One of the Solas team spoke at a “Meal-with-a-Message” event put on by a local church. After the meal and the talk there was a Q&A, during which a non-Christian guest asked a series of questions about faith that culminated in him signing up for the church’s Alpha course. At the end of the evening, we asked him whether he’d been brought along by a church member. “No,” he replied, “I saw an advert about tonight’s event in the local newspaper and it sounded really interesting.” He went on to say it was the first time he’d set foot in a church in decades.
It’s great to put on a Meal-with-a-Message, or some other kind of evangelistic event, or a carol service—anything where non-Christians might feel welcome—but we need to let people know it’s happening! As well as preach the Word, we also need to spread the word!
How can we do this? Here are some ideas:
- Pray! (For fruit from your event, for creative advertising ideas, for God to draw people in).
- If you can, find someone in your church with a flair for publicity and promotion. (When it comes to social media—see #4 below—young people are often especially gifted in this area, so why not get them involved?)
- Get the event into the local newspaper—many local newspapers have “What’s On” sections. (You could also offer to send a report and a photograph after the event, or ask if somebody from the newspaper would like to come to the event as a guest and report on it. Local newspapers are often eager for fresh story ideas beyond ‘Football Team Stuck up Tree’ or ‘Local Cat Loses to Neasden FC Again’).
- Publicise the event on any local social media groups. Just be sure to abide by any group rules and don’t spam people (If in doubt, ask first for advice about how to advertise your event).
- Put up posters in local shops, the community centre, the library etc.
- Hand out leaflets on the street.
- Distribute leaflets door-to-door.
- Encourage church members to invite friends. (A Solas Confident Christianity event might also help boost their confidence in asking people to events).
Pray: Father God, help us as a church not just to be creative with our outreach events, but to be creative in spreading the word about those events. Amen!
Previously: Launch Pad # 21Run a ‘Meal with a Message’ Event
Next: Launch Pad #23 Start or Join a Christian Workplace Group
