Planning Church Events With High Attendance
Planning church events with high attendance. If you are a pastor or church leader, planning church events is part of your job. Fellowship events. Mission events. Seasonal events. And more. Here’s how to maximize attendance when you do.
Planning church events with high attendance. There is a secret ingredient in planning church events that fuels high attendance.
It lurks beneath your congregational landscape like a giant underground spring. An awaiting gold mine. Gushing oil field. But just like other speculative ventures, you must prospect for it.
And you can’t always know for sure when you will hit pay dirt. You observe. Evaluate the landscape. Look for signs. Make educated guesses. Then pick a spot and dig. Sometimes it’s a dry well. But you might hit a gusher.
And what is the secret ingredient in planning church events that I’m talking about?
Felt needs.
Felt needs are generally represented in areas like career, relationships, health, kids, and finances to name a few. Church events planned around these areas often attract interest. For example, every church study I’ve ever planned on the topic of relationships has drawn a crowd. Especially among single adults.
So let’s get psychoanalytical for a moment.
Planning church events with high attendance. Felt needs are often what people think they need, not what they really need.
Of course you know that. So do advertisers and marketers. And they exploit it by convincing you that you absolutely do need something… the product/service they’re selling.
Think Beanie Babies, Energy drinks, Pet Rocks, Low Carb Diet, and the Hula Hoop.
Advertisers sold consumers on the idea their lives would improve with these products. People bought it…literally. And pay attention to how advertisers elicit emotion in their ads. Why?
Because when emotions are ramped up, rational decision-making shuts down. People buy on impulse because it feels right and good. Not because it is right or good.
How many times have you bought something and later asked yourself: What was I thinking? And the answer is, you weren’t. You acted on impulse.
Tap into the most popular felt need to attract a crowd.
And the winner is self-improvement.
It affects every area of our lives and drives how we spend our time and money. Because it’s important to have the right…
- Car
- Clothes
- Hairstyle
- Cell phone
- Breath
It motivates people that sign-up for church programs and events too. Yes, I know. They should sign-up because they want to engage spiritually, but that’s not always the reality.
Often it’s because they expect or hope to get something from the event. So when planning church events, focus your marketing message on benefits. Because you need to convince the reader it will add something positive to their life.
But wait, you say. What about when people serve from altruistic motives?
Those who truly follow Jesus will serve sacrificially in his name. But for some, it’s about giving back to feel good about themselves rather than a genuine love for Christ.
Of course, felt needs can be exactly what they appear on the surface. The person buying exercise equipment simply wants to promote better health. At the same time, felt needs can be symptoms of a deeper problem.
Someone registering for an exercise class struggles with gluttony. And the gluttony is due to anxiety… caused by stress… related to problems at work. I know, don’t over analyze everything. But keep in mind that people are complex and felt needs can be the symptom you see on the surface while the real issue is buried under layers you have to peel away.
So the next time you’re planning a church event, ask yourself what felt need it addresses and form your promotional message around it. If attendance skyrockets, it’s likely you hit the mother lode.
Want to know more about planning church events that are successful? Check out my book: Elements of Internal Church Marketing.
Chip Tudor is an author, blogger and professional writer. He publishes books, humorous Christian drama, and thought provoking blogs from a Christian worldview. This blog is originally published here.
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