neonbrand
What if your live stream isn't the "back door" that people will leave through, but the front door that people will arrive at?
One of the enduring myths about live streaming that you''ll hear from time to time is that people won't actually come to church if they can watch it online. If you read the archives at ChurchProduction.com (https://www.churchproduction.com/education/attendance-is-down.-blame-the-live-stream/), you'll see a rebuttal of that idea.
Instead of living in fear of losing people, consider the opposite--which this pandemic has so eloquently illustrated. What if your live stream isn't the "back door" that people will leave through, but the front door that people will arrive at? What if people who are "church shopping" will tend to attend online first and decide whether they should attend in person? How can you make the most of this opportunity?
Simple promotion
Let's start by taking an objective look at your live stream. Who is it designed for? If your target is shut-ins and people from your own congregation, you might unintentionally make those, who are new, feel left out. That's not to say you should exclude other audiences altogether, but that you should keep everyone in mind and make sure they feel welcomed.
Maybe it's as simple as saying, "If it's your first time here, know that we're glad to have you, whether you're worshipping in person or online." Welcoming people makes them feel like they're wanted, and that might help you keep a few more of them.
Maybe it's as simple as saying, "If it's your first time here, know that we're glad to have you, whether you're worshipping in person or online."
Also, consider that you're not only ministering to people who are "part of the family" and will "forgive our shortcomings." Make your live-stream a place where people feel like you prepared for them to come, not that they dropped by unannounced and are a burden, as a result.
Do what you can to remove distractions from your live stream, so that they're not distracted by bad sound or lighting problems.
Think of this as making sure your church is welcoming in its environment, in addition to being personally welcoming. Just as you wouldn't invite people over to your house when you knew that there was loud construction work scheduled right outside the living room window, and when all your lamps had burned-out bulbs, you should make sure the atmosphere makes seeing and hearing easy.
Make links to the live stream easy to find on your church's website so that people who happen to look when you don't have a service know where to come when you do. Also, clearly state when service is.
Remember that the more people who watch your live stream, the more people who might visit your church.
You could also put a link to join a mailing list for more information on the church and to be reminded when church is about to start online. This has the added benefit of making it possible for you to contact them from time to time with other reasons to show up in person, like community events or special services.
Another thing you could do is to advertise your church, especially to people in the local area (who aren't already members) reminding them of your live stream. Remember that the more people who watch your live stream, the more people who might visit your church.
Make sure that everywhere your live-stream is you have links to the church website and have a page where they can get directions and get basic questions answered.
Now consider doing something that some of you might think is controversial. Put advertising pixels on your church's website, especially on the page with the live stream. Why do that? They've already found your website, right?
Think of it this way, even if tens of thousands of people drive by your church building every month, you'd still want to put up a sign welcoming them.
Advertising to them is advertising to what's called "warm traffic." Secular businesses do it all the time, and with good reason.
For example, Coca-Cola ads are so common you probably don't even notice how common they are anymore. Yet, they keep advertising to you. Why? When you're thirsty, whether you get a Coke or not, they want you to have them on your mental list of possible drinks. Every time you're thirsty, they don't want you to search long and hard in the mental list of possible drinks and occasionally remember them, but to say yes or no to them each time. Likewise, when someone is looking for a church, you want your church to be on the list of possible churches.
Make it easy for them, too. One popular way to do this is with a "plan your visit" ad. Using the advertising pixel, you could make it so that people who know about your church get ads on Facebook or Google, offering to make an in-person visit as easy as possible with preferred parking and other perks.
Offer to send them links to videos answering potential questions, too. Maybe have your children's ministry show off the facility and talk about what you do to keep kids safe. Show them how short the walk is from their (preferred) parking spot to the front door. Show them how people dress, etc. Make it easy to say yes.
Repetition may be all it takes for some people to arrive when the time is right for them.
Persevere
Don't give up if they don't come the first week. Maybe they're the "Christmas/Easter only" type of person, right now. If you start advertising in May, they may not consider actually coming until November, but not actually arrive until Christmas. Repetition may be all it takes for some people to arrive when the time is right for them.
When they arrive, make sure you deliver. While you want to put on your best face for new people, make sure that it's both, really who you are and not overwhelming to people who might not be as extroverted as others are.
It can be a difficult balancing act to make sure that people feel welcomed and cared for, but not smothered and hovered over. Make sure you make every effort to not destroy the work you put in to make someone visiting an easy "yes."
Afterwards, follow up. Don't necessarily send someone to their door on a Monday night. Instead, maybe just fire off an email with a "glad to see you yesterday" message. You might find that just a casual check in makes them feel really welcomed.
It can be a difficult balancing act to make sure that people feel welcomed and cared for, but not smothered and hovered over.
If they arrive the next Sunday, don't move too quickly to bring them into the core group of your church, volunteering and giving. Maybe they'll be ready for that (some people are), but maybe a "nice to see you again" is all it takes for them to come back until they are ready.
This whole thing is a process. Identify where people first encounter your church and help them take one small step closer. Think of each encounter as a step, like dating or friendship, where you go from them not knowing about you to becoming part of the family. Sure, some people won't progress past acquaintance or will get stuck at occasional visitor, but all of them will take it at their own pace. If you do these things, loving them every step of the way, you might just find that the live stream is the biggest front door your church has ever had, welcoming people you otherwise might never have met.
