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September 13, 2006

Insight from New Campus

We've had some great feedback about this morning's Creative Leader=20 Newsletter, so in case you missed out, here's the content from the = latest issue.=20 And if you're not signed up to receive our newsletters, you can do it here - for free!

Ed Young's Creative Leader Newsletter - September

Over the weekend we celebrated an incredible movement of God during = the Fall=20 Kickoff at our Fellowship=20 Church Miami Campus. After weeks of community outreach and = preparation, we=20 were excited to welcome over 600 people in our two Sunday services = during the=20 official grand opening weekend.

Opening this campus has really taken us back to our roots as a small = church=20 when we started in an Irving, Texas office complex with 150 people. We = began=20 with an even smaller base in Miami and have already experienced amazing = growth.=20 And though things are definitely different in a small church, the = underlying=20 approach we use for all five of our campuses remains the same. We're = employing=20 creativity and personal interaction to reach out and touch one life at a = time.=20 Here are a few highlights from our recent efforts in Florida:

We're investing in marketing. We knew that direct mail in Miami = would have=20 greater potential impact than in other regions where the church = advertising=20 market is more saturated. To coordinate with our Miami campaign of = Refuel,=20 Refresh, Redefine, we sent out a direct mail piece that visitors could = Redeem=20 at the church for a $5 gas card. When it landed in homes, we = experienced a=20 significant increase in phone calls.=20
Banners and signage outside the church are worth every penny. Many = visitors have told us that they saw our signs and logged on to our = Miami=20 campus website for more information. We made sure the front page of = that site=20 is very easy to navigate with important information prominently = displayed, and=20 also included content that would give them a taste of the Fellowship = Miami=20 experience.=20
We're also taking advantage of free marketing. Because of a press = release=20 we filed two weeks ago with national and local news agencies, the = Miami Herald=20 was on site covering our Kickoff Weekend. Read the = full article=20 (available for a limited time).
Nothing beats one-on-one dialogue. Whether we are in local stores, = restaurants or just waiting in line somewhere, we strike up = conversations with=20 the people around us. Building relationships within the community is = the most=20 successful form of outreach available. While stopping at a coffee = shop, one of=20 our staff members started chatting with an employee there and ended up = handing=20 her an invite card. That weekend, not only did she visit for the first = time,=20 but she brought her entire family along.=20
We work the phones. This is something we've been doing since day = one of=20 Fellowship Church. Our staff personally calls each first time visitor. = And=20 we're making a special effort to call in the evenings so we can = actually talk=20 to the visitors, answer questions and invite them back.=20
We've used the questions people ask us to guide our marketing. We = noticed=20 that many of the people we talked to in Miami asked us, "What kind of = church=20 is it?" So in our promotional materials and signage for this campus = we've=20 added the fact that we are a Christian church.=20
We're making the best of the space we've got. We know that our = overall=20 vision for this environment will take time to achieve. But we are = taking=20 immediate, easy steps (and lots of volunteer elbow grease) to upgrade = the=20 campus by planting additional landscaping and applying fresh paint. = Instead of=20 traditional white-skirted tables, we've brought in some more modern = wood=20 tables for hospitality areas. We're adding music, Cuban coffee and = local=20 pastries to create a welcoming atmosphere. And we're fanatical about = keeping=20 the facility sparkling clean!=20
Friendliness is irreplaceable. A positive attitude and huge smile = are=20 tremendous assets in attracting people to any church. We have a team = of=20 floaters (greeters) who circulate throughout the entrance and areas = outside=20 the worship center, so visitors usually are engaged in several = conversations=20 before they sit down. The parking lot entrance is flanked by greeters = who wave=20 at passing traffic and incoming cars. In fact, we just talked to some = visitors=20 recently who said they turned around and came back because we waved at = them!=20

I'm so excited by what's going on at the Miami campus and the = opportunities=20 there to see lives changed. We'll continue to keep you updated on what = God's=20 doing through this effort, so stop back here regularly for upcoming = articles.=20 And check our Assmilation=20 Kit or Leadership Uncensored resources for more information on assimilation = and satellite campus = growth.=20 We know God is doing great things at your churches as well, so be sure = to share=20 your stories with us!

Posted by Lori Bailey at 06:57 PM in Church = leadership=20 | Permalink=20

Comments

Lori, as I posted earlier, this is great content ... I appreciate how = you all=20 have continually set the bar of innovation for the evangelical church in = America. :-)

I think this has a lot of "crossover" for established churches who = are still=20 seeking to make an impact in their communities through effective = marketing=20 techniques.

Posted by: Cory Miller | Sep 13, 2006 10:19:03 = PM

About

Who We = Are

CreativePastors is=20 where you'll find Ed Young resources. Ed is the = founding and=20 senior pastor of Fellowship Church, with four locations in the Dallas = area.=20

Doing church should be an adventure=E2=80=94tossing aside the = tame and tired=20 to pursue God-sized dreams with boldness and creativity. We want to = supply you=20 with the best of what we=E2=80=99ve learned and created in our 16 = years of ministry.=20 Think of us as part of your creative team.

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September 13, 2006

Insight from New Campus

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