This past Sunday we had our monthly event called Taste of Big Creek. Taste of Big Creek (TOBC) is a luncheon that we have every second of the month (May was an exception because of Mother's Day). During this time, guests who have been attending Big Creek can learn and investigate our church. The pastors and the staff of Big Creek are there to showcase their ministry scope and to answer questions.

Our Connecting Ministry Team owns this event and they have done an excellent job of putting together a process of invitation, implementation and follow-up.

Here are a couple of bullet points that give you an overview of the ways we communicate to our guests leading up to the TOBC event:

• EVERY week, we strategically showcase TOBC during the worship services/bulletin reminders
• 2 weeks out from the event invitation postcards go out (we send invitations to those who visited in the last 90 days and who haven't been to a TOBC)
• 1 week out email reminder/invitation via Google calendar
• 5 days out we make calls to those we haven't heard from and extend a personal invitation.
  

Since there is food preparation and childcare provided, we try to get an clear indication of who is going to attend. Even though we are intentional, we nevertheless anticipate a percentage of walk-ins that Sunday morning.

Here is an overview of our assimilation process and how the TOBC fits in. It is a great doorway for a guest who has typically visited about 3 times (although some people will walk in during their first visit). Our desired measurable outcomes from this event are to see people move toward membership (which we call Inquirers) and/or connect in a small group and/or find an opportunity to serve and get involved at Big Creek.
Here is the brochure that we give to our guests at TOBC. They rip off the panel to communicate with us ministry areas and opportunities that they would like us to follow-up and on the other side of the panel it gives us a way to receive feedback and evaluation. The rest of the brochure, which they keep, has contact information and important dates related to our desired outcomes.



This event overall has been a big win for us. We are constantly trying to improve and refine it, but it is a significant piece of our assimilation process. How do you help your guests to connect? Please share your ideas and what you do in the comments section.

Labels: Assimilation, Guests, Process

This entry was posted by Bill Reichart, on Monday, May 5, 2008. You can leave your response.