#7 - Put up a Billboard

First Congregational Church UCC, Stoughton, bought a billboard ad. Moderator Paul Christensen says: “Because our church facility is a little off the beaten path (i.e. not near the town center and a block back from the main highway) I have always had it in my mind that one way to increase visibility and let people know that we were there was a roadside billboard. Until the StillSpeaking campaign started I didn't think that there would be support for such an idea.”

Paul shares these learnings about the process:

• The initial step was to decide which  billboard had the best location and then who owned it. Generally the company name is along the top of the board and the numbers that specify a particular board are in the lower right corner. On some of the company web sites there will be a map that locates the boards in the various towns and give “views per day” statistics.
• When looking to rent a board it’s good to start discussions with the company about 6 months in advance so they can give you prices and procedures and “pencil you in.” Prices will vary depending on the location. The Stoughton church chose a ClearChannel board on Rte. 138 that cost around $1500 a month plus $375 for creating the artwork.·
• The billboard companies will send you the specs on what type of art will work. JPGs and GIFs won't work since the boards are 12-foot x 25-foot and the resolution is not high enough. Paul took a picture with a 3.2 Megapixel digital camera and submitted the TIF file to the company.
• Paul made an announcement during Sunday worship that he wanted to get a picture of the church family and explained what it was for. Paul submitted the photo and text to ClearChannel and the final product was emailed back to him for final approval.
• Paul said one problem cropped up: the lights on the board were not working for a while and that meant that the majority of “views,” during the evening commute, did not happen. Eventually the lights were fixed and the church was given some “make up time” to compensate for when the board was dark.

• Moderator Hal Cutler visited the Metrowest Daily News web site and determined how many towns were covered by the edition of the paper that covered Sudbury. He contacted an ad rep, and they settled on a plan to run three weekday or Saturday ads for $1,100 plus, if funds were available, one Sunday ad for $1,300.
• Hal prepared a sample ad based on the Still Speaking materials and, using contact information provided by the Conference, contacted the 12 UCC churches that were in the same circulation area and invited their participation in the ad. His church requested $100 per church for the weekday ad, plus $100 to $150 per church for the Sunday ad. Due to donations from his own congregation, the Sudbury church was able to offer to list other churches whether or not they could contribute. 11 of the 12 churches agreed to participate, contributing an average of $240 each for the ad.
• On December 16, 17 and 18, the ad ran with the “We Don’t Sing Come Some of Ye Faithful” message; on December 19, the ad ran with the “Don’t place a period where God has placed a comma” message. Both ads listed the names, addresses and telephone numbers of the 11 churches, and said “Join us for worship and fellowship at one of these local United Church of Christ churches:”

Other print advertising efforts

• Townsend Congregational Church, UCC placed an ad in “The Coffee News.” This is a weekly free handout distributed at coffee shops and the like. It was $50.00 for an insertion.
• Mattapoisett Congregational Church UCC put a print ad in the  local bargain buster (at $21 per week) all fall, and continued into winter. One person said the ad, which talks about the "God who Loves" and has contact info and the Still Speaking logo, brought her in at Christmas Eve.
• First Congregational Church Brimfield joined with First Church of Monson, UCC, to run a 4"x6" color ad in “The Shopping Guide,” a free weekly mailed to every home in each of the towns. The churches ran the “We Don’t Sing Come Some of Ye Faithful” ad, with information about worship times added. The total cost was around $250.

Members of the United Parish of Lunenburg found that it created quite a buzz in the community when they posted approximately 2 dozen lawn signs around town with the God Is Still Speaking logo and their church’s name and address.

Signs can be ordered from United Church Resources (6 for $80), 800-537-3394.

#4 - Run radio ads

Do you have National Public Radio listeners in your congregation? Ask them to pool their NPR contributions into a sponsorship from your church.

The Radio ads can be downloaded from stillspeaking.com or you can receive a free CD with the ads by contacting Tiffany Vail. They are also available as part  of the Graphics Identity Toolkit (Version 3.0, released August, 2005)available for $50 from United Church Resources.

#3 - Hang a banner

More than 100 Conference churches have hung God is Still Speaking banners - how many have you seen around?

Generic and customized banners are now available in sizes ranging from 2' x 4' to 6' x 12'. Slogans include "God is still speaking," "Our faith is over 2000 years old but our thinking is not" and "Never place a period where God has placed a comma."

For pricing and to order, contact 877-437-2212 or visit stillspeaking.com.

#2 - Place the 'bouncer' ad on your local cable station

Pleasant Street Congregational Church UCC in Arlington was one of several churches that discovered their local cable stations would air the ad for free or for a very reasonable fee. If your church's worship services are broadcast on cable, you could append the ad to the beginning or the end of your service. For a free copy of the ads on DVD, contact Tiffany Vail.

You can also order a customized version of the ad, with your church's information recorded at the end. Do so by downloading this customization order form. ( PDF file)

#1 - PERSONALLY INVITE SOMEONE TO WORSHIP!

Studies have shown that the vast majority of people who come to a church for the first time come because they were invited.

To make sure they return, your church should have a method of following up with visitors. Be sure they sign in using a guest book or pew pad ( PDF file). Then, have someone from the church follow-up with a very brief, unannounced visit to the person's home. Bring a loaf of freshly baked bread or a coffee mug filled with goodies, accompanied by information about your church. Thank the person for worshipping with you and watch them come back the following Sunday!

A United Methodist Church study showed that if a church newcomer receives such a visit by lay people within 36 hours of their attending church, there is an 85% chance that they will return again (cut that number in half if a clergy person makes the visit!).