Fall may seem like a long way off, but your plans for fall are likely underway. That’s the topic for our Courageous Storytellers membership site this month—fall kickoff—so in addition to a host of resources for our members, we’re also talking to church communicators to see how they handle fall.
What’s one thing your church can improve this fall?
We asked seven church communicators how their churches can improve their fall kickoff. Here’s what they said:
Focus
Sandy Hughes, pastor of communications at Central Peninsula Church in Foster City, Calif.:
We offer way too much and do too many events! I’d love to see us narrow what we do according to our vision and core values. Part of the issue is that our vision is wide and almost anything people plan can fit into our core values.
Rebecca Llenos, communications director at First United Methodist Church Pearland in Pearland, Texas:
To stop trying to do everything for everyone and really focus on doing a few things excellent.
Discipleship
Charla Wilkerson, director of communications and administration at Fairfax Circle Church in Fairfax, Va.:
Discipleship! We have been down a staff member for a long while and will be filling the position this summer. With the extra hands on the oars, we want to improve our discipleship and leadership development, especially in our younger generations. These new leaders will be able to carry our passion for Jesus and serving into the coming years.
Groups
Kelon Moore, director of communications and technology at Concord Church in Dallas:
We are seeking to improve our groups model. We’ve studied some other churches and dug deeper into our own culture to shape something that we hope will serve us for years to come.
Year-Round On Ramp
Christy Farrell, director of communications at First Christian Church in Columbus, Ind.:
I think we tend to put all our eggs in one basket: Fall Kickoff Picnic. I would like to see an “on ramp” for small groups year-round and not just a couple times a year. I would like to see us be very intentional with guests and new members to help them understand who we are and what it means to be a part of this church body. We are actively working on some of these things, but they seem to be taking way too long to get the plan and implement it.
Volunteers
Sarah Murry, communications director at Rock Bridge Community Church in Northwest Georgia:
We need to really focus on getting more volunteer involvement in a few key areas like worship and production. We’re planning to roll out a volunteer recruitment campaign on social media over the summer specifically geared toward worship/production, and we also have a big general serving initiative scheduled for September. We’re going to format it like our small group event and this is the first year we’re trying it, so hopefully it will get some new faces on our teams as we head further into the fall.
Welcoming Guests
Molly Reichard, minister, community engagement at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Edina, Minn.:
Our visitor and newcomer experience. We have a small, dedicated team of volunteers who have been doing their best to run and keep up with this ministry. They can look forward to much more support (along with vision, process, etc.) from me in my new role. We will be working on this over the summer and we will have a much-revitalized approach by August 1.
More:
Do you need help gearing up for your fall kickoff? Check out our Courageous Storytellers resources for fall kickoff. Learn more about becoming a member of Courageous Storytellers.
