Time Your Ministry Events
by Chris Forbes
Free tips for getting the word out about your church from the Ministry Marketing Coach
Did you know one of the most powerful marketing tools you have is one you use everyday - perhaps without thinking about it? It’s your calendar.
The calendar is a powerful marketing planning tool that can have a positive and important influence over your ministry. Capitalizing on minor holidays as well as life changes in the people of the community can open up more opportunities to market your ministry while ministering to others.
Most churches have noticed the more people attend during Easter and Christmas than any other time of the year. Other holidays also become natural times to plan important outreach events and programs.
Don’t just consider the timing of holidays. Plan your ministry activities thinking about other timing possibilities that exist. All around you are people going through important stages of their lives. For example, there’s an opportunity for ministry when couples get married, or when those couples have babies. These kinds of opportunities with people depend not just on the calendar but also their personal stage of life.
New people moving into your community offer another opportunity. Find out who those people are, and begin to minister to them at a time when they feel they need it most. If your timing is right, there is a better chance that they will become involved in your ministry.
Rather than planning for each event as they draw closer, why not plan your entire year’s outreach in advance? Many organizations plan far ahead. Plan Christmas in July. Why not have your media and promotion strategy so developed and ready, that you are ready to roll with it long before it arrives. Timing is everything.
Don’t worry that having your plans already laid out will make you less flexible. Quite the opposite; you will be ready to make needed adjustments because other details will be done.
Your marketing will advance light years ahead of where you are now if you can discipline yourself to prepare in advance. By being more prepared, you might even find you enjoy the holidays more than ever before. Imagine not rushing and working through the holidays like you are "cramming" for a final exam each year.
Action Point!
Find out who the newcomers are in your community. They’re at a stage in their lives when they are probably more open to looking for a church home. Find those names, contact them, and invite them to be a part of your ministry.
