Almost every week, as I talk with church leaders about their upcoming evangelism efforts I’ll hear this phrase: “Mailings don’t work.” And it’s true, mailings don’t work…unless they’re done properly. Firing off a mailing without a good plan is a waste of church funds, but by using some proven principles that have been honed by direct marketing professionals over decades, you can effectively reach …

At SermonView, we regularly challenge churches to increase the quality of their design ideas. But looking through our newsletters from the last year, I realized that we haven’t given you many tools to help with that process.

So this month, I wanted to give you more specifics. Here are six key techniques for increasing the effectiveness and…

Every church has to find times to compromise.

Now, I’m not talking about doctrine. Practically speaking, you simply can’t do everything well all the time. Unfortunately, if we compromise in a particular area for too long we can end up off balance and with substantial gaps in our ministry.

Put yourself in the shoes of the non-Christians you want to reach. Where should they…

A first-rate welcome packet is an important part of the new visitor experience. Done correctly, a packet can help to draw someone back to your church again, by informing them of opportunities to connect with other members while also reminding them of the personality and mission of your church. Let’s evaluate this tool and explore how to create an effective welcome packet with limited effort while saving money.

Every welcome packet has 2 basic components…

We love working with local churches because every day we see them finding more innovative ways of communicating with their local community. This Easter season, one of our churches in Virginia decided to go the extra mile with their new Easter attendees, and we worked with them to create a visually-compelling suite of welcome tools for their church.

Liberty Community Church’s goal was to connect with guests multiple times while using a consistent message. Their approach incorporated a single image and concept through an entire suite of communication tools in order to increase the possibility of repeat visitors. Here’s what they did…

As I walked into the church lobby, I saw it: a big, ugly stain on the carpet. Seven-year-old Katelyn was trying to publicly celebrate her parents 10th wedding anniversary, and in the process dumped an entire chocolate sheet cake on the floor. And her attempt to clean it up did little more than then squish frosting deep into the carpet.

In a way, that stain was beautiful. It said, “We do ministry here.” But what if nobody bothered to clean the carpet? What would that stain say about the state of your church as you stepped over it week after week after week? And what would that stain say to your guests? At some point, it no longer says, “We do ministry here.” Instead, it yells, “We don’t really care enough to clean this.”

The fact is, your church facility is a reflection of the health of the church. But more than that (and certainly more exciting), you can also use the building…

Banners come in many different textiles, printing styles and quality. It is important to understand the different advantages to each substrate so that you make sure to get the right banner for your needs.

The Wilsons are living the American dream: 3 children, a dog, a house in the suburbs. Bob works as a cook, while Nancy is a nurse. Their two sons are on the high school football team, and their daughter takes dance lessons and plays soccer. All three study hard and get above average grades. Both parents have long commutes and often work weekends, but to them it’s worth it to maintain a lifestyle. The whole family moves at a lightning-fast pace, so busy that they couldn’t possibly think about what they might be missing.

Your community is filled with Wilsons. How can we get their attention? How do we…

The redeemed people of God, living in His image, should be the most creative people in the world. So why is there so much copying of the world’s culture in Christianity today? Unfortunately, by emulating the secular world we can create a wall between us and the very people we are trying to reach.

Want YouTube for spiritual people? We’ve got GodTube. Want to make praying hip for the iPod generation? Try iPray. There are Christian Livestrong bracelets (“GodStrong”), “Surviver” retreats, even GodTwitter. We slap a spiritual word in front of a popular brand and expect that we will receive the same “cool points” that the original idea received.

As we step into a new decade, let’s evaluate this all-too-common practice. I wonder, can we as the Church find our own ways…

For many, 2009 will be remembered as a low point during the Great Recession. But some will also remember it as the start of personal spiritual renewal, because of the ministry of church leaders like yourself.

It is not just individuals who have been affected by the economic downturn. According to one expert in the industry, there have been more church foreclosures in the last year than in the previous 20 years combined.¹ And nearly every church and ministry organization has faced a decline in giving this year, resulting in pay cuts, layoffs, and reduction in ministry capacity.

Yet there is good news in this. Today there is a hunger for…