I recently wrote a special report on increasing baptisms in your church that’s been getting lots of interest. So I thought I’d offer it here. You can request a FREE copy here. Enjoy!

Have you ever noticed that the last day you’re in the office before going on vacation, you accomplish a tremendous amount? We tend to work faster, delegate tasks, use technology to our advantage, and empower others to follow through on certain things. It was Zig Zigler who said, “Why not work everyday as though you’re going out of town the next day? You’ll get twice as much done!” What would happen if we took this advice everyday we were in the office? We’d be much more productive and effective. If you’re looking for a resource that can radically improve your productivity, … Read More

I recently got a church direct mail piece delivered to my office. . It said the name of the church, the service times, the directions and the phone number. There was only one thing missing: they never asked me to attend. Sometimes we expect the people who get what we send to them to decipher what we send to them. If you’re going to take the time to buy a billboard, do direct mail, or get the church to invite friends using invite cards – tell the recipient exactly what you want to them to do. Do you want to them to attend … Read More

Imagine this scene: You pick up your mail and sort through it. How long do you give each piece of mail that you bring inside? I’ll tell you: about 3 seconds. If it doesn’t catch your eye and say something that connects with you, it ends up in the round file. We talk about these 3 seconds a lot at Calvary when we’re getting ready to do a direct mail campaign. You’ve got 3 seconds to say something that keeps you out of the garbage can and into the pile of mail that gets read. Then you’ve got to say … Read More

For those that think direct mail doesn’t work, think again! Cinnabon’s sales had dropped due to decreased foot traffic in malls because of the recession. So what did they do? Direct mail!* They started  a direct mail campaign and guess what? Sales went up! This teaches us a couple of things: #1 – Hard work pays off – I commend Cinnabon for not blaming the government or anyone else. Instead, they got creative, took a risk and their hard work paid off. #2 – Direct mail still works – You just have to do it right. I’m having too many … Read More

July is a great time to reach people.  In fact, it’s one of those “hidden” opportunities for outreach. People are in and out on vacation in June and August, but are generally speaking, home in July. My recommendation is to pick a Sunday in July (later is better) and plan an event that will attract people to come out. Here’s a couple of ideas: 1. New series launch 2. Combined service with a Church picnic afterwards (this takes little effort and works really well) 3. Baptism 4. Start of a new initiative Honestly, you could actually do all of these … Read More

– Great day at Calvary (I know I say that every week)! – I taught Romans 8:1-17 – Had the opportunity to teach on calling God “Abba” – Today was a fantastic day to spend with my kids. Plus, I got to have lunch with my dad. Good times. – I love teaching the Bible, but I’m looking forward to the break I have coming up. – Those that teach on a weekly basis know the grind that it can be – Don’t think “grind” in a bad way. I mean it in the way baseball players say the 162 … Read More

“What’s the worst thing that can happen to your outreach?” The worst that can happen is not people complaining. It’s people ignoring you. That’s why above all you have the speak the language of the people you’re trying to reach. Most Pastors of contemporary churches say they do this, but we make this mistake as well.  How often have you sent something out talking about your “worship”? Guess what? If you’re trying to reach unchurched people, they don’t know that worship is music. We do this with our children’s ministry: we essentially advertise to the kids (who can’t read by … Read More

I recently read some stats that might encourage you to delve into the world of sending out direct mail for your next big Sunday at church. 85% of people sort, process and open their mail everyday. 75% of people say they are examining their mail more closely for coupons and other special offers and events. 55% of people say they receive greater enjoyment opening their snail mail than their email (and this includes the 18-39 age group, by the way). 40% of people say they tried a new business because they received direct mail from them. 70% of people renewed … Read More

We’ve had an amazing response to our “Top 5 Outreach Mistakes Churches Make” last week. However, several people email me asking if we were going to offer the webinars at any other times. So I decided to do 2 webinars this week on Thursday, June 16th. There will be a webinar at 2PM EST and 7PM EST (Please note: it’s the same webinar, so there’s no need to register for both). You can register for the webinars below. I hope you’ll join us on the webinar this Thursday! First Name * Last Name * Email * June 16th @ 2PM … Read More