Insight from New Campus September 13, 2006

We've had some great feedback about this morning's Creative Leader Newsletter, so in case you missed out, here's the content from the latest issue. And if you're not signed up to receive our newsletters, you can do it here - for free!

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Ed Young's Creative Leader Newsletter - September

Over the weekend we celebrated an incredible movement of God during the Fall Kickoff at our Fellowship Church Miami Campus. After weeks of community outreach and preparation, we were excited to welcome over 600 people in our two Sunday services during the official grand opening weekend.

Opening this campus has really taken us back to our roots as a small church when we started in an Irving, Texas office complex with 150 people. We began with an even smaller base in Miami and have already experienced amazing growth. And though things are definitely different in a small church, the underlying approach we use for all five of our campuses remains the same. We're employing creativity and personal interaction to reach out and touch one life at a time. Here are a few highlights from our recent efforts in Florida:

• We're investing in marketing. We knew that direct mail in Miami would have greater potential impact than in other regions where the church advertising market is more saturated. To coordinate with our Miami campaign of Refuel, Refresh, Redefine, we sent out a direct mail piece that visitors could Redeem at the church for a $5 gas card. When it landed in homes, we experienced a significant increase in phone calls.
• Banners and signage outside the church are worth every penny. Many visitors have told us that they saw our signs and logged on to our Miami campus website for more information. We made sure the front page of that site is very easy to navigate with important information prominently displayed, and also included content that would give them a taste of the Fellowship Miami experience.
• We're also taking advantage of free marketing. Because of a press release we filed two weeks ago with national and local news agencies, the Miami Herald was on site covering our Kickoff Weekend. Read the full article (available for a limited time).
• Nothing beats one-on-one dialogue. Whether we are in local stores, restaurants or just waiting in line somewhere, we strike up conversations with the people around us. Building relationships within the community is the most successful form of outreach available. While stopping at a coffee shop, one of our staff members started chatting with an employee there and ended up handing her an invite card. That weekend, not only did she visit for the first time, but she brought her entire family along.
• We work the phones. This is something we've been doing since day one of Fellowship Church. Our staff personally calls each first time visitor. And we're making a special effort to call in the evenings so we can actually talk to the visitors, answer questions and invite them back.
• We've used the questions people ask us to guide our marketing. We noticed that many of the people we talked to in Miami asked us, "What kind of church is it?" So in our promotional materials and signage for this campus we've added the fact that we are a Christian church.
• We're making the best of the space we've got. We know that our overall vision for this environment will take time to achieve. But we are taking immediate, easy steps (and lots of volunteer elbow grease) to upgrade the campus by planting additional landscaping and applying fresh paint. Instead of traditional white-skirted tables, we've brought in some more modern wood tables for hospitality areas. We're adding music, Cuban coffee and local pastries to create a welcoming atmosphere. And we're fanatical about keeping the facility sparkling clean!
• Friendliness is irreplaceable. A positive attitude and huge smile are tremendous assets in attracting people to any church. We have a team of floaters (greeters) who circulate throughout the entrance and areas outside the worship center, so visitors usually are engaged in several conversations before they sit down. The parking lot entrance is flanked by greeters who wave at passing traffic and incoming cars. In fact, we just talked to some visitors recently who said they turned around and came back because we waved at them!

I'm so excited by what's going on at the Miami campus and the opportunities there to see lives changed. We'll continue to keep you updated on what God's doing through this effort, so stop back here regularly for upcoming articles. And check our Assmilation Kit or Leadership Uncensored resources for more information on assimilation and satellite campus growth. We know God is doing great things at your churches as well, so be sure to share your stories with us!

Comments

[Cory Miller]

Lori, as I posted earlier, this is great content ... I appreciate how you all have continually set the bar of innovation for the evangelical church in America. :-)

I think this has a lot of "crossover" for established churches who are still seeking to make an impact in their communities through effective marketing techniques.