1. CONNECTING PEOPLE TO YOUR CHURCH
By Shellie Dameron
Connections Director, Orchard Church, Denver, CO
Easter at Orchard Church in Denver, CO, is an exciting time! Last year over 2,700 attended our five services and this year we are praying for more than 3,000. We expect over 200 new families will join us to celebrate Christ’s resurrection. Many of our families who attend regularly had their first experiences at Orchard on an Easter Sunday and we strive to make these new guests feel the love of Christ from the moment they step out of their cars until they return home. We are intentional to greet, host, and follow up not just on Easter, but every Sunday.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Outside are signs pointing to a tent in our courtyard with a banner that says, “New Here? Start Here.” At this tent are trained, outgoing volunteers who greet guests and give them bags containing a logo cup and information about our church. One team member shows each guest around (locations of restrooms, free coffee and donuts, etc), helps them get their children checked into class, and takes them into the auditorium to find a seat. The goal is for our team members to connect with these guests, not to just feed them information. We ask guests to return to the tent afterwards and give us feedback on their experience. We want everyone to have a great experience from street to seat.
Connection cards are included in each newsletter in every service and we ask guests to fill one out with their information with a promise they will receive a coupon in the mail for a free Chick‐fil‐A sandwich. It is amazing how enticing a chicken sandwich can be. In our experience, most guests, especially Millennials, do not like to be singled out, so we do not recognize them publicly during the service. On Easter, we do ask everyone who attends (both members and guests) to fill out a connection card. This helps guests not feel singled out and allows us to get updated contact information for everyone. It also provides an opportunity to ask everyone to answer a question about his or her salvation.
FOLLOW UP
Follow-up begins Monday morning when we send all guests a handwritten thank you note from the pastor with the coupon. We make follow-up phone calls within the first 48 hours and answer any questions, and send an email encouraging them to take the next step by coming to our Starting Point Class. This email also contains a link to a guest survey. Anyone who accepted Christ is mailed a follow-up booklet. Pastor personally calls the guests on Thursday morning inviting them to come back. Church management software helps make our follow-up process easier and more efficient (we use Church Community Builder).
Here are some comments from our recent guests:
“It was great! I like the time frames and the message. Folks at the doors and entries are very friendly.”
“I was greeted right when I walked in, given a tour, told about the different small groups, and directed to where the service was being held. Very welcoming!”
“I loved it! Definitely coming again! The environment was wonderful! Everybody was so happy to be at church, so friendly.”
FOLLOW THROUGH
At Orchard we want to move a person from first-time guest to a passionate, reproducing follower of Christ. This is done by making the steps very close together. Someone who has never set foot in a church may find signing up for small groups or discipleship intimidating. That is why we developed a Starting Point Class, to give returning visitors information about the history, values, and vision of our church, and follow up with information on salvation and baptism. We encourage them to get in a small group and start serving.
As a growing church, we have a simple process to making disciples: reach, relate, reproduce. Our purpose is to make disciples who glorify God by reaching people for Jesus, relating them to other believers, and teaching them to reproduce followers of Christ.
REACH
Most first-time guests come Sunday morning. Therefore, at the end of every message the Gospel is presented with an opportunity to respond.
RELATE
We encourage everyone to join a small group. We have two semesters allowing us to push for sign-ups twice a year and foster easy multiplication of groups. We do not want people in the same group long term. In a large church it can be hard to feel connected, so our small groups are more than just Bible studies. There is intentional time for talking and getting to know each other. If someone in a group has a need, we ask the small group meet it. That may mean taking a meal to someone, a hospital visit, or just giving a hug and prayer. We also encourage our groups to do at least one outreach/service project a semester. Nothing builds community like serving together.
REPRODUCE
Through our small groups we encourage individuals to be involved in discipleship, pairing a grounded believer who has been through our training class with a new believer. They meet weekly and go through a workbook. Discipleship isn’t about the material as much as it is about the relationship. Our threefold purpose in discipleship: to establish the believer in the Word of God, to create fellowship with other believers, and to do the work of the ministry. The work of the ministry is what Jesus did when He was on this earth. He made disciples. We do not feel we have made a disciple until he or she has discipled someone else. It is spiritual multiplication.
Orchard Church does not believe it is the pastor’s or our ministry team’s job to do the work of the ministry. It is our job to equip people to do the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:11‐13). A healthy, growing, reproducing body of believers will be a light in the community. In reality, some of our future discipled believers may be our guests this Easter. We want to help them as individuals to take the next step toward that end.
To read “What is the next step?” in …
2. Developing leaders
3. Sounding the call for full-time ministry
4. Fostering an attitude of giving
5. Developing community within the church
6. Strengthening our Fellowship
7. Reaching your community
… click here.