According to recent studies, religion appears to be dying to some degree in the U.S. Almost 25% of Americans now say that they don’t consider themselves to be religious.
But on a global level, religion is still as important to people as it’s ever been. A study done by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life found that nearly 85% of the world’s population is affiliated with a religion.
This suggests that you shouldn’t have too much trouble attracting people to your church, assuming you have the right church outreach ideas in place. You should make it your mission to use these ideas to reach out to people in your community and show them what your church is all about.
Take a look at seven church outreach ideas that are used by churches both here in the U.S. and in other parts of the world.
1. Put Together Plans for a Fun Community Festival
People in your community are always looking for fun things to do on the weekend. Why not give them something to do and help your church in the process by planning out a fun community festival for those in your city or town?
Whether you choose to hold your festival right on your church grounds or stage it at a local park, you can drum up plenty of interest in your church with it. Both those who are members of your church and those who aren’t will enjoy coming together to have fun.
Just make sure you use these online strategies to market your festival ahead of time. You should utilize everything from billboards to social media posts to let people know that your festival is taking place.
2. Host a Family Movie Night Outside Under the Stars
While a community festival can be a big boon for your church, it can also be pretty costly in most cases. From buying enough food to feed everyone to bringing in entertainment options, it’s one of the more expensive church outreach ideas.
If your church can’t afford to hold a festival yet, how about a family movie night instead? You can host a family movie night inside your church or, if the weather permits, you can set it up outside under the stars.
Family movie nights are a great way to bring people into your church without making them feel pressured to do it. You might even want to consider holding family movie nights once or twice every month to make the most of them.
3. Offer to Perform Basic DIY Projects for Seniors and Others in Need
There is a good chance that you have at least a few handy members at your church. You might even have licensed electricians, plumbers, and other tradespeople.
Why not take advantage of this by asking these people to volunteer some of their time to perform basic DIY projects for seniors and other people in your community who might need a hand?
This will show how much your church cares about the local community. It’ll also make people think twice about coming out to your church to see what it’s all about.
4. Drive Around and Pass Out Free Ice Cream to Kids and Adults Alike
Pretty much everyone likes ice cream. Studies have shown that upwards of 98% of people purchase ice cream for their household every year.
With this in mind, you might want to consider using ice cream to get people to pay attention to your church. You can touch base with a large number of people through the use of ice cream.
Rent or buy an ice cream truck and drive around in your town handing out free ice creams to anyone who wants it. Include a business card or literature about your church along with it.
If nothing else, people will start to associate your church with ice cream, which is something that they love. They’ll have a more favorable impression of your church as a result.
5. Set Up a School Supply Giveaway at the Start of the School Year
Prior to the start of the 2019-2020 school year, a study revealed that about 15 million American schoolchildren wouldn’t have new school supplies because their parents weren’t able to afford them.
This is a travesty. It’s also an opportunity for your church to step in and fill a real need. You can set up a school supply giveaway at the start of every school year and make sure kids in your community have the supplies they need.
You might even want to go the extra mile and create branded school supplies that you can pass out to parents and kids. It’ll keep your church’s name on the tips of their tongues all school year long.
6. Stage a Free Car Wash at the Beginning of the Spring
After a long winter, one of the first things many people want to do in the spring is wash their cars. Help them do it by staging a free car wash on behalf of your church.
Ask some of the teenagers in your church to volunteer their time and wash cars on a Saturday morning. While people are having their cars washed, offer them a cup of hot coffee and chat with them about your church and what it is that you do in your community.
7. Come Together on Your Church Grounds for a Community Yard Sale
Community yard sales are so much fun, but they’re also difficult to plan in many cases. It’s not easy getting a neighborhood to agree on one date to hold a yard sale!
Make it easier for those in your city or town to hold a community yard sale by offering to host it on your church grounds. People who may not have ever thought to visit your church otherwise will suddenly love the idea of visiting it after attending a yard sale there.
Start Putting These Church Outreach Ideas to Good Use
If you want your church to grow, you need to do more than hold services on Sundays and hope that people show up.
You need to put some of the church outreach ideas found here to the test and see how they can help your church. You might be surprised to see how effective they can be when it comes to helping your church grow over time.
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