For years, Jed Clampett lived as a poor man. One day, when he was shooting at some food, he learned that he had been sitting on a very valuable piece of property, oil, that is.
Churches today are sitting on an extremely valuable outreach tool, but for many it is underutilized. Your Church Management Software is one of your best tools for reaching out to your community, but are you using it?
Information is Essential
What does your process for welcoming visitors look like, not just visitors to your weekend services, but to your special events as well? Many people walk through the doors of your church only to never return and if you do not know their names or anything about them, how can you fix that problem? You might want to consider offering a welcome gift to visitors in exchange for a simple information card. Keep this card very simple so that people will take the time to fill it out.
Follow Up Matters
People want to know that they were noticed. It is the driving force of social media sites like Instagram. A simple letter sent to their home in the days after a visit can mean so much. Make it handwritten for that extra special touch. Or take the time to give them a phone call and ask if you can pray with them. These things cannot be undervalued, but can only happen if you are collecting and organizing information.
Communicate
Communication is a two-way street. Using the information in your ChMS, you can be sure to communicate upcoming events and sermon series to those on your list, but you can also open the door for communication. Invite them to communicate back. Offer to pray with them.
All of this is great, but it is really next to impossible to accomplish without a good organization system. A ChMS can certainly help with that and is highly recommended, but making sure the information in your ChMS stays up-to-date and current requires someone who really cares. Making sure that person understands how valuable they are to reaching new people can help ignite that passion in them.
