3081 Theme 1: Letting Our Light Shine: Taking Faith to the Market:
Membership Attraction Techniques
Deborah Weiner, Director of Electronic Communications
Deborah Weiner, who runs the UUA's web site and e-mail mailing
lists via the Office of Electronic Communications, comes from a
background in marketing and advertising. You don't need to be a
computer wizard to use the Internet to market your congregation,
she says; it's more important to know what your goals are. Weiner
was first director of public relations, marketing, and information
for the UUA before her current job.
This workshop was about welcoming new members to your congregation.
It used the Alban Institute's recommendations, which talk about
the path that customers go through when they make decisions on buying
things. It's not that different from the process that people go
through when they're choosing a church. In most communities there
are many congregations to choose from. When Weiner moved to a new
house, she received letters of welcome from some of the churches
in my area.
The Rev. Edward Frost, of the UU Congregation of Atlanta, GA, said,
"Let's proclaim the faith! Let's use all modern methods of
news, radio, and television, to evangelize, proselytize, and convert."
The challenge is to merge the behavior patterns of a market economy
with the best practices of church membership attraction.
Customer Decision-Making Path (a marketing principle, applied
to religion)
1. What is the customer looking for?
- stability
- a place that feels like home
- a place to be personally recognized and welcomed
Facts about seekers of churches - three primary reasons why people
join churches:
- 52% have moved
- 38% have experienced a life transition or crisis
- 10% have married or acquired a new partner
2. Attract the customer so he or she will sample what you have
to offer.
- How is welcome provided to the newcomer?
- Is there follow up by a lay person once someone has visited
(not the minister; it's scary)?
- Does the newcomer know how to get involved for contact?
Facts about newcomers testing relationships:
- 86% come to the church because of friends or family
- 14% come because of organized outreach (PR, ads, letters of
invitation)
- 55% are from the same denomination; 42% are from another denomination
How often does the average UU bring a friend to church? Only once
in 27 years!
3. Attract customer (visitor) loyalty so they return to your
brand (congregation).
- Does the church behave authentically? If the website promises
warm and friendly, do the coffee hour dynamics show that?
- Is the clergy the right kind of religious authority figure
(for the individual)?
- Is there a fit between the congregation's theological stance
and me? What does liberal religion mean?
- Is this a warm and welcoming place? Is this a place "where
everybody knows your name"?
What are the characteristics of church newcomers who stayed? People
who stayed made at least seven friends in the first six months in
the congregation. When people don't make those connections, they
tend to leave.
It takes time to build "brand loyalty." The Alban Institute
said in a survey that it took a long time for people to feel at
home in a congregation.
4. The decision to purchase (affiliate) often takes still more
time — and affiliation is NOT the same as joining (actually
buying).
How long did you attend before joining a church? The Alban Institute
found that:
- 26 % attended 1-3 months
- 26 % attended 3-12 months
- 12 % attended 1 year
- 18% attended more than 1 year
Some people need to be asked to join. What makes a difference in
people's decision to join a congregation?
5. Making the purchase (joining a congregation).
- How do we communicate what we expect of our members? Is there
an orientation class or a required conversation with the minister?
- How do we mark with value and importance the occasion of membership?
What kinds of rituals are there? Gifts (welcoming books, flowers,
rites of passage, etc.)
- What opportunities do we offer so that the newcomer can give
back?
6. The customer decision-making path (applied to religion).
How do we build loyalty in our congregants?
- Participation in covenant or other small groups
- Ways to become involved in programs which can bring change in
the community and connect the congregant to a mission beyond him/herself
and the church
- Offer programs that meet identified needs (Uncommon Denomination
program. A different Trinity: freedom, justice, respect.)
- Get people involved in some way — See Glide Methodist
Church in San Francisco at www.glide.org
 for a great website.
7. Speaking for our brand (becoming a UU evangelist) in the
wider world.
It's important to bring our kids into the church and to impress
upon them how important it is for them to stay in the church. Customers
become loyal because products provide the best service at the best
price, with reliability, in available locations. What can UUs learn
from these patterns?
- Provide quality services that will inspire, move people, make
them want to come back and be proud to be part of the congregation.
- Be consistent in the "messages" offered —
follow through on contact with the newcomer, focus on integrity
in programs, actions, behaviors.
- Work to bring the congregation into the life of the community
so that the spirit of UUism is made real to others beyond the
walls of the church.
- Focus on excellence — in all areas. Have good signs,
ushers at the doors, clean buildings (and bathrooms), well cared
for children's programs, and people who view what they do in church
as a ministry. People with kids can tell in 10 seconds whether
a church is friendly to children or not.
Building Strategies to Capitalize on Growth
- Develop a database of congregation information. Track members,
get information, and continue to follow up on member habits and
interests.
- Develop a "congregational service center" to help
support congregational activities, strengthen the bonds of our
members, and increase their level of commitment.
- Make sure that services to the elderly and to the young are
strong. You may want to have trained lay ministers for the elderly.
- 95% of all UUs are "societally conscious" and want
to bring about change in the world. Provide opportunities! Many
UUs listen to NPR and watch PBS; take care of that. (Comment after
the presentation, on giving to NPR: give part of it to the church,
which then will give it to NPR and get the publicity for giving
it.)
12 Characteristics of Quality Congregations (from Gus Rath)
- Don't underestimate the importance of spirituality.
- Give the "customers" what they want (respond to needs).
- Offer multiple ministries and small groups.
- Support populism (let the people control the polity).
- Expect a lot from the membership. Provide job descriptions,
offer recognition for participation, make it clear that all are
needed and all are welcomed.
- Evaluate everything. Nothing should be carved in stone. Engage
in fact-finding and fine-tuning your programs to meet needs.
- Be pastoral. Go out and care for people.
- Be a 7-day-a-week church, offer a full range of service.
- Be relevant to peoples lives.
- Provide a healing place for body and soul.
- Make customer service your priority (friendly voices on the
phone, clean restrooms, strive for excellence everywhere).
- Provide a sense of community. Offer people a place where they
can belong — multi-cells are essential.
PowerPoint presentation (requires Microsoft
PowerPoint)
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