The strategy titled "Engaging Absent Church Members" outlines a comprehensive plan to reconnect with church members who have not been attending. The first approach, "Conduct Personal Outreach," focuses on personalized contact. Volunteers will follow up with absent members using scripts and express care through letters or phone calls, offering prayers and invitations to events. For example, a volunteer might call an absentee to offer support or extend a personal invitation to a church gathering.
The second approach, "Strengthen Community Engagement," includes organizing newsletters and intimate gatherings, like small group meetings or home visits. It also suggests creating online spaces for interaction and launching community service projects that can involve both regular attendees and those absent, encouraging a sense of belonging and inclusion.
The third strategy, "Enhance Service Accessibility," seeks to make church services more accessible through live streaming, recorded sermons, and downloadable guides. By offering various service times and digital engagement options, the strategy aims to accommodate different schedules and connect members virtually, ensuring no one feels left out, regardless of physical attendance.
The strategies
⛳️ Strategy 1: Conduct personal outreach
- Compile a list of absent members from church attendance records
- Assign each member to a specific church volunteer or committee for personal follow-up
- Develop a standard script or guideline for volunteers to use during outreach
- Send personalised letters or emails to each absent member expressing care and concern
- Organise phone call check-ins with absent members to foster direct communication
- Offer to pray with them or for any specific needs they might have
- Invite them to upcoming church events or services personally
- Create a feedback form or survey to understand reasons for absence
- Schedule follow-up calls or visits as necessary to maintain connection
- Thank them for being a part of the church community regardless of current attendance
⛳️ Strategy 2: Strengthen community engagement
- Launch a newsletter highlighting upcoming events and recaps of recent activities
- Organise small group meetings or home gatherings for more intimate sharing
- Create an online community space such as a Facebook group for church members
- Host monthly dedicated prayer sessions for absent members
- Encourage members to bring a friend along to church services
- Schedule monthly family events to foster a sense of belonging
- Send birthday and anniversary cards or messages to absent members
- Set up a transportation service for those who need help attending services
- Organise community service projects and invite non-attendees to join
- Follow up with regular members to encourage them to reach out to absent friends
⛳️ Strategy 3: Enhance service accessibility
- Develop a live streaming option for church services
- Ensure recorded sermons are accessible online through a podcast or video platform
- Create a downloadable sermon note guide for those unable to attend physically
- Provide written summaries of sermons in a monthly bulletin
- Organise a virtual meet and greet for members who cannot attend physically
- Offer service times at various hours to accommodate different schedules
- Designate a welcoming committee to greet and engage new or returning members
- Develop an app or digital platform keeping members informed and connected
- Run workshops or training on how to access digital church resources
- Solicit feedback from absent members on how services can be made more accessible
Bringing accountability to your strategy
It's one thing to have a plan, it's another to stick to it. We hope that the examples above will help you get started with your own strategy, but we also know that it's easy to get lost in the day-to-day effort.
That's why we built Tability: to help you track your progress, keep your team aligned, and make sure you're always moving in the right direction.
Give it a try and see how it can help you bring accountability to your strategy.
