Mile Square Church is a new church plant in Hoboken, New Jersey that launched in the fall of 2019. I developed and now execute a communications strategy that includes social media, website updates, emails, texts, and physical mail.
I’ve set up and organized a shared Google Drive with documents to facilitate collaboration and internal communication.
The communication strategy I developed includes a mixture of Mailchimp emails (above) and text messages through a platform called Text in Church. With an 98% open rate texts have become central to our communications strategy. We send out one weekly email supported by multiple short, actionable texts throughout the week.
Mile Square, as a new church plant, is not financially self-sufficient yet. Below are the physical pledge card and return envelope I designed that we sent out with a newsletter to members and donors.
Face to face is still the best way to really connect with people, so we started a newcomers' Zoom on Monday nights to increase guest retention. To get on the Zoom call people text us the word “new” or fill out our connect card. They’ll be put in a group with an automated workflow until they’ve connected with Matt directly.
This is our call to action for newcomers on all our platforms - including in this pop up on our website. They may be annoying, but pop ups work! We’ve even included it in our Instagram bio and added a “text” button to our profile.
On our website you’ll see that we have two calls to action: attend our livestream and connect with us (the newcomers’ Zoom). Going to a new church can be scary, and a recent study by Barna and Stadia shows that “87% of churched participants of digital discipleship feel that digital forums for discipleship provide a safe space to speak openly.”
The call to attend our livestream gives an option to those who aren’t ready for the commitment and intimacy of a Zoom call with the pastor.
The "connect with us" button makes sure that we connect directly with those who are ready for the next step.
