Effective PR for Church Growth
By Leah Gipson, PR Manager

“If your church were to close its doors, would anybody know?” These are the words a great man of God used to open his remarks at a conference for pastors and ministers several years ago. While his message that day was intended to inspire churches to greater levels of service to their communities, his question struck a chord with me that continues to resonate even today. Every church, outreach ministry or non-profit organization can produce a list of the great things it is doing in the community. The question you need to ask yourself is “Does anybody know?”

The essential function of a good public relations outreach plan is to inform the rest of the world about your church or organization and the good deeds you are doing. While the church and the non-profit community have always been a source of hope and much-needed assistance for those in need, it is rare that the organization’s accomplishments are communicated “beyond the walls.” Public relations can have as much impact and reach just as many people as an advertising campaign, but at a fraction of the cost. Can you afford not to put this kind of capability to work for you?

There are many ways that an effective PR outreach can benefit your organization. A well-thought-out publicity and communications plan will not only have social and spiritual impact, it can generate tangible, bottom-line, measurable results. A well-executed PR plan will:

• Create local, regional or national awareness of your church or non-profit. “I cannot connect with you if I have never heard of you.”
• Put a public face on your organization in the community and in the news media. “I must ‘get to know you’ if we’re going to have a relationship.”
• Motivate people to visit, volunteer, join or make a donation. “This church is always doing positive things. Let’s go visit next Sunday.”
• Stimulate healthy relationships with elected and appointed officials. “Let’s include that ministry in our plans during the next grant cycle.”
• Allow people to connect with you personally through hearing your story. “I didn’t know that about him. He seems like a nice guy.”
• Initiate a positive image of you that will spread by word-of-mouth. “Are you still having problems with your teen? Have you heard about the youth ministry at…?”
• Build bridges to the business community in your area. “Our foundation has been looking for some positive programs to fund next year.”
• Generate new streams of income for your organization. “I am really impressed with the work that church is doing. Let’s send them a donation.”

Don’t wait another day to find out what you can accomplish through the establishment of a public relations outreach. It could be the secret weapon you’ve been looking for!