Media Outreach

I was talking to a friend of mine, Pastor Stacy Turney, late last week about his recent church plant launch.  Pastor Stacy is the planting pastor of Church at the Crossing in Dothan, AL.  I asked him to give me a couple pointers from one church planter to another, and he gave me three (he’s a preacher, he can’t help it).

Launch Month
They had 175 in attendance on their first Sunday and 90 on the second.  This 50% drop between the first and second services seems to be very typical.  Pastor Stacy said that focusing on numbers is like a fireworks display; if you focus on them, you always have to put on a better show for the next service, or it is a letdown.  This can have a negative impact on momentum if the fireworks and “oohs” and “ahs” become the focal point.  He said that it really takes the first full month to really be able to tell what is happening.  It has really helped the process for him so far in thinking of the launch month instead of the launch day.  Celebrate your wins

Your Signature
Pastor Stacy also talked about putting your signature on everything.  As the planting pastor, you have to put your signature on equipment, relationships, family, colors, style, worship, etc.  This is now your baby, and you are not going to hand it to just anyone.  You must control the overall brand and DNA of the church, because at this time, brand and DNA are you.  Pastor Stacy had an example of a couple that gave a large gift to the ministry and what the couple told him was, “We know that what you’re going to do is not going to be crap.”  That is an interesting way to put it, but if people have confidence in your leadership, then that is what you should give them.  Pastor Stacy has said that:

Whatever people hold in their hands has to be top level, because this is the beginning of the alter call.

Plan Ahead

The world responds to crisis and marketing.

The marketing element was the thing (and typically is) that took a backburner until it was almost too late.  According to Pastor Stacy,

Planning ahead on marketing saves both money and sanity, the two things that church planters can’t afford to lose.

He wanted to advise church planters to take action on the marketing front as soon as they can.  Even though it can seem like it isn’t a front burner issue, it will be before you realize it.  He said that in planning ahead for your marketing remember that

All avenues help present the message.

Allow time for your logo, website, newspaper ad, door hangers, direct mail, billboards, theater ads, etc.  The more time you have, the more it will reflect who you are.