First Impressions

Our local community is aware of our congregation’s ministry through our publicity efforts including direct mail, invitation evangelism, door-to–door calling and Internet presence.

Our church sign is visible, easy-to-read, informative and inviting.

Our church building and grounds are attractive and well-maintained.

Our parking lot is well marked with directional signs and has spaces for guests close to the main entrance.

We help guests feel welcome as soon as they enter the parking lot.

Members are regularly encouraged to invite their unchurched friends, relatives and neighbors to congregational events with them through friendship Sundays and other congregationally-sponsored outreach events.

Narthex Neighborliness

The main entrance of our congregation’s building is bright and welcoming, with signs and maps posted internally and externally.

Our church building is accessible to guests and members who are physically challenged.

Greeters and ushers offer a special welcome and conversation with guests.

Members with a gift of hospitality are available to serve as "narthex neighbors," adopting guests during their visit with our congregation

A lay-staffed information table provides up-to-date information on our congregation and its ministries.

Guests and members are encouraged to wear name-tags.

Our nursery is clean, well-staffed, and adequately equipped to provide high-quality infant and toddler care.

We welcome guests in a general, non-obtrusive way in worship.

Children and youth are included fully in the content and leadership of our worship services.

Our worship bulletin is clear, well-presented and printed in everyday language.

We use an effective system for gleaning the names and addresses of guests for follow-up.

Our worship leaders verbally guide worshipers through the parts of the service.

We choose music and hymns which are easy to sing and create community between worshipers.

We offer two different styles of worship services focused on the cross-cultural musical preferences of different generations and ethnic communities being reached.

At communion, guests are informed about the logistics of distribution.

Following Worship

Printed and/or video resources are available for guests explaining Lutheran beliefs and our congregations’ ministry.

We host a refreshment and conversation time following worship to which guests are invited.

Lay members of our congregation call on worship guests by phone or in-person within 48 hours of their visit.

Our congregational thanks guests for participating though print or electronic communication.

Discipleship & Incorporation Evangelism

This area of evangelism ministry is concerned with all that a congregation does to incorporate, involve and strengthen the faith of members.   It focuses on nurturing new members in their faith development and incorporating them into the life of the congregation.  It also focuses on deepening the faith-life and discipleship of every present member of your congregation.  The central concern is the formation of disciples who are rooted and grounded in the Christian faith through Christian education, stewardship and serving ministries.

Use the following code to fill out the survey:
We could do this, We could do this better!, and We already do this well.

Disciple-making Ministries

Our new member classes or catechumenal program orient potential members to the theology and practices of the Lutheran Church and to the ministry of our congregation.

Sponsors help members new to the Christian faith or the congregation to become a part of the body of Christ

Spiritual gifts assessment is an important part of our new member orientation process and is used in the deployment of volunteers within the life of the faith community.

A Warm and genuine reception starts our new members down the path of meaningful membership and ministry.

Prayer ministries are a central component of our disciple-making process.

Members are encouraged to be involved in small groups, gender-specific groups, mentoring ministries and Bible study groups for faith growth.

Adult education is a high priority for the membership of our congregation.

Youth are effectively discipled through a well-planned and implemented age-specific ministry which includes, but is not limited to, an effective confirmation ministry program.

Children are taught the basics of faith in relational ministries hosted throughout the week involving the arts, active experiences, small groups, and electronic media.

All members are encouraged to share generously in response to God through financial offerings, serving ministries and acts of justice and caring in God’s world.

Members are encouraged to see their daily lives as the primary place where faith is lived.

Members and guests are equipped to share their faith in their daily life.

Our congregation’s athletic teams, seniors group, and special education programs attract others to the congregation.

Through inter-generational events, picnics, dinners, music programs, and special events, our congregation incorporates local residents in the life of the faith community.

Caring Ministries

Our lay-led telephone-care ministry reaches out to all members on a regular basis including: new members, active and non-participating members.

Our shepherding ministry allows us to stay in close touch with every household in our church.

Our Stephen Ministers or congregational care ministers provide special support to members experiencing life transition.

The support group ministry of our congregation is an influential presence to people in our local neighborhoods and community.

Deployed ministry teams serve in a number of ways in the name of Christ with local people in need.

Our service and advocacy ministries are a vital way of sharing the Christian faith with others and deepening the faith life of believers.

Intentional Community Outreach

This area of evangelism focuses on all that a congregation does to reach out, support and serve its neighbors in the name of Jesus Christ.   Intentional community outreach focuses on helping members to "go and tell" others about the power of the gospel to change their lives.  It concerns all the ministries of a congregation that help members reach out in word and deed to share their faith and model Christ's love for others through ministries of kindness, support and justice.

The purpose of intentional community outreach is to reach those who do not yet have a relationship with Jesus Christ and the Christian community.  The central arenas of intentional community outreach include these kinds of ministries: faith-sharing of members, new neighbor outreach; calling; social; children; family; age-specific and culture-specific initiatives.

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We could do this, We could do this better!, and We already do this well.

Faith Sharing & Neighborhood Calling

We support members with invitational evangelism efforts by hosting seasonal emphasis and quarterly invite-a-friend Sundays and/or events.

We provide members with several opportunities a year to learn faith-sharing skills through adult forums, new member groups, youth groups and Christian education for children.

Monthly lay faith sharing stories in worship have become an important part of our effort to help our members feel comfortable talking to others about their faith.

We provide "new neighbor packets" to help encourage members to invite their newly moved neighbors to church.

We have studied the demographics of the neighborhood around our church and have planned for ways to meaningfully connect with our neighbors.

Each year, we do a canvass of our community meeting our neighbors, distributing brochures, and inviting people to worship and other special events.

Our youth group does an annual scavenger hunt in our community, distributing brochures, and collecting food for a local pantry and inviting residents to church.

Children, Family, Social & Culture-Specific Ministries

We value the nurturing of younger generations through our pre-school, after-school, Christian day school, vacation, summer day camp, parents night out and day care ministries.

Our congregation added a worship service to our weekly schedule which is focused specifically on the music and language of a particular population of local residents who are not attending our other worship service/s.

We provide specialized ministry to a particular group with special needs in our community.

Our support groups give community residents a place to receive help and hope in the name of Christ.

Our congregation has a reputation in the local community as a reaching and serving church because of our involvement with local events, organizations and social service agencies.

We are visible in the community on issues of public policy and human need.

A number of our congregations' activities take place in public spaces, like restaurants or schools.

Our congregation sponsors community- focused events like Christian parenting classes, prayer and healing ministries, youth ministry, job training, literacy, or "English as a second language" classes.

Local groups meet regularly in our church building.

Communication & Public Relations

This area of evangelism focuses on everything a congregation does to share the good news of the Gospel publicly in its community with neighbors and congregational members.  Issues of concern in this area of evangelism include: publicity and advertising (newspaper, radio, TV, billboards, direct mail, Internet, and telephone); internal communication means (newsletters, bulletins, information centers, e-mail, and video projection in worship) and visitation tools (brochures, new neighbor packets, guest response letters).

Use the following code to fill out the survey:
We could do this, We could do this better!, and We already do this well.

Our congregations' mission statement is clearly identified on all printed and electronic communication shared with members and with the community.

Our congregation has a simple, distinctive logo that appears on all letterhead, bulletins, newsletters, brochures and advertising.

Our attractive single-sheet brochure introduces our congregation and its ministries to persons outside the church.

Our brochure is distributed to first-time guests in a packet, to new residents, and by direct mail or door-to-door canvassing in our local community.

We advertise the ministries of the congregation through: banners, brochures, bumper-stickers, lawn signs, window decals, calling cards, community newsletters, and door-hangers.

We have a large, easy-to-read, well-lighted (and strategically positioned) sign identifying our church building.

Our church newsletter focuses on current events and future opportunities, rather than reporting on what has already taken place.

Our worship space is equipped with a top-quality sound and visual projection system.

We are comfortable using modern media to communicate the gospel in our worship services.

We have an answering machine or voice- mail system that answers the phone after hours.

Our telephone directory listings in the white- and yellow-pages are helpful and informative for newcomers.

We often send brief, well-written news releases to local newspapers.

We use printed ads and other invitational print media to attract unchurched people to our congregation, especially around Christmas and Easter.

We use local public media, like the radio, TV/cable, telephone calling campaigns, press releases, billboards and a web-page on the Internet as tools for evangelism ministry.

Our congregation has established a "homepage" on the World Wide Web, has means of receiving feedback from Web users, and regularly updates the page with current information.

  
 
Writer: Marta Poling-Goldenne. Produced by the Division for Congregational Ministries.