
On Back to Church Sunday
•Make sure directional signs are in place- for example, visitor parking, child care, welcome table, or worship center. (See
the Resource DVD for printable signs)
•Place Back to Church Sunday indoor banners inside the sanctuary to welcome guests.
•Designate someone to help visitors find parking and direct traffic.
•Encourage all attenders to stop at the name tag table and put on a Back to Church Sunday name tag to help everyone get to know
each other.
•Play the Back to Church Sunday countdown video before the service starts.
•Pass out Back to Church Sunday bulletins to everyone as they come in to the church. The bulletin is one of the best ways
to let visitors know what your church is about and give them opportunities to get connected. Make sure a connection card
is inside each bulletin and ask all attenders to fill it out.
•Make an announcement about the follow-up series your church is doing and encourage everyone to sign up for small
groups. This is the perfect Sunday to kick off your fall small group ministry season. If you are using Connection Cards, you
can have everyone make a note on their card if they are interested in joining a small group.
•Invite everyone after the service for coffee, breakfast or a BBQ to get to know one another.
The week after
•Using the information collected from the Connection Cards follow up with all visitors with a phone calls and Back to Church
Sunday Thank You card.
•Send out a follow-up press release to media outlets describing what happened at your church.
•Update social media pages about the day.
•Encourage members through blog posts, Facebook, and/or Twitter to keep up their great work of inviting friends to church
every week.
•Launch new small groups so newcomers can connect.
Prepare For Your Event
Campaign Preparation, Planning, and Marketing
Prayer
Pray over your campaign and encourage your leadership team and the church at large to begin praying for their non-attending friends
and family. As your church engages God in prayer, your members will better understand how to connect with unchurched friends and
even begin to see them respond to invitations to church.
Planning
From our experience and feedback, the churches that have the greatest growth on Back to Church Sunday, are the ones who spent
the most amount of time in planning and equipping their congregation to reach out. The kit and planning guide are designed to help
your church have the biggest Back to Church Sunday as possible. Planning takes work–and a fully committed team. Any successful
event must be carefully coordinated among all the ministries and teams that will contribute to its success. Start your planning process
by meeting with your core leadership team to cast the vision and share your reasons for the campaign. Once your leaders are excited
and involved in the planning they will help ensure the campaign’s overall success.
Promotion
For your campaign to be successful, you’ll need to invest in both in-reach and outreach efforts. In-reach includes all the ways you
communicate internally with your own church members. The better job you do communicating Back to Church Sunday with indoor
banners, videos and announcements, the more involvement you will have from your church members, and the more they will invite
and reach out to their friends and family. Involve your members in the event, communicate information about Back to Church Sunday
often, and make the easy-to-use invitation tools available.
Refer to the Back to Church Sunday website, BacktoChurch.com, for samples of these items:
BannersMailers Invitations
This campaign can include every person – at whatever stages of life - who calls the church home. No matter how long they have been
attending, everyone can be equipped with the same vision and tools. The level at which you equip each person in your church, will
determine how well they reach out to your community, which directly affects how many people attend your Back to Church Sunday
event. Consult the product catalog in this kit for ideas and tools that church members can utilize to invite the surrounding community.
Not only is in-reach important, but Back to Church Sunday is a perfect time to do outreach. Studies have shown that the
unchurched are open to coming to church, but most of them have never received an invitation. Your kit has examples of postcard
invitations and door hangers that work great for reaching every home near your church with an invitation. If people don’t know about
your Back to Church Sunday, they won’t attend. On the other hand, media coverage and smart advertising will position you to reach
more people in your community. Look for media enthusiasts in your church who can help advertise your event. Include people with
a flair for public speaking.
Marketing Strategies
Here are five marketing strategies and resources you can customize to fit your church.
1. Know Your Target
Before you write any advertising copy, create a profile of the typical person/people you are trying to reach through Back to Church Sunday. Ask
yourself where they live? What they do, how old they are, if they have kids, what is their likely experience of church and church people, and what
do they like to do for fun? This is your target audience. Communities can often change quickly. With time, church members may move farther
away and lose touch with those who live in the immediate radius of the church. Take the time to do some basic demographic research about your
community. It may be different than you or your church members believe it to be.
2. Publicize
Give each of your ads a strong headline that captures the interest of people in the community.
Formerly churched people don’t often think church can do much for them - they might be spiritually skeptical, but more likely they just have no
idea of what church is all about. Collect real-life testimonials from people in your church about the benefits of attending church. Use them in your
advertising to lend credibility.
Communicate through as many channels as possible. For example, use Facebook, Twitter, postal mail, radio, blogs, and websites (see the “Digital
Promotion” section for more web-based ideas). Use your church website to invite people and share what your church is doing on Back to Church
Sunday. The web is a non-threatening way for the formerly churched to check you out. Many people are checking out your church website long
before they ever visit your church services.
If you need a new website, consider the free trial at OutreachWebsites.com. It comes with Back to Church Sunday graphics built into the website.
3. Time Your Media
Issue your press releases, banners, mailings and invitations to Back to Church Sunday two or three weeks before your event date. Your advertising
for the date should be in a time frame that generates interest but does not allow people to forget. See the sample press release and print ads on the
Resource DVD.
Invite local media to attend and cover the event. Offer to do interviews with local radio personalities and newspapers to explain why you are holding
the event and how over 30,000 churches around the nation are participating.
Collect information quantifying the results of your Back to Church Sunday event. One way to do this is by including a Connection Card in your Back to
Church Sunday bulletin. Use this information in an after-the-fact release to capitalize on the momentum gained during Back to Church Sunday and to
encourage people to visit the next week.
4. Implement In-Reach
Use campaign-related multimedia to introduce Back to Church Sunday and educate your congregation about the event. For this strategy to work and
have lasting effects, you should create an atmosphere of excitement and expectancy for the day.
As they understand the purpose and process, church members will feel more engaged and included and thus more likely to invite their friends.
Refer to the Back to Church Sunday website and Resource DVD for ideas and visual-media resources to help build momentum and create
enthusiasm. Place Back to Church Sunday banners up around your church to let everyone know that the event is coming. Use Back to Church
Sunday bulletin shells in the weeks leading up to the event to build excitement in your congregation. Conventional wisdom says that people need to
hear a message seven times before they truly understand it. By creating a tangible and visible identity for Back to Church Sunday, you help people
understand what is going to happen and reassure them that this is a worthy event to which they should invite people.
One often-overlooked but very effective motivational strategy is to have your own members share their testimonies. In the weeks before the event,
interview members during the worship service so they can share the stories about how their lives were affected as a result of an invitation to your
church. You should also show the Back to Church Sunday invitational videos in the weeks leading up to your event to encourage your members to
invite others.
5. Conduct Outreach
The Back to Church Sunday fall season is a perfect time to do outreach. The unchurched are more receptive to an invitation to church during this
time. Some churches have reported their largest attendance ever on Back to Church Sunday. Use outreach tools such as banners, direct mail
postcards, personal invitations, and door hangers to get the message out to the community. Make sure to use multiple impressions—as we
mentioned—people need to see the message several times before it sticks!
And don’t leave out your most effective inviters of all-the children! Provide the children in your church with their own invitations to give to their
friends. Parents often choose a church based on where their children want to go, so be sure children’s departments are engaged in Back to Church
Sunday. Give children their own reason to invite friends!
Digital Promotion
Social Networking: What Is It?
Social networking is a method of building relationships and connecting with large groups of people through digital means such as
Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
Many churches are engaging in social networking to reach people in their communities, update them on ministries and events like
Back to Church Sunday and maintain an ongoing conversation. However, social networking does take time. Whether you are
marketing an event or not, you must take the time to build relationships in order for social networking to be effective.
Included in your kit on the Resource DVD are some suggested Facebook posts and graphics to help you effectively use social
networking.
How to Get Started
Does your church have a website? If so, it’s a good place to begin. Think carefully about your site’s audience, both members and
potential visitors. Update your website at least once a week with relevant Back to Church Sunday information for both groups, but
focus on visitors. Feature the Back to Church Sunday logo prominently on your home page, or create a splash page that visitors will
see immediately when they arrive at your site.
Clearly explain Back to Church Sunday, and provide the date, time, and contact information with a link to a map. A user’s first web
page visit should provide all the information needed to know that your church will be a safe and friendly place.
Keep Back to Church Sunday information updated for church members, as well. Articles by the pastor and other church leaders,
explanations about why the strategy is important, information about the religious landscape of your community, and the ways
members can become involved are all important pieces of information to include.
After you’ve updated your website, branch out. The more social networks you use, the more effective you’ll be.
Start a blog on WordPress or another free blogging platform. Post about Back to Church Sunday and publish the RSS feed or a link on
your church website. Be diligent to update the blog at least every other day. Dedicate at least four hours a week to generate content
and post throughout the week. If members of your church staff already have blogs, ask them to post about Back to Church Sunday.
Create a Facebook page or group where you can discuss Back to Church Sunday, create an event and invite friends to join you.
“Like” the Back to Church Sunday community page (Facebook.com/BacktoChurch for news, updates and content you can share
related to Back to Church Sunday.
Create buzz about your event via viral chats. On Twitter, begin conversations with the hashtag #btcs (hashtags may also be used on
Facebook). Remember to keep your tweets below 120 characters so others can retweet them easily.
Using Facebook
Wondering if a Facebook page is worth it? Check out these statistics:
Facebook has more than one billion monthly active users.*
Fifty percent of active users log in on any given day.
There is a Facebook account for one out of every seven people on earth.
Recent reports from varying sources indicate that the typical user has an average of 190 friends and is connected to 80 community pages, groups,
and events.
Fifty-seven percent of people talk to people more online than they do in person.
Facebook is the top social engine and maintains more than 55,000 networks.
The 35+ age demographic now represents more than 30 percent of all Facebook users.
If you choose to engage in only one form of social networking, we encourage you to use Facebook. For instructions on getting started
and creating a Facebook page, visit www.facebook.com/pages/create/
*www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2012/10/04/facebook-has-a-billion-users-and-a-revenue-question/
Twitter
Much of what can be said of Facebook can also be applied to Twitter.
Twitter has approximately 500 million users.
Twitter receives over 200 million active users a month.
Users employing hashtags (#) are more likely to be retweeted by their network.
Twitter can be linked with blogs and Facebook to create a stronger social media presence.
Twitter is an easy way to get multiple messages out each day. By using a desktop application service such as Hootsuite or
TweetDeck, you can schedule to send out tweets on a consistent basis. Add the hashtag feature to these updates about Back to
Church Sunday at your church, and you can significantly increase your social media impact.
Other Social Networks
Networks such as Pinterest and Instagram continue to see explosive growth, providing opportunities to reach audiences virally
through the power of images. Instagram has over 150 million active users per month, with over 16 billion photos shared online.*
Over 70 million users are now on Pinterest**, pinning and re-pinning ideas and events by images. Leverage the potential reach of
these networks by creating and sharing images related to church, families, and friendship that will help reach visitors and get them
interested in Back to Church Sunday.
*http://instagram.com/press/#
**http://seachenginewatch.com/article/2282835/Pinterest-Tops-70-Million-Users-30-Pinned-Repinned-or-Liked-June-Study
High-Impact Social Networking
Included in your Back to Church Sunday kit are the following resources:
Branded web banners, countdown clocks, and a promotional video you can use on your website and blogs to help advertise Back to Church Sunday.
Facebook and Google advertising tips
Tips on how to use Google Places for FREE Google advertising
Consider linking to BacktoChurch.com. If you link to us, we can mutually draw fans, and at the national level, being linked to many
local churches allows Outreach to direct media and potential new attendees to you. At the local level, being linked to a national
initiative establishes credibility and increases event morale. Join the roster of churches so people can find you as they search
BacktoChurch.com for a church to attend.
Facility Preparation
Use the following checklist to help you assess all areas of the church building. Don’t underestimate the importance
of this phase of preparation-newcomers will notice the following items during their first minutes on your campus. First
impressions contribute to a visitor’s decision to return a second time – or not at all! Think like your visitors: What do
they see when they come onto your property and enter your facility? Simple cleanliness and good maintenance go a
long way.
Checklist
Signage. Can newcomers easily find your church and its entrance from the road? A “You’re Invited to Back to Church Sunday” banner out by the
street will help them find your church and feel welcome.
Parking. Are there enough new visitor spaces? Are they marked? If your church has a shortage of parking spaces, ask your congregation to park
further away from the church so that there are enough spaces for visitors.
Direction Signs (outside and inside). Can visitors easily find their way to the worship center, children’s ministry, and restrooms? Banners and
stands are available at Outreach.com to help visitors find their way around your church.
Information center. Is it clean and up to date with a welcome packet and brochures? Do you have materials available about your ministries and
upcoming events? Make sure there are extra people staffing it on Back to Church Sunday.
Restrooms. Are they clean, attractive, and fully functional? As an extra touch, put out mints in both restrooms and flowers in the women’s restroom.
These small touches make a great first impression.
Hospitality area. The main purpose of coffee and refreshments is to provide an opportunity for your congregation to connect with visitors. Consider
serving premium coffee on Back to Church Sunday and making donuts and breakfast items available for free to visitors.
Extra chairs and overflow areas. Make sure extra seating is available for Back to Church Sunday and that ushers can help people find seats. It is
uncomfortable for a first-time visitor to hunt for a seat or walk to the front of the auditorium to find one. You might consider roping off a section of
your auditorium until right before the service starts to provide seating for those who are late. You also may need an overflow area.
Child-care safety and a quiet room. Have a background check run on all volunteers and create a safe system to check children in and out of your
kids’ area. Visitors who don’t feel comfortable leaving their children in your kids’ program will most likely never return.
People
The success of your Back to Church Sunday event will
depend on the commitment and involvement of the
people in your church. Use the following guidelines for
preparing core groups.
Leadership Team
Once you’ve shared the vision and your leadership team
understands the purpose of the campaign, delegate among them
the action steps involved in a successful Back to Church Sunday.
If possible, assign responsibilities that correlate with each leader’s
gifts or talents. Meet with them again in the subsequent weeks to
follow-up, and continue to encourage them to pray that their nonattending family and friends will attend the event. Remind them
that their example of inviting their own unchurched family and
friends will go a long way to ensure the success of the event.
Hospitality/Greeter Team
You’ll need to prepare and equip your frontline team for the
influx of visitors on Back to Church Sunday. Specific tips and
guidelines for your hospitality teams are provided in the “Hosting
Your Back to Church Sunday Event” section of this guide. Make
sure team leaders schedule at least one separate meeting to
encourage and equip their teams.
Assimilation Team
Follow-up is one of the most critical elements of a successful
campaign. Your church must find ways to connect with those who
return to your church. The leaders in charge of assimilation can
work through the “Connection Ideas” section of this guide, and
discuss specific actions items with their ministry team. They will
need to work closely with small-group leaders for assimilating new
people into the church.
Small-Group Leaders
Small groups are an ideal setting for preparation and prayer before and during a campaign. In fact, Back to Church Sunday is a great
time to begin new small groups! Whether you utilize on-campus groups, such as Sunday school, or off-campus groups, discover
which ones are growing, who is ready to begin a new group, and who can lead them. Suggest to your small-group leaders that their
groups pray for their non-attending friends and families by name. When small groups commit to praying for people during the weeks
leading up to Back to Church Sunday, personal commitment grows! Schedule a vision-casting meeting with the small-group leaders
and ask them to suggest other ways their groups can contribute to the event.
Worship Team
Back to Church Sunday is the perfect opportunity to train all members of the worship team to better engage the congregation to focus
on Christ rather than melodies, environment, etc. The best worship experiences are when all of the music, lights, and décor are easily
forgotten but the message is easily remembered.
Church Members
As mentioned above, the sooner every person starts praying, the quicker the campaign will take root. Ask your congregation to
commit to praying for specific friends and family members they would like to see come to church. Most importantly, equip your
members with the vision, train them on how to invite, and give them tools–like printed invitations–to help them invite others. Before
the service, members can write the name of a friend or family member on an invitation, pray for that person, and then give the
invitation to the person for whom they are praying.
There are numerous tools at your disposal to equip members to invite friends to be a part of your church. Check out BacktoChurch.
com to find many of the resources described in this planning guide.
Equipped believers are more likely to pray and share an invitation with a friend. If your church is large, chances are the leadership
won’t be able to personally interact with every visitor – allow your congregation to complete the connection. Ask your church
members to make sure the first person they greet on Back to Church Sunday is someone they’ve never met.
Encourage members to ask visitors to sit with them during the worship service. Your Back to Church Sunday event might even set a
precedent for the following weeks, encouraging church members to form a habit of readily welcoming new people to services.
Sermons
For best results, the pastor should present a sermon related to Back to Church Sunday one week before the event date. Review the
sermons on the Resource DVD and adapt one for your needs. The sermon should issue a call to action to your congregation and
motivate them to draw people in to experience the benefits of knowing Christ and being a part of a church.
Your sermon on Back to Church Sunday should compel and inspire visitors to return to your church. Review the sermon manuscripts
provided on the Resource DVD, and use them as starting points or springboards for planning your own visitor-friendly message.
Although it is tempting to lighten up your sermon content when your listeners are new or returning to church, be sure to offer sound
biblical teaching and relevant illustrations. Studies show this is important to those who return to the church! The unchurched often
return to church because they are missing the “God factor” in their lives, according to LifeWay Research, and they will seek to see and
hear Him clearly on Back to Church Sunday.
In addition, although this event probably qualifies as a special Sunday and you’ll want to put your best foot forward, try not to depart
too far from your typical sermon and worship programming style and tone. Resist the temptation to create an experience atypical
of your church’s identity. If a person attends on Back to Church Sunday and returns (which is what you want), they will expect to
experience the same church personality they saw the first time. Rebuilding trust with this group is essential, and trust requires
authenticity and consistency.
Worship
Carefully review the Back to Church Sunday programming with your worship team. Make sure the worship music and the message
connect well. Keep your song selection engaging for all attendees; select recognizable music and lyrics that make it easy to sing
along. Assess the relevance of your music and media-consider any upgrades that could be made without compromising your core
identity. For additional help, you will find worship song sets on the
Resource DVD.
Children’s Ministry
The quality of your children’s ministry will influence families to come back
to church for good.
Here are helpful tips on how to incorporate your children’s ministry into
your strategy for Back to Church Sunday, highlight your children’s ministry
on the day of the event and follow-up with families.
As You Plan…
Get the right people. Make sure the people who volunteer in your children’s
ministry truly believe in what they’re doing and care about the kids and
their spiritual well-being. For insurance and legal purposes, verify that all
volunteers have had background checks.
Equip your children. Include the children in your Back to Church Sunday
training and outreach efforts. Provide children with invitation tools specially
designed to give to their friends, and spend time coaching children on whom
and how to invite to church.
Organize your check-in procedure. Make sure you have an appropriate number of volunteers, all of whom know where and how
parents sign in and where children of different ages will be directed.
Meet with teachers. Let them know there is the potential to have quite a few children visit on Back to Church Sunday. Children also
need a place to belong. Make sure you include activities and games that will help the understand the concepts of friendship like being
helpful, devoted, and trustworthy.
On the Day of…
Welcome personally. Introduce yourself or have greeters introduce themselves to parents and their children. Building personal
relationships is more important than having a great program with a lot of giveaways or impressive facilities. Consider training older
children to work with the greeters. A child greeting someone new to the church facilities can quickly break down relational barriers!
Assure parents. Let parents know their child is with people who have been through background checks and can be trusted. Explain
your check-in procedure, as well as what their child will do while in your care. Offer to show them around the children’s area. If you’re
a bigger church, you may need to have multiple people greeting, checking in and showing parents around.
In the Weeks After…
Follow-up. Collect addresses and contact info from first-timers using the Connection Cards. Then send a follow-up greeting via email
or mail.
Encourage children to invite again. Let children know future topics that will be covered in children’s church in the weeks immediately
after Back to Church Sunday. Build excitement for the topic among the attending children, and encourage them to invite their friends to
learn about the upcoming topic. Remember, if children want to come to church, their parents will come!
Be ready with an “invitable” event. Have an event planned within a month of Back to Church Sunday to attract parents and children
back. Consider planning a family friendly event like:
• Movie nights – many faith-based movie church licenses are available at Outreach.com
• Harvest Carnival
• Halloween Alternative Activity
• Children’s Bicycle Rodeo
• Chili Cook-off & Game Day
• Parents’ Night Out. They drop their kids off on a Friday night, and you provide child care for the evening.
Use it as an opportunity to continue building relationships with families.
Hosting Your Back to
Church Sunday Event
Before you know it, Back to Church Sunday will be here! If you’ve thoroughly planned and prepared, you will be more
than ready to welcome the community Back to Church. And remember, the outcome is in God’s hands.
Meet for prayer with your worship team before the service begins. Remind them they’re not putting on a show but
revealing the personality and heart of the church and pointing people to Jesus. Ask the leader of your hospitality
team to gather greeters for prayer a half hour before the service starts. Assembling the team early will also ensure
everyone is in position before visitors begin to arrive.
Tips for a Great Service
Ask a staff member to present a general welcome message at the beginning of the service with a personal introduction. Remember,
visitors may not know the pastor or those who are on staff. This allows new people to feel accepted without drawing attention to them.
Encourage visitors and regular attendees to fill out the Connection Cards with their contact information, as well as any questions or
requests for further information on particular ministries.
Offer coffee and refreshments during or after the service. This shows you value your attendees’ presence and want to know them
personally.
Don’t save seats. Nothing is worse than a new person being told, “You can’t sit here.”
Tips for Greeters
According to LifeWay Research, when the majority of formerly churched adults return, they will attend a completely new church–
entering unfamiliar territory and meeting many new people. Think of how you feel upon entering an office building, shopping mall,
or hospital for the first time. Everyone around you likely appears to know where they are going but you may feel clueless. By
putting yourself in a visitor’s shoes, you’ll be more able to welcome your visitors in a warm and friendly manner without drawing
uncomfortable levels of attention to them.
With this in mind, the role of a greeter is to be warm and available but not pushy! Greeters should allow people to blend in and
engage as much or as little as they feel comfortable. It’s impossible for a greeter to prevent a visitor from experiencing uncomfortable
feelings, but certain dos and don’ts will help visitors feel comfortable faster.
Greeters should:
Smile, say hello, and give visitors a bulletin.
Welcome visitors to the church and direct them to the next logical place-the worship center, hospitality area, children’s ministry, etc.
If possible, have additional greeters available to walk the visitor to the next place and introduce them by name to the people in that ministry area.
Consider enlisting older children as greeters, too.
Allow the visitor to take the lead in the conversation. If the visitor chooses to say nothing more, greeters should allow him or her to remain
comfortably anonymous.
Greeters should not:
Ask a visitor if this is their first time visiting or how long it has been since they have attended a church service.
Say “Thanks for visiting!” (unless you say this to everybody).
Insist the visitor register or complete any forms. If the visitor asks for more information, provide it, but do not require them to receive it.
Emphasize that they are new when introducing them to a regular attendee.
Engage in too much physical contact! Do you really want to be hugged by a total stranger? A friendly, firm handshake or pat on the
shoulder is sufficient!
Follow-up
Gather contact information for effective follow-up using the Connection Cards (see the Resource catalog included in this kit). Ask
everyone in the service to complete it–not just visitors. This prevents drawing undue attention to anyone as new to the church. (Avoid
the term visitor’s card because it emphasizes visitors as outsiders.)
Consider mailing an interesting and educational guest packet. The packet should contain the church’s mission statement, information
about the church and any affiliation it has with denominations or networks, a brief description of your programs and church contact
information. You also might include a pen with your church name and website, or perhaps a Bible or book that relates to the current
sermon series.
On your church website, consider adding a guest page where visitors can find out more about the church, a FAQ page and a place to
enter their contact information. Don’t ask for any more information than you immediately need in order to follow-up. Most visitors are
uncomfortable giving out too much personal information.
First-Visit Follow-Up
The first follow-up should happen as soon as possible, preferably early on Sunday evening or the Monday after Back to Church
Sunday in the form of a thank-you email or phone call. It shouldn’t feel like an interview. In other words, don’t ask so many
questions that the person feels uncomfortable. Simply say thank-you, answer any questions they may have and direct them to the
website for more information. The church members making the calls or sending the emails should be equipped to answer basic
questions about the church. Many churches also provide their follow-up teams with a list of upcoming events and ministries and
brochures to send to visitors.
If you choose to give a small gift to first-time visitors, send it immediately. (Avoid telling visitors to pick up a gift on the day of the
event–this draws attention to them as visitors.) If you choose to send a gift, make it something they will use immediately rather than a
trinket that will wind up in a garage sale.
Second-Visit Follow-Up
Whether by phone or email, follow-up again immediately after the second visit. At this point, a visitor is obviously more serious about
attending, so a few quick questions like these are appropriate to ask.
Do you live close by?
How did you hear about our church?
How can we best serve you?
Do you have children?
Did your children have a good time in their classes?
Have you connected with a small group at the church?
Is there anything we can pray about?
Broad, nonthreatening questions can help build a relationship and assess if visitors have specific ministry needs that could help them
connect to the church. Consider inviting the person to attend a small group with you. Always end the conversation with sincere
appreciation for visiting.
Third-Visit Follow-Up
At this point, it’s ideal for someone on the team to personally connect with the visitor.
You might call them and ask them out for coffee or arrange to drop by their house for a brief visit. Some churches host a welcome
dessert or meal to help newcomers get to know more about the church. You can also invite guests to any upcoming church events of
interest. Find out their interest in attending a small group and ask if one of the small-group leaders can also contact them. The goal is
to gently connect them to the church in a way that allows them to build relationships and find ministries that meet their needs.
Continuing Follow-Up
Once a new visitor becomes a regular attendee (after more than three visits), connecting them to the life of the church is essential.
Many resources are available to help you assimilate attendees by building strong discipleship and small-group ministries in your
church and we encourage you to do so.
Connection Ideas
These connection ideas will help you close the “back door” to your church. They will help your current attendees get involved and
help new visitors get connected. These ideas will create access for people to be successful in creating new relationships, rekindling
friendships and delving deeper into discipleship.
New-Member Classes
Everyone likes to belong! Introducing attendees to your churches unique vision while encouraging them to commit to a body of
believers can increase the long-term retention of members. Invite regular attendees and visitors to participate in a new-member class.
Small Groups
Small groups are a great setting for intimate relationships to grow and flourish. An ideal entry point for newcomers would be to invite
them to a new small group starting after your Back to Church Sunday event.
Follow-Up Series
An effective way to encourage visitors to return to your church in the weeks after Back to Church Sunday is to invite them to a followup series. This not only helps visitors get connected in your church, it also creates unity among members and facilitates church-wide
spiritual growth. Invite your Back to Church visitors to join you for a sermon series and small groups for Son of God, Jesus Is___.,
The Song or Faith Commander.
Learn more and see other campaigns at Outreach.com/campaigns
Do a Service Event
Make it the kind of event where adults and children can invite their friends. Encourage families to participate together. Some ideas
include filling backpacks for disadvantaged students across the world; assembling and delivering gift bags to area nursing homes,
serving meals at nearby homeless shelters; doing cleanup throughout your community– like picking up trash, planting flowers, etc.
Recovery and Support Groups
If you have experienced, trained counselors or group leaders in your church, consider offering recovery or support groups for
individuals and their families who are facing challenges.
Recovery and Support Groups for Teens. For youth struggling with peer pressure, stress, addictions, parental divorces, etc., offer support
and opportunities for Christian friendship. Start a Breast Cancer Support Group. Bring women together as they journey through the ups and downs of diagnosis, treatment and
recovery. For resources and ideas, visit AftertheShock.com.
Social Events
Events are a great way to connect with people, both new and seasoned attendees. Plan events, meals, and celebrations
like hosting a guest artist and speakers, baseball or softball tournaments, church picnics, creative-arts programs, cookie
exchanges, and community kids’ days. These types of events allow people to get involved and spend time doing things
together on an informal basis. And when you host events at locations besides your church building, you help the church reach
out to your community. Some people think of church as boring, but by getting outside your walls with fun activities, onlookers
can begin to see what church is all about.
Event Ideas
Create Outdoor Interest Groups. Bring people together on a regular basis through their outdoor hobbies and interests: fishing, surfing,
running, hiking, kayaking, walking, etc. Appoint a leader to organize and lead these groups.
Organize Ongoing Sports Competitions. Consider hosting a men’s pickup basketball or football games on Saturday mornings. (Be sure to
offer donuts and coffee!) Participate in your community’s softball, soccer or kickball league with a coed church team.
Plan a Women’s Retreat. Find a local camp, conference center or affordable hotel with meeting rooms and plan a women’s retreat with a
speaker, group discussion, and social activities to build friendships. If finances are tight, host a seminar at the church on a Friday night and
Saturday.
Plan a Men’s Retreat. Consider a camping weekend at a nearby state or national park. Bring a guest speaker and plan a group discussion
and various social activities to strengthen trust among the group.
Host a Couples Event. This not only gives spouses time together but provides an opportunity for them to meet and befriend other married
couples. Some ideas:
Movie Night: Provide refreshments or have a potluck dinner before the movie to add time for interactions with other couples.
Romantic Italian Date Night: Go to a local Italian restaurant or have couples bring Italian dishes to the church, where tables are set with
red-checkered tablecloths, candles and flowers.
Hay Ride and Barbecue: You can also make it a Western-themed night and encourage couples to wear clothing such as cowboy hats,
boots and bandanas.
Host a Family Movie Night. Plan to show a family friendly faith based movie at your church. Provide refreshments or set up a concession
stand and provide time for interaction with other families. Provide child care for those too young to sit through the movie. Go to
Outreachfilms.com for great family friendly movie titles.
Special Note: All events can include games, discussion, or small-group time. Consider offering childcare and check that your insurance
covers childcare at the church while parents are off-site.
Get Other Churches Involved
Imagine the Possibilities
An individual church reaching out to the community can have a transformational and lasting impact. But if one church can make a
difference in a community, imagine the possibilities when multiple churches work together! There are 340,000 Christian churches in
the United States and 155 million regular churchgoers. The resources and potential in the church are immeasurable if we are only
willing to join together as the whole body of Christ and invite entire communities to church in a unified effort.
Back to Church Sunday is an ideal opportunity to join with the broader Christian community in your area to accomplish something
bigger together than you can alone. Churches that have teamed up with other churches for Back to Church Sunday and have
experienced the following benefits:
Multiple churches promoting Back to Church Sunday together exemplifies unity in the body of Christ.
Focusing around a common cause creates a bond between participating churches.
Media exposure for Back to Church Sunday increases as local media pick up on this as a community-wide event
The Gospel, rather than individual churches, becomes central.
Economies of scale for promotion come into play–pooled resources can do more. Some churches come together to do a postcard
invitation to every home in the community. It will say “The Churches of ___________ Invite You Back to Church”. On the reverse side
there is a listing of all the churches involved in Back to Church Sunday with their website addresses.
Members get excited and expand their vision beyond their immediate circle of family and friends. Inviting becomes easy, knowing
others in the community are inviting, too.
Community awareness about the variety of churches available increases.
Church partnerships develop that can support and strengthen one another all year round.
Collaboration Step-by-Step
The process of developing multiple partnerships between churches for Back to Church Sunday will probably not happen overnight.
Large-scale collaboration between many churches in a particular region is a long-term goal, but it is important to start somewhere,
even if it means collaborating with only a few other churches at the start.
Step 1: Pray
Before starting, it is important to bring the process before God. Prayer must remain an integral part of the preparations for Back to
Church Sunday.
As the partnership develops, consider forming a multi-church prayer team that will remain engaged in prayer and responsive to
specific requests throughout the campaign.
You may wish to include a prayer request feature in any social-media campaign, such as a blog or Facebook page.
Step 2: Establish an area coordinator
Designate a community-wide Back to Church Sunday leader or area coordinator. If you’re the first person you know of in your area
reading this right now, this could be you! The area coordinator does not have to be from the largest or best-known church in the area,
but he or she does need to have a passion to promote and time to give to the Back to Church Sunday campaign.
Coordinators need to develop good connections with other churches. This is not always a pastoral role. The coordinator should be a
liaison with a variety of pastors and church staff.
Make sure the senior leadership of the lead church is on board. A successful citywide Back to Church Sunday event starts with
inspirational vision casting by respected leaders in the church community. Pastors listen to other pastors, so it is important to engage
them in the conversation about the campaign and ask them to leverage their influence with other senior pastors in the community.
Step 3: Get the conversation going
Look at your existing relationships. Make a list of churches with which you can discuss the possibility of a Back to Church Sunday
partnership by answering the following questions: Does your pastor or other staff have friendships with other church leaders in the
area? Is your congregation part of a local network or association that includes other churches? Have you developed relationships with
other churches through participation in area-wide events such as a Day of Prayer or a monthly pastors gathering? Are you connected
with other churches in the area through a denomination?
Meet with the leaders of potential partner churches. Set up a meeting to pray, dream and discuss how you could work together to
invite the whole community Back to Church. Invite leaders to go out for coffee or a meal to create an environment for relationship
building. Invite them to be a part of the vision and planning process. It might be good to share your Back to Church Sunday kit with
everyone at a meeting, so they can better understand what the event is about.
Discover which churches and pastors have developed significant relationships with city and county leaders in government and business.
Step 4: Develop the partnership
Invite church leaders who express interest to a follow-up collaboration meeting. Begin the meeting with prayer, asking God to lead
you. Discuss together the purpose, benefits and desires in coming together as a group of churches to invite everyone to Back
to Church Sunday. Share ideas about how the churches can work together. Invite leaders to share the vision they have for this
community-wide invitation day. Discuss the role each church will be playing to help make this event happen.
Be honest about the difficulties that occur when various churches partner together. Though there can be tension when churches of
different methodologies and theologies meet together, honest dialogue is the one true way to work toward a common goal.
After the meeting, put your shared values and vision for Back to Church Sunday into writing, and distribute copies to all meeting
participants.
Establish a plan for regular communication. When leaders in the network develop a sense of relationship and shared vision, they work
together better and form connections that can last beyond Back to Church Sunday. Be sure to include a follow-up meeting in your plans.
Make sure all of the partner churches register their church on the roster at BacktoChurch.com so everyone in the community can find them.
Encourage all participating churches to get a Back to Church Sunday Church Kit so they can individually prepare their churches for
Back to Church Sunday.
Step 5: Jointly promote Back to Church Sunday
Outreach strategies can be expanded by pooling together the resources of multiple participating churches. Plan your outreach
strategies jointly, publishing a unified message to your city from your churches. Here are some city-specific promotional ideas.
Put up one or more billboards in the city.
Use marketing to point people to BacktoChurch.com or to a blog that participating churches sponsor.
Publish a joint press release listing all of the participating churches.
Encourage every participating church to get a “Your Invited to Back to Church Sunday” banner to hang outside of their church.
Do a community-wide postcard mailing, blanketing every household in your target area with invitations that list all of the participating churches.
Create a citywide Facebook page people can link to via email or blog.
Hold an event (free movie, carnival, serve day etc) to precede Back to Church Sunday in a local park that is central to all of
the participating churches.
Step 6: Follow up
Celebrate! Capture the excitement and take advantage of the momentum generated! Shortly after Back to Church Sunday,
come together with your partner churches to share stories about the ministry experience, pray together, and praise God for all He
accomplished through your unified efforts.
Keep in touch. Continue to build on the relationships established through Back to Church Sunday. Contact each of the partner
churches at least once more, offering to discuss how your churches could continue to work together by repeating and expanding Back
to Church Sunday and/or exploring other ministry partnerships. Back to Church Sunday can become a launching pad for even greater
opportunities for collaborative community impact–see where God leads you!
Sign up. Discuss working together as a group again for the 2015 Back to Church Sunday and how to expand the partnership to
include more churches in your area.
Time Line for a Back to Church Sunday
Community-Wide Event
This is a timeline for actions specifically related to the partnership aspects of Back to Church Sunday
Four months before Back to Church Sunday
Make a list of churches in the area you can contact to discuss a Back to Church Sunday partnership.
Begin meeting with church leaders to pray together and discuss your dreams for shared ministry and the possibility of partnership in
Back to Church Sunday.
Invite all pastors who expressed an interest in participating in Back to Church Sunday to a vision meeting.
Facilitate conversation among church liaisons and within each congregation about ideas for inviting the community.
Begin monthly meetings with key church leaders.
Finalize plans for joint promotions and marketing.
Appoint a community spokesperson who will interact with local media outlets about the community-wide partnership.
Three months before Back to Church Sunday
Order any promotional banners, mailings or invitational tools.
Finalize plans and appoint leaders for any events to be held jointly by the partner churches to preceding the campaign Sunday.
Assemble a prayer time line for churches to use leading up to Back to Church Sunday.
Encourage church leaders to order Back to Church Sunday campaign curriculum materials, if they have not done so already.
Make a decision about a pre-event to Back to Church Sunday.
Discuss an event for the churches to celebrate after the success of the campaign.
Two months before Back to Church Sunday
Send press release (see the sample on the Resource DVD)
Discuss an event for after Back to Church Sunday for churches to celebrate together.
One month before Back to Church Sunday
Churches work together to publicize Back to Church Sunday through media
channels and invite non-churched community residents to share
in Back to Church Sunday
Terms of Use
Use of the National Back to Church Sunday ®
Trademark
The National Back to Church Sunday name and logo are registered trademarks. Use of these marks is permitted only with
permission from Back to Church Sunday and not for use on any products for resale. If you are a church wishing to use the name
and/or logo for your Back to Church Sunday event, we grant to churches a limited license to use the mark on bulletin inserts,
worship/service slides or on your church website and social media. The logo cannot be modified and must contain the registered
® next to the logo. You must contact Back to Church Sunday to use the logo and marks in any other context.
The Back to Church Sunday kit includes logo files and an extended church license to use the name and logo on newspaper ads,
billboards and internal church videos. For other questions about licensing of Back to Church Sunday please contact Back to
Church Sunday Licensing.
Back to Church Sunday promotional tools are also available from Outreach, our exclusive resource provider. In-stock bulletins,
banners, DoorHangers and direct-mail postcards are ready for quick delivery or choose to have your tools customized with your
church information. Visit BacktoChurch.com/store to learn more.
Use of BacktoChurch.com
The information contained at BacktoChurch.com is for the sole purpose of information and education. By accessing the website
and church roster information, the user agrees to the terms. It may be used only by individuals for the purpose of indentifying
participating churches in the individual’s area. It may not be used for any commercial purpose, including commercial solicitations.
You agree that you will not: (a) defame, abuse, harass, stalk, threaten or otherwise violate the legal rights (such as rights of privacy
and publicity) of others; (b) upload, post, email, transmit or otherwise make available messages that promote pyramid schemes,
chain letters, or disruptive commercial messages or advertisements; (c) impersonate another person or entity, or falsify or delete
any author attributions or proprietary designations or labels of the origin or source of content, software or other material; (d)
use any robot, spider, site search/retrieval application, or other device to retrieve or index any portion of the content, or collect
information about users for any unauthorized purpose; (e)create user accounts by automated means or under false or fraudulent
pretenses; (f) transmit any viruses, worms, defects, Trojan horses, or any items of a destructive nature.
The content and software on the site is the property of BacktoChurch.com and may not be used for any commercial purposes.
You agree that you will not use any robot, spider, other automated device, or manual process to monitor or copy any content
from BacktoChurch.com. Any use of the site that infringes upon BacktoChurch.com’s intellectual property rights or that is for
commercial purposes will be considered a legal violation and shall have the right to take appropriate civil and criminal legal action.
Free Church Listing
& Digital Planning Guide
See inside for details!
National Back to Church Sunday is the single largest annual
community outreach in the nation, sharing the simple message and mission of
inviting everyone in America Back To Church. Last year 1 million people came
back to church in over 20,000 churches on a single day! On average churches
saw a 31% increase in attendance and thousands of people came to Christ!
Church members and visitors love Back to Church Sunday!
Join the Movement
Now Extended Worldwide. Getting Involved is Free!
Add your church to the roster of participating churches—it’s
a free way to enable unchurched people in your community
to find your church! Visitors just enter their zip code and
then information on participating churches in that area is
displayed including your church phone number, link to your
website and a map to your location!
2
Outreach 800.991.6011
Start Planning Now: Get The New 2014 Kit!
30-day Money Back Guarantee*
*After receiving and examining the church kit, if you don't think the resources
inside will help you plan an effective Back to Church Sunday event, return the
entire kit intact within 30 days for a full refund. Call for details. DVD with 6 new videos: (a $100 Value!)
• Invitational Videos
• Day of Video
• Viral Video
New Event Supplies:
• 12 Balloons
• Tablecloth
Digital Resource CD/DVD
45 Nametags
New Church Kit
•
•
•
•
•
•
Sermon Outlines & PowerPoint
Countdown Video & Motion Stills
Bulletin Insert
Social Media Guide
Press Release, Radio PSA Script
And Much More
Logo
T-Shirt
Why Church?
Visitor Gift
Book
3 Posters and Sample Invitational Tools
New Planning Guide
Thank You
Note Card
BacktoChurch.com
3
Invite Your Community Back to Church
Direct mail is still the best and most cost-effective way to invite
your entire community to church for Back To Church Sunday.
Every 8.5" x 5.5" custom postcard is printed in full color on
front and back with your church information, message, map
and logo, 10,000 for $595*. Plus Outreach offers a full service
mailing program that include demographically targeted lists,
addressing, sorting, postal paperwork, and full service delivery
to your local post office. Call for details and pricing.
Set Your Life on
a
Back-to-school, bac
k-to-church…
it’s the perfect sea
son for new
beginnings, and
that’s just what
you’ll find at Chu
rch Name. Our
church is designe
d with you in min
d;
we have upbeat
music, relevant
messages and a
chance to meet
new friends—all
in an authentic
community of peo
ple. Whether you
’ve
never been to chu
rch before or
haven’t been in yea
rs, come give us
a try! Start down
the road of spiritua
l
growth and come
back to church!
JOIN US FOR A
SPECIAL SERV
ICE
Sunday • Septe
Back To Church
16020
Sunday 2014
Dr. • Colorado Sprin
gs, CO 80919
Free Refreshme
nts
Exciting fun child
ren’s activities
Free Gif t for Vis
itors!
Deliver 00/00-00/00
Joe Seeker
123 Anywhere St
Any Town USA
shown with cu
BTCS Invited People
16029
4
Outreach 800.991.6011
Doggone Invited
15646
mber 21
8:30 & 10 am
Postmaster: Please
5550 Tech Center
New Path!
Your Church Phon
e
ww w.YourChurchW
ebsite.com
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Outreach, Inc.
80919
stom back
BTCS 2014 Church Name
16030
*Postage not included—call for details.
with an Affordable Postcard Invitation!
Only 7.9¢ postage
(with non-profit permit)
SE T YOUR L IFE ON
Raising a strong
family
can be
challenging! Kids
face more questio
ns
and temptations
than ever. Where
can
you turn for help
in providing guid
ance
and solid values?
Maybe it’s time to
rethink church. At
Church Name,
we’re committed
to providing pare
nts
the resources and
encouragement
you need, while givin
g your kids good
values in a fun, safe
environment.
Join us this weeken
d and see what
church has to offe
r your family!
Fr e e
Dr. • Colorado Sprin
gs, CO 80919
G if t
Book
SEPT. 21 • 8:30
& 10AM
Upbea
Postmaster: Please
5550 Tech Center
A NE W PATH!
t, Relevant Messa
ges
Fun, safe Childr
en’s Classes
Mid-we ek Activi
ties for all Ages
Deliver 00/00-00/00
Your Church Phon
e
ww w.YourChurchW
ebsite.com
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
Joe Seeker
123 Anywhere St
Any Town USA
Customize th
e back of the
PAID
Outreach, Inc.
80919
card free!
Offer visitors a Free
Why Church? gift book
only $2.39 each
in a pack of 10!
g
Family Faith Hu
16091
Family Time Stack
16185
For Her
16184
Family Faith Park
16092
BacktoChurch.com
5
Customize Your Invitations
BTCS Chalkboard
16090
Family Time Yard
16094
Why Church?
15658
10,000 Custom Postcards
$
595
*
Plus 200 Free Postcard Handouts
BTC One More Reason
15487
Family Time Van
16093
6
Outreach 800.991.6011
Color Flow You're Invited
16095
*Postage not included. Full service mailing option required
to receive the 200 free handouts—call for details.
Attract & Welcome Visitors
With an Outdoor Banner
4' x 8'
banner
on op
shown
tional a
-frame
stand.
Outdoor Horizontal Banners—Available in 5 sizes
printed on fade-resistant outdoor vinyl.
4' x 8' Banner & a-frame Stand*
$
279
*Second banner sold separately
Doggone Invited
15646
Faith Family Hug
16091
Color Flow You're Invited
16095
Promote Your Event Around Town with Custom Yard Signs
Create a buzz around your community when you empower members to
promote Back To Church Sunday with yard signs for their lawn (check local
zoning laws first)! Each 18” x 24” custom Yard Sign is printed in full color
on 4 Mil corrugated plastic and comes with a wire stand to embed in
the dirt. These eye-catching signs can also be used around your church!
Minimum order 15 yard signs, choose from 1-sided or 2-sided signs
Starting at only $13.30 per sign
BacktoChurch.com
7
Create Excitement with Themed T-shirts!
People around your church and in the community will really start
talking about your church when your members begin wearing
these t-shirts around town! Great for building camaraderie and
participation, themed t-shirts can be used:
• To build excitement for your event. Encourage ministry
leaders, ushers, greeters and staff to wear the shirts on
Sunday in the weeks leading up to your event.
• To reach out to neighbors. Encourage your youth group, small
group members and volunteers to wear their shirts when they
are handing out invitations to neighbors and local businesses.
• To start conversations with friends and people in your
community. No matter how you feel about church, you are sure
to notice this shirt!
Unisex t-shirts are made of high-quality 100% cotton and come in
sizes S-XXL.
Only $8.99 each!
Empower Members to Invite Their Friends
8
Empower Members with Personal Invitations.
$14.99/pack of 200
Hang 18" x 24" promotional posters in your church or local
businesses. $24.95/pack of 10
Go Door-to-Door with Invitations.
$14.99/pack of 150
Reach out with small 4.25" x 5.5" postcards ready to print with
your message on back! $14.99/pack of 200.
Outreach 800.991.6011
Use the Power of Video to Equip
Members to Promote Your Event
Video is the medium of the day and can make a huge impression on your audience: Inspiring your members to invite
their friends, creating a buzz on your church’s social media sites, or welcoming visitors on the day of your event. The
Back To Church Sunday 2014 Church Kit includes six NEW videos on DVD, or they are available to purchase online* as
individual videos. Every video comes with versions for QuickTime and Windows Media Player.
Preview these six, and 11 more online at BacktoChurch.com/videos.
Practice Invite
Shred Preconceptions
We Are The Church
One Question
Church Rocks
Build Your Kingdom Here
Invite Videos—show these videos
to your members the week leading up
to Back to Church Sunday to inspire
and encourage them to extend an
invitation to their friends and family!
Come To Church Videos—post
these videos on your church website
and social media pages and encourage
your members to share them and send
them to people they want to invite.
Practice Invite—This light-hearted video
takes a humorous look at inviting friends to
church and encourages viewers to practice
and then invite people to Back To Church
Sunday. (Time: 2:48)
Shred Preconceptions—Coming to church
for the first time can be scary and many
people are skeptical of what they may
experience. This humorous video shows
what happens when you overcome your
assumptions and try church. (Time: 2:28)
One Question—Asking someone to come
to church can change their life and is worth
the risk. (Time: 2:09)
Church Rocks—Forget flannel-graphs and
boring sermons, this music video shows that
the modern church is relevant to people from
all walks of life! (Time: 3:17)
Day of Event Videos—welcome
people to your event with these
inspiring videos that can be worked
into your worship service.
We Are The Church—Designed to be used
at the beginning of the Back To Church
Sunday service, this video shows how the
Church offers people a place to find help and
hope in the midst of life’s difficulties.
(Time: 2:31)
Build Your Kingdom Here—This music
video by Rend Collective provides an upbeat
musical addition to your worship service.
(Time: 4:39) *Build Your Kingdom Here is only
available on the Church Kit DVD.
CUSTOMIZE YOUR VIDEOS!
Any of these videos can be customized with your church logo, service times
and website on the closing graphic of the video for only $99 for the first
video and only $49 for each subsequent video with the same customization.
Call for details 800-991-6011 or visit BacktoChurch.com/videos.
BacktoChurch.com
9
Welcome Visitors To Your Church
with A Professional Bulletin Shell
It’s the one piece of paper every person receives! Make sure
you are handing visitors a bulletin that is attractive, clearly
communicates the mission and vision of your church and helps
them make connections and want to return next week.
There is a large selection of stock bulletin shells that are ready
for you to overprint on your copier or laser printer using our free
online MS Word template.
Choose from three sizes (check design for size availability):
8.5" x 11"— $6.99/pack of 100
Full color outside, blank white inside
Capture Visitor
Information with
New Connection Cards!
This 2-sided card includes
everything you need to
reconnect with visitors!
Only $9.99/pack of 300.
8.5" x 14"— $11.99/pack of 100
Full color inside and out—with perforated tear off response card
11" x 17"— $13.99/pack of 100
Full color inside and out—with perforated tear out card
Back To Church 2014
Size shown above: 8.5" x 11" HB16020
8.5" x 14" BB16020 11" x 17" BT16020
Chalk Worship
8.5" x 14" BB15713 11" x 17" BT15713
Street Friends
8.5" x 14" BB16073 11" x 17" BT16073
Words Welcome
8.5" x 14" BB15719 11" x 17" BT15719
Modern Grain
8.5" x 14" BB15925 11" x 17" BT15925
Fresh Air Field
8.5" x 14" BB15941 11" x 17" BT15941
Discover Community
8.5" x 14" BB15928 11" x 17" BT15928
Fall Mosaic
8.5" x 14" BB15536 11" x 17" BT15536
10
Outreach 800.991.6011
Welcome, connect and assimilate
with these themed tools
New! Balloons, Nametags, Table Cloths And Note Cards!
Back to Church Sunday should be an exciting event in your church! To help you create a festive atmosphere and carry the
theme across your church, order extras of these new themed tools. You get a sample set of all of these in your church kit!
Back to Church Balloons
Create a festive atmoshpere in your lobby with these blue and white Back
To Church Sunday balloons. Fill them with helium and attach them to
chairs, tables, outdoor and indoor signs or other areas in your lobby and
auditorium to add excitement to your event. Pack of 12 latex balloons. *
GF1564261 $4.99/pack
*Caution, Latex balloons—Latex exposure can lead to serious allergic reactions for
some people.
Nametags
Great for your greeters, ushers and ministry leaders
to wear on Back to Church Sunday, these friendly
nametags will help visitors feel more comfortable and
put names with the new faces they see. Pack of 10
sheets—90 nametags total.
GF1564208 $9.95/pack
Tablecloth
Great for an information table or for refreshments,
this blue 1.5 mil plastic table cloth features the Back
to Church logo along the edges.
GF1564201 $5.99 each
Thank You Note Cards
Send "Thanks for Visiting" notes to your Back to Church
Sunday visitors and encourage them to come back for your
follow up series, a special event or to join a small group.
Each card is 4.75" x 6.625"
$4.74/pack of 6 notecards with envelopes
Give Visitors a Gift For Coming to Back To Church Sunday
Why Church? Gift Book
Offer every visitor this new book that will help them understand that church
might be exactly what they have been looking for. Why Church? will offer
visitors and new members a look at how the church can meet their needs
and the needs of their family even in today’s fast-paced culture. Paperback
book 5.5" x 5.5", 120 pages
BK1617919 $23.99/pack of 10 (Only $2.39 each) List: $4.99 each
BacktoChurch.com
11
Indoor Banners = Greater
Participation = Greater Results!
Build Excitement & Promote Your Event with Indoor Banners
Your members are a key part of Back to Church Sunday, you want them involved and excited about the big day. One way
to create an exciting atmosphere is by decorating your church with indoor banners in the weeks leading up to the event. Great for your auditorium, classrooms, hallways or lobby, these eye-catching indoor banners come in a variety of sizes and
materials to fit any church. Banner stands sold separately unless otherwise shown.
Build excitement with banners in your lobby and hallways—shown here:
4' x 6'7" Rollup Banner and Stand only $199 each. Also available in
2'7" x 6'7" size.
Promote your event with a 3' x 3' Stickup Banner—great for windows
in your lobby or at a local business, only $79!
Custom 2'7" x 6'7" Rollup Banner and Stand only $149!
12
Outreach 800.991.6011
Getting The Right Banner Is Easy With Outreach
As low as
79
Free customization—add your logo!
$
2' x 5'9"
Vinyl
$79
StickUp
$89
Stand
$20
2'7" x 6'7"
Vinyl with
RollUp Stand
$149
StickUp
$119
4' x 6'7"
Vinyl with
Rollup Stand
$199
3' x 5'
2' x 8'
Vinyl
$89
Vinyl
$89
StickUp
$109
StickUp
$109
Fabric
$119
Fabric
$119
Stand
$99
Stand
$99
Pick the material and finishing
Vinyl—Printed on non-curl vinyl with bright
high-quality inks. For most sizes, choose
from pole pocket finishing for a banner
stand or grommet finishing on top with Free
EZHang Clips included.
Fabric—Elegant, drape-like material
with subtle colors—choose pole pockets for a banner stand (sold separately)
or grommets on top.
StickUp—Revolutionary StickUp
material adheres to any smooth,
flat, clean surface. Great for doors,
windows or concrete. No stand or
hardware needed!
Choose a Back to Church Design, provide your own artwork, or have us custom design a
banner unique to your church!
Visit BacktoChurch.com to view more banner designs.
BacktoChurch.com
13
Four Powerful Sermon Series and Study Options
To Keep Visitors Coming Back To Church!
Son of God
Bring the Son of God Movie, sermon series and small group study to your
church! This epic portrayal of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus will touch
hearts and impact lives in your church. Plan a movie night and follow up series
for the most impact!
Movie Event Package includes:
• DVD with full-length Son of God movie (run time: 138 minutes)
• Annual site license for 1 location
• Digital Movie Event Planning Guide
• Son of God Church Kit, featuring sermons and clips from the movie
• Son of God DVD-based Small Group Study Kit
• Promotional Tools
• Discussion questions
Son of God: Who is He? Sermon Topics include:
Week 1: The Son of Man
Week 2: The Sinner's Friend
Week 3: The Anointed One
Week 4: The Coming King
$129-$339 based on average weekly attendance.
Also available: Son of God: Who is He? DVD-based Small Group Study,
Participant’s Guide and Church Kit without movie license
Faith Commander
Living the 5 Values From the Parables of Jesus
Join the Robertson family of the hit television show, Duck Dynasty, on
an exciting ride through some of the Bible’s most-loved parables. In this
five-week, church-wide experience for all ages, your church will learn how
to build a legacy of faith and apply faith-based values to every aspect of
their lives. With their trademark humor and a whole bunch of adventure, the
Robertson family will lead individuals, families, and whole churches through
this five-session adventure:
The five sessions include:
Week 1: Redonkulous Faith
Week 2: Radical Forgiveness
Week 3: Ravenous Prayer
Week 4: Real Obedience
Week 5: Rowdy Kindness
The Church Kit Includes:
• Faith Commander Book
• A DVD-based Small Group Study for Adults
• Faith Commander Teen Edition book
• Teen Edition DVD-based Study
• Children’s Curriculum (with a Bonus Willie’s Redneck Rodeo
VBS Curriculum on DVD-ROM & the VBS Director’s Guide)
• Getting Started Guide
CK1605873 $82.99 (List: $124.99)
Also Sold Separately: Faith Commander Teen Edition: A DVD Study & Study Guide, Faith
Commander Children’s Curriculum, Faith Commander Book & Faith Commander Teen Edition
book, Faith Commander Adult DVD-based Study and Study Guide
14
Outreach 800.991.6011
The Song—a marriage film and series!
In Theaters September 27! The Song Movie is a full-length,
115-minute, cinematic feature film from City on a Hill.
Invite Back to Church visitors to return for a new series that can strengthen their
marriages and personal relationships! The Song is a candid exploration of God's
plan for relationships, love and marriage. With straightforward Bible teaching
through The Song of Solomon from pastor and bestselling author Kyle Idleman,
The Song addresses real-world relationship issues like dating and romance,
intimacy, conflict, restoration and cultivating true commitment.
The Song Pastors Church Kit Includes:
• Special video message for pastors from Pastor Kyle Idleman • Video guide for implementing a church-wide program
• Six sermon outlines
• Six video illustrations to accompany each week’s sermon
• Six sermon bumpers (short video clips to introduce each week’s sermon)
CK16129 $19.99
Also available: The Song Small Group DVD Study and Participant’s Guide and
Couple’s Devotional
Visit Outreach.com/TheSong
to watch the trailer and learn more
Low Price Guarantee!
We will beat any price from Amazon.com or CBD on
church curriculum kits and study guides. Call for details.
Jesus Is_________.
By Judah Smith
Eventually everyone has to finish the sentence, Jesus Is ______.
This fresh and engaging new series from Judah Smith, pastor of City Church in Seattle,
digs deep to answer this common and difficult question about a man so few understand
and so many desperately need. Help your church and community discover how to have
a deeper relationship with Jesus by answering the most common and the most difficult
questions about him.
Launch a sermon series and small groups to help Back to Church visitors and your regular
attenders answer the question for themselves.
The church kit includes everything you need to plan a 4-week
sermon series for your church.
• Campaign Planning Guide
• Resource CD/DVD with sermons and promotional tools
• Small Group DVD-Study kit with video intros by Judah Smith
• Sample invitation tools
• Much more!
The four sessions include:
Week 1: Jesus is Grace
Week 2: Jesus is the friend of sinners
Week 3: Jesus is with you always
Week 4: Jesus is Alive
CK1578871 $49.95
Also Available: DVD-Based Small Group Study & Participant’s Guides, Jesus Is____ Book
BacktoChurch.com
15
5550 Tech Center Dr., Colorado Springs, CO 80919
For a name or address change please let us know at [email protected]
PRSRT STD
U.S. Postage
PAID
Outreach, Inc.
TO ORDER
CALL TOLL FREE
800.991.6011
OR VISIT
OUTREACH.COM
Customer Number
Source Code
Back to Church 2014
Join the National Movement
Getting Involved is Free!
Add your church to the roster of participating churches—it’s a free way to enable unchurched people
in your community to find your church! Visitors just enter their zip code and information and then your
church will appear including your phone number, a link to your website and a map to your location!
Over 21,000 churches are already listed on the roster—don’t get left out, add your church today!
Join Today at BackToChurch.com

customize your invitations - National Back to Church Sunday

Transcription

Similar documents

November 03, 2012

LeThe Wilvy_7 - Camp Wilvaken

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.`

basic human needs

MOVIE DAY

Empowerment Temple

Individuals play the game, but TEAMS beat the odds.

Sheyann Webb, Memories of Selma

Beadling Soccer Demo

Sunday Paper $1