The purpose of church outreach is to step out into the community around you and draw people into faith and fellowship. Outreach events help you build relationships with those who might not normally come to your church or who are new to the area in less intimidating ways than attending Sunday services.

Outreach in itself can be challenging under normal circumstances simply because you’re asking your congregation to step outside of their comfort zones and connect with strangers in meaningful ways. Continuing to develop and maintain effective outreach programs can be even more difficult if you need all hands on deck for every event.

So how do you ensure that your outreach efforts are making an impact and truly providing opportunities for connection?

Step 1: Narrow Down Your Target Audience

Having exciting and well-attended events isn’t always a good thing if they’re all massive and people get lost in the shuffle. If large numbers of people spend significant amounts of time on your campus but never have meaningful conversations with anyone, you’ve missed the mark.

It’s okay to have 1-2 events a year intended for the whole community, but most of your efforts should be focused on smaller groups. Whole-church events can be good for introducing people to your ministry and can be an effective stepping stone to inviting them to more targeted events designed to provide better opportunities for connection. 

However, events for all age ranges and large audiences can be overwhelming for people looking for connection and have decreased chances of having meaningful encounters that lead to faith conversations.

Every event isn’t for everybody, nor should it be! You have to narrow down your target audience for each of your outreach events to maximize your efforts and build significant relationships with the people in your community. 

For example, if your goal is to reach young families, hold an event with activities specifically for little kids and fill your volunteer roster for that event with people in the same stage of life. Hosting a massive fall festival with giant inflatables may be fantastic for older elementary or even middle schoolers but may not be the best way to draw in families with preschoolers and early elementary-age kids. 

Identify which group (e.g. families, senior adults, teens, young adults, college students, etc.) you want to reach with a specific event and then tailor that event to your target audience. 

If you are unsure which groups you should focus on, you can use a tool like MissionInsite to see the demographics of your community. Knowing how the population breaks down in your area can help you determine where best to spend your time and resources and plan effective outreach events.

Step 2: Build the Event Around Your Target Audience

As you plan your event, make sure you keep your target audience at the front of your mind. Make sure that the activities and other elements are age-appropriate and enticing for the people you’re specifically trying to connect with. 

A silent disco might work very well for teens or young adults but likely won’t bring in the same crowd if you promote it to senior adults. 

Find things that resonate with your target audience and that they would be excited to participate in and go from there. 

Building your event around your target audience eliminates some of the challenges of planning an event simply because you don’t have to try to find something for everyone. For example, you don’t have to make sure you have preschool-friendly games for an event for college students or find things to interest adults at an event for teenagers. 

Attending something fun and having a great time is wonderful and should be part of your goal for each event. But your ultimate goal should be to create an atmosphere that points attendees to Jesus, so make sure you’re planning for ways to build genuine connections and to show the love of Christ even if it isn’t a Gospel-presenting event. 

You want attendees to enjoy their time with your church but also to find a life-changing connection with their Creator in the process. Find ways to incorporate your faith into your events that won’t distract from the activity or be too overwhelming for people who haven’t already been exposed to the Gospel. 

Step 3: Have a Follow-Up Plan Tailored to Your Audience

Building relationships and introducing people to Jesus can take time and often requires more than one interaction.

As a general rule, you should promote your next event at your current one. This is even more important when you’re attempting to build relationships and genuine connections with a specific group of people. 

Part of your planning process for a targeted event should include a plan to follow up with the attendees. Even if you won’t have another event for that audience on the calendar by the time your event rolls around, have something else in mind that you can invite them to attend in the future. 

The best way to get your event attendees to return is to personally invite them to attend something else going on at your church. Whether you invite them to another event geared toward their stage of life or just to attend your regular services the next Sunday, include that invitation in your follow-up plans.

Collect contact information from attendees either through signups beforehand or by checking in at the door whenever possible so you can connect with people after your event. 

And make sure you use any contact information you gather! If someone has taken the time to provide you with a way to get in touch with them, take advantage of that information to continue your outreach efforts once they leave your campus. 

Following up with people can be tedious and time-consuming, but your outreach efforts are only as effective as your ability to build real connections with people and that typically requires more than one conversation. So take the time to keep the conversation going!

Conclusion

Church outreach events can be challenging, but they don’t have to be. Taking the time to establish a target audience, tailor an event to that audience, and develop a plan for effective follow-up can be the difference between outreach being a pain or becoming a natural extension of your church’s ministry efforts. 

As with everything your church does, your end goal is to introduce people to Jesus and see them come to saving faith in Him. Maximize your efforts when it comes to outreach events so you can build genuine relationships with the people in your community and bring them into fellowship with the Body of Christ. You’ll never regret spending time sharing your faith with others!

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