“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” Great reminder for the church planter or leader who is trying to get momentum behind the effort to reach their community for Christ. Our failure is often a failure of ideas & imagination when it comes to outreach, so I’m sharing some practical ways that I’ve seen work in Louisiana in hopes that your church will increase the number of seeds that it scatters across your community.

The first 5 I shared last week HERE.

1. Invite Cards
2. Direct Mail
3. Facebook Page
4. Facebook Ads
5. School Newsletters. 

Here’s 5 More:

6. Radio Spots – Average commute times in Louisiana are from 15 to 40 minutes. For most of those, the radio will be on for at least some of that time. Many radio stations offer some type of free bulletin board for community events, so if you doing something worth inviting the community to, give them a call. And radio ads can be surprisingly affordable with local stations. It’s a great way to support the local Christian radio station, but don’t just do Christian radio. On second thought, send a check to Christian radio & run your ads on the local secular stations.

7. Door Hangers – Door to door is still a great way to spread info & plant seeds. And studies in Louisiana have shown that a majority of people are open to door to door visits from churches. We’ve found a printer in our area that will print ready to hang door hangers for us. We’ve also ordered clear bags to put info in for hanging on doors, which makes them a little more weather proof. Works best for the time commitment in densely populated areas. Rules of thumb: Beware of dogs. Don’t be a jerk & ignore posted subdivision loitering rules. Expect at least one call from somebody that says, “HEY, DON’T EVER COME ON MY PROPERTY AGAIN OR I’LL @&%$#?…” Shake your head & move on. There’s always one.

8. T-shirts – Well-designed, eye-catching T-shirts can create more conversation than most other forms of advertising. Nothing else I can do in outreach gets more people to come up to me & say “Do you go to that church?” – “Is that church around here?” – “That looks like an interesting church” – “Where is your church?” Make T-shirts that people will want to wear & give them away if you can. And don’t forget to train people on what to say WHEN, not if, they are ask about your church when wearing a T-shirt.

9. Service Projects – Finding a need & meeting it has ripple effect potential for your ministry. You find someone that needs help & serve them, that’s a great kingdom contact in & of itself. And a kingdom win, is a win period. You also have to get others involved in using their gifts & abilities for ministry which helps them grow their kingdom eyes. Our church has used Wheelchair ramp building in this way. When you get a good service project you can also increase the ripple by inviting the community to join in. We’ve even ran radio spots (see above) about upcoming projects inviting others to contribute & participate. Continue the ripple by posting pics on Facebook, sharing the story with a follow-up video, etc.

10. Block Parties – A great way to gather people, cultivate relationships, plant seeds, & share the gospel is to throw a party. Mix free food, loud music, & an inflatable or two & you can be about meeting new people in almost any neighborhood in Louisiana. Another popular variation of an outreach friendly Block Party would be an Outdoor Movie Night in a city park, subdivision common space, or backyard. Also, you can use holiday’s, big national sporting events, & birthday parties to throw a party, invite everyone you know, & find ways to cultivate relationships & move them closer to experiencing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Check out this post on Why Block Parties & the How to Manual for Block Parties that our church put together.

What are other ways that you’ve cultivated relationships & planted seeds in your community?