Saint Mark United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kansas, recently launched a new worship service at a second campus in southeast Wichita that became part of our church through a merger. The worship launch team came up with a four-phase plan to connect with the new community. While these were done to launch a new worship site, they may offer ideas for ways your church might engage your larger community.
Prayer Walk
We knocked on doors and 99.9 percent of the people were gracious and hospitable. It was literally a transforming event. People were asking for prayers, saying “I’ve been waiting for you.” We ended up with a stack of cards with names of approximately 200 people with whom we could follow up.
Community Block Party
This was simply an opportunity to bring the southeast community together. We collected names by having people register for give-aways.
Gas Buy-Down
We partnered with a local convenience store to give people $20 worth of gas for free. This was when gas was $4 per gallon. We had cars wrapped all through the neighborhood. I took advantage of the opportunity to talk to people as they waited in line.
Open House
After the launch Sunday, we did an open house with invitations to every executive director of every non-profit in town and to the Chamber of Commerce. We had a room filled with community leaders.
In the six months leading up to the launch, we did direct mail and radio advertising, but also had a personal presence, including going door-to-door. We met with editorial boards to introduce “Saint Mark Southeast” so they could come to know the church’s unique story. The Saturday before the launch we were on the front page of the Wichita Eagle. You can’t buy that kind of advertising, but it doesn’t happen by accident.
The goal was to have 300 people for the big Launch Sunday service, and we had 399. Regular attendance started at about 160, climbed to 220 in a few months, and is now close to 300. Saint Mark now has a 9 a.m. service at our main campus and an 11 a.m. service at the new southeast campus. The two campuses average close to 1,200 in worship.
This article is adapted from an article originally published in the November 2015 edition of The Missouri Methodists and is used by permission.
Related Resources:
- Add Off-Site Christmas Eve Services This Year by Mack Strange
- The Multi-Site Church Revolution: Being One Church in Many Locations Reviewed by Dottie Yunger
- Deliberate Outreach Strategy Leads to Growth by Rudy Guess
- Connect With Your Neighbors Resource
