Vacation time is ending, kids are heading back to school, summer is winding down, and families are settling into fall routines. This often means people begin to reengage with church. Whether first-time guests or regular attenders, your attendance will typically see an increase as we enter the fall season.
So the question is, are you prepared for it?
Here are six questions you can ask to ensure you're ready as people come "back to church" this fall:
1. Are we fully staffed with volunteers?
As people settle back into their fall routines, Sunday attendance will begin to return to pre-summer levels and that means you’ll need to make sure your volunteer teams are fully staffed. Specifically, you should look to:
- Increase the number of volunteers in kid ministry classes to ensure you're meeting the needs of each student.
- Evaluate the number of people serving on your welcome team to ensure you can create a warm first impression.
- Make announcements through different channels (Sunday morning, email, social media) inviting people to join a team and serve.
- Use your church management software (ChMS) volunteer scheduling feature to make sure your team is where they need to be when you need them.
You can also use ChMS to help grow your teams. Communication tools and automated workflows and be used to send out targeted communication and follow up with people.
2. Have we audited our assimilation process?
Most every thriving church has developed an effective assimilation process for newcomers. This is a step-by-step process designed to take someone from a first-time guest to an engaged member.
Pastors and leaders must regularly review and refine these systems to keep them relevant and effective. Key steps include:
- Creating a welcoming atmosphere.
- Detailing the steps for people to take to get plugged in.
- Establishing follow-up processes to connect with people.
- Automate these processes to ensure the steps in the process happen.
As you begin the fall season and see an uptick in attendance, your assimilation process will be crucial in those people getting connected and plugged into the church.
3. Are our church’s security protocols up-to-date?
It's wise to review security protocols on a regular basis. To keep your congregation safe, focus on these tasks:
- Make sure all cameras and check-in kiosks are operating correctly.
- Are you adding new fall events to the church calendar? Remember to adjust your security personnel staffing accordingly.
- Update the website to let parents know how you keep kids safe during kids ministry.
- Utilize a check-in process from your ChMS.
- Outline the check-in process so parents know what to expect.
- Conduct background checks and re-checks on volunteers.
Following these (and other) tips to review security protocols will help your church provide a safe environment for everyone who attends.
4. Is our website optimized for new people?
A website's first impression is crucial for visitor engagement and retention. It's important to periodically assess the user experience for new people especially.
Essential steps include ensuring intuitive navigation, providing clear calls-to-action, offering easy-to-find help or FAQ sections, and ensuring mobile responsiveness. You may also want to include a "What to Expect" section to give people an idea of what to expect when visiting your church.
By prioritizing a user-friendly design, you can effectively guide new visitors to their desired action, ensuring a seamless and positive experience.
5. Do we have a plan to grow generosity?
After the busyness of summer, fall is a great time to talk about generosity and giving. Teaching on generosity as well as sharing the various ways to give can help people start giving or grow their giving.
You can also encourage people to utilize recurring giving as way to both help their consistency and to better help the church budget and plan.
See these Four Ways to Increase Recurring Giving to help with seeing this grow in your church.
6. Is our data clean and organized?
Maintaining clean and structured data is crucial for any church's efficiency and decision-making. Periodic audits and assessments of your database help to ensure accuracy and relevancy. This auditing process can involve:
- Removing outdated or redundant information.
- Ensuring consistent data entry protocols.
- Removing or merging duplicate information.
By keeping your data organized and pristine, you set the foundation for more informed decisions and streamlined operations.
Next Steps
Preparing for the back-to-school season can be a lot of work. But one of the ways to minimize the work is to utilize the right churchOPS tool.
By finding the right tool, you can surge into the fall season and see your church grow. Let Ministry Brands Amplify show you how. Get started by scheduling a free demo and discover how we can help your church.
