Historically, the first weekend of the New Year is a great opportunity to reach out to your community with a New Year series. 2008 was no exception. All of our clients who spent the time to plan, design, and promote a new teaching series saw a significant jump in their weekend attendance compared to previous years. Interestingly, those who did not promote their first-of-the year message series had marginal results.

Easter is the next natural window for the unchurched to visit your congregation. And since Easter is early this year, March 23, churches should begin their creative planning now. Here are few tips:

• Create a 6-8 week teaching series that connects with your community’s concerns and issues.
• Promote it to your own people as a way to reach out to their network of friends and family
• Be creative. Develop a visually compelling, graphical representation of the teaching series.
• Make the invitation simple. Create business-card size invitations with message titles, a map and other pertinent information.

• Start on Easter Sunday or the following weekend. Remember, give people a reason to return
• Deliver the message you advertise! You’ll be surprised by the number of preachers who decide to preach a different message by the time the series rolls around. That will do more damage to your credibility than most any other mistake you can make.