Evangelism Workshop Diocese of West Virginia – Convention 2015

What is evangelism?

The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, "Look, here is the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which translated means Teacher), "where are you staying?" He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated Anointed). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter). The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me.“ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth." Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see.“ John 1:35-46 Come and See

At it’s heart, Evangelism is telling the story of God in our own lives and inviting others to share that experience Three things to consider for Evangelism Letting the world know you exist Inviting others Preparing for their arrival

Letting the world know you exist FREE Social Media (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, etc) Press Releases (Mardis Gras? Animal Blessing? Special Service? Funeral for a prominent community member? Special Events? Parishioners involved in community organizations and events?) Community Bulletin BoardsCHEAP Website websites are free, but a unique URL is about $15/year Online Advertising Facebook advertising and post boosting, local media sites Sponsorships Youth sports, banners at school sports venues, concerts, speakers, community events, Scouts, AA, NA SignsSPENDY Media Advertising Radio, TV, Newspaper, visitor guides, etc Billboards costs depends on location and size Direct Mail Services available that will print and mail postcards through USPS (EDDM) Lawn Signs

A few words about being present on the internet 1.It is imperative!!! You do not exist to anyone younger people without being present on the web 2.Your Website should have these 4 items on your homepage (they should also be in the “About” box of your Facebook page, if you have one) 1)Service Times 2)Address 3)Phone number 4)An invitation to come and be part of your church 3.Websites are for people who aren’t part of your community yet 4.Social Media is for people who already know your community 5.Facebook: the parish can be either a Page or a Group 1)Pages are open to everyone to see, but only about 10% of those who “like” you will receive a given post 2)Groups have members, can be public or private and all members get posts – group functions only work up to about 250 people

Inviting Others Consider an Evangelism Campaign If you plan for stewardship, why don’t you plan for Evangelism? Tie your marketing efforts to your evangelism campaign Have members commit to asking specific people (plus it gets people talking about the church with friends and neighbors) Tie your campaign to specific times of the year Fall (kids going back to school, people settling in new neighborhoods, kids returning to college) New Year (resolutions time, often a time of reassessment) Easter If there is interest, we will host an Evangelism Campaign workshop for the diocese: me at and we will organize it for the Spring

Preparing for their Arrival: Getting the Parish ready If Starbuck's marketed like a church

Preparing for their Arrival: Getting the Parish ready We get used to things that a visitor will see right away – make sure those aren’t negative things Before They Arrive Is it clear where the parking is? Are restrooms clearly marked? Are restrooms clean with ample supplies? Are there lights out? Are floors clean, carpets vacuumed and all in good repair? Are there items stashed in corners? Do you have old and outdated materials laying around? Are doors and windows clean? Are signs in the building clear (are there signs?) Is the landscape neat and in good order? Are there any odd smells? Sunday Mornings Are there greeters at each entrance? Do you have items for kids? (most people won’t send their kids to the nursery or Sunday School on their first visit) Do you have enough bulletins on hand? Do you have information about the church to hand out to all visitors? Are the people trained and encouraged to help visitors through the service? Are there plentiful pew items? Do you explicitly invite to coffee hour? Are visitors thanked and invited back?

Ok, we’ve let the world know about us, we’ve invited our friends and neighbors and some of them showed up and even liked it – now what? Remember, our goal isn’t just to get people into the sanctuary but to offer them a path to discipleship Be clear about the expectations of membership in the community – they won’t take faith seriously if you don’t! 5 building blocks of Christian life Prayer Worship Study Service Stewardship

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