Blog
Expiry Date
Written by Nakules Veran Thursday, 24 November 2011 20:00
We live in an environment where nearly everything has an expiration date. Our driver’s license, our credit cards, our AAA membership and most food items have a date that warrants our action or reaction.
Unlike our food items, the rest mentioned here enables the issuers to reconnect and in some instance, validate the client’s information. This enables the organization concerned to provide adequate and relevant services to the client based on the changes.
Just like any of these organizations, churches have to react in a similar manner to ensure that its members’ information and desired needs are valid and current.
It has been reported that most members tend to leave at about 18 months into their participation with the church. The reason for this trend varies and is greatly dependent on how deeply related they are with the membership. This simply implies that every visitor or pre-member that walks into the church has an expiration date.
Do you have a plan to keep your members?
What’s Your Warning Light?
Written by Nakules Veran Thursday, 17 November 2011 20:00
Having been an avid collector of classic cars, I have had my share of surprises. While every conceivable effort had been taken to ensure that the car was well maintained, it was only a matter of time when something gave way. There have been instances when your only clue that something’s amiss is when you see steam gushing out from under your hood.
These cars were not equipped with any early warning systems and a lot of pre-emptive maintenance had to be undertaken. It’s easier when you only have to deal with one car but a lot more challenging when there are a few. And, one size does not fit all.
Running programs and ministries in church is akin to maintaining classic cars. Pre-emptive “maintenance” is essential and timely intervention is necessary. You will need to react when “cracks” or “misalignment” start to show and ensure that the programs and ministries are near optimal levels. You certainly don’t want to wait till “steam” appears.
Do you have a program health assessment in place?
Now It's Home!
Written by Nakules Veran Tuesday, 15 November 2011 12:03
Every Sunday, there’s a visitor walking into a church. Hopefully it’s yours.
Each church treats its visitors differently and for varied reasons. What is important however is trying to identify visitors and ensuring follow-up occurs. And in some instances, contact actually materializes within that 48 hour window. In most other cases it’s hopeful.
The visitors tend to believe that it’s “Open House” and want to see if the “accommodation” is suitable for their needs. And like any other prospective “buyer”, they are going to evaluate based on their “prerequisites” and try to absorb as much of what happens on that Sunday.
Studies have shown that it warrants at least four visits before a visitor calls the church “Home”. The challenge is that after the first visit, the usual “is this your first time here?” does not apply and you are not able to identify the visitor. And if you’re a larger church, then the task has just become more daunting as visitors often prefer anonymity.
Under these circumstances, how would you guide a prospective “buyer” and ensure that he/she comes back for another visit?
Do you have a visitor interaction plan?
How Many Does It Take To Change A Light Bulb?
Written by Nakules Veran Thursday, 10 November 2011 20:00
I’m sure you have heard of this ethnic joke about the number of persons required to change a light bulb. In case you have not heard the joke, the answer is ten; nine to hold the ladder and one to change the bulb. And like every joke, it’s at the expense of another.
But if you removed the daftness out of the equation and considered the support system that’s at work here, you might appreciate that so many are willing to contribute towards the success of one.
The reason for the reference is that a growing church requires many support systems in place and as many leaders. It has been noted that a church would need to have a staff or a volunteer leader for every ten members in the church. And as the church grows, the need for identifying and training leaders becomes more imperative to adequately care and retain its members.
Do you have a leadership succession plan in place?
A Timely Touch
Written by Nakules Veran Thursday, 03 November 2011 20:00
One of the constant complaints we hear from members past is that they were not adequately attended to. The usual welcome and attention quickly dissipates as newer members are received. They are then relinquished to finding their place in ministry or group and encouraged to be a contributing member of the church.
Most churches and leadership tend to have a focused approach towards growth and this is often reflected in their evangelistic endeavors. Members are encouraged to invite their friends and peer to different events and consequently impact their growth strategy.
As the church adds new members, keeping track and meeting their needs becomes a challenging if not daunting task. This is further exacerbated when timely intervention is not available during their times of need.
Research indicates that a member needs a minimum of four “touches” or intervention in a year to continue being connected to a membership. The challenge however, is knowing when to “touch” a member.
Do you have a plan in place for a timely touch?
A True Measure
Written by Nakules Veran Thursday, 27 October 2011 20:00
A recent study concluded that clients who purchased a small amount weekly were more valuable than one who came in monthly and purchased four times that amount. The clients who patronized weekly had established a habit or pattern and were more inclined to maintain this habit thus forming a loyalty to the establishment.
The clients who patronized once a month did so at their convenience and would easily and conveniently procure the same else where if the opportunity arose. The study further concluded that the lifetime value of the weekly client was significantly greater.
Conventional wisdom dictates that the monthly member contributes a greater amount for a lesser consumption of your time and should be preferred. Unfortunately, very little effort or measurement have been applied to quantify true value over the course of the member’s participation in the church.
Investing time on your loyal weekly members has a greater return on investment.
Do you have a plan in place to generate member loyalty?
Relationship is the Glue
Written by Nakules Veran Thursday, 20 October 2011 20:00
New York is the most populous city in the US and yet one of the loneliest cities. It is the common belief that New York is an isolating, coldhearted sort of place. Mark Twain called it “a splendid desert—a domed and steepled solitude, where the stranger is lonely in the midst of a million of his race.”
It is not unusual to see a huge surge in crowds at different intervals and at choice locations. But conversations are relinquished to but a few. It’s so easy to be lost in this milieu of bodies and not have a person to talk to.
As churches grow, the milieu of bodies become a familiar sight and much like the subways of New York, there’s a constant change of “clients” as they fill the seats that were recently vacated. Conversations much like relationships need to be intentional and opportunities for such have to be thought out. Relationship is what will keep your members and have them coming back.
“Relationship is the glue that holds a church together.” Rick Warren
Do you have a plan to foster relationships?
What's your Church Culture?
Written by Dan Leppo Thursday, 13 October 2011 20:00
In its most basic form, every Christ-following church should be devoted to worshipping, knowing, and serving the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. However, one of the awesome gifts God has given His church is the free will to ‘customize’ the approach towards accomplishing these core tasks. Undoubtedly, you, as a pastor, felt God’s calling to lead a church, and a major part of that calling was imparting your gifts in building the church. With the assistance of the Holy Spirit, you are charged with developing a culture for that church. What should that culture look like?
First, you should be considering the strategy of how you’re going to reach out to your membership and your surrounding community. When given the charge to prepare for the seven years of abundance and seven subsequent years of famine by Pharaoh, Joseph developed a strategy in dealing with these upcoming issues. What is your strategy? Are you and/or staff prepared to respond to the leading of the Lord and the needs of the people? Do you have access to the necessary resources? An underdeveloped strategy leads to less than optimal connection and service to your membership and community. Membership growth becomes more difficult and attrition becomes more likely.
Even if you have a good strategy in place, to you have the organization structure established to implement the strategy? Is your leadership effectively communicating and delivering the strategy you’ve developed? How do you monitor this? An occasional staff meeting is probably not enough. Moreover, do you or your staff have the tools to execute the strategy?
As a pastor, you’re likely drawing on many aspects of life to help you develop your culture. Running a church is clearly a people business, and the business world has defined an important component of its sustainability via a focus on customer service. In other words, are our clients and customers satisfied with the products and services we’re offering? After all, they likely have many options to choose from, so we need to make sure they feel not only that they’ve received value, but also that they’ll come back again because they know where the value is. This is the case for churches as well. Jesus promises He’ll never forsake us – neither should His church lose track of its devotion to caring for and servicing its membership.
Your strategy, organization structure, and stated objective of superior service are all important in developing your church’s culture. However, the delivery of these must be consistent and repeatable. Sheep are typically easily influenced and prone to wander, so in order for them to be secure and safe they need to know that there’s a reliability to the leadership’s approach.
Do you have the tool or tools to accomplish the objectives of your culture? MRMBER.COM would like to introduce you to a Kingdom-based solution to aiding you with the implementation of your church’s culture. Our system provides an interactive environment that fosters regular and easily accessible communication between you, your staff, and your membership. Accountability is at the forefront of the system, and this is what will help you deliver the culture to your flock. If you’re interested in learning more about such a tool, please contact us at 1800-564-9905.
It's About the People
Written by Dan Leppo Friday, 30 September 2011 20:00
Being a shepherd is not a stationary responsibility. If the Good Shepherd is moving, then you are moving. Leading people requires clear communication – delivering a message of the vision for where Jesus wants you directing your flock. This isn’t done just from the pulpit. One communication per week will not keep you connected to sheep who are prone to wander and vulnerable to the wiles of the enemy. A fair question to ask is, ‘ How do I stay in touch?’
As your church grows, your ability to consistently communicate to them becomes a greater challenge and more important. A failure to remain in contact with your membership will undoubtedly lead to attrition – people leaving because they’re feeling disconnected with you and possibly other members. Jesus spoke of the heart He had for His sheep in His parable about the lost sheep in Matthew 18. He would leave the 99 to find the 1. Do you know where your 1 is? Chances are, there are several.
A material component of leading a membership is equipping them for service to the Lord, to each other, and to a lost world. Again, that is not going to get accomplished in one sermon per week. Bible studies, small group training, missionary preparation, evangelism education, and so much more are all part of equipping your flock. Depending on your church size, you may be doing most, if not all, of this on your own, or you may have a team of pastors or other leaders directing these programs. In either case, your attention and wisdom is required. It’s a big and important job – but how do you fit this in to the rest of your pastoral duties?
It’s totally understandable why so many pastors become overwhelmed when they try to accomplish all these things. Please remember that it’s not your church – it’s His church. Jesus takes ownership of His church and will provide for you to help manage these challenges.
MRMBER.COM is a tool to help you communicate, keep track, and equip your membership. It provides an electronic infrastructure for you to quickly access your leadership and hold them accountable to your directives. Through an interactive environment, you can also communicate to your membership by offering devotionals, Bible studies, and promote fellowship-building events. Your membership will be actively utilizing MRMBER.COM, and through our business intelligence software, we can give you and/or your staff early warning signs that a member is starting to wander.
What do you hear the Lord speak to you regarding your membership? MRMBER.COM believes it has a tool to help you to respond to the Lord’s leading regarding His people. If you would like to learn more about how we can help, please give us a call at 1800-564-9905.
MRMBER.COM ~ Member Relationship Management for Churches
Written by Nicki Parsons Friday, 16 January 2009 12:00
Today we are introducing MRMBER.COM. Some of you may have already heard of us because we have been busy talking to churches, ministries and partners, but today we are telling the rest of the world about MRMBER and what we are doing.
Of paramount concern to churches has been the ongoing attrition of members, contributing to declining attendance and its inability to actively continue the many church projects or programs. Additionally, the perception of relevancy among the young adults has made growth or sustainability a more challenging issue to many churches.
There have been numerous reports, ranging from CNN to Pew Report to many others; all highlighting the declining attendance in churches and the perceived irrelevancy of church to young adults.
MRMBER was created to help churches and ministries retain their members. MRMBER provides a more comprehensive understanding of member needs and enables leaders to provide timely and relevant care to its members.
We decided to focus on what is really important in church – developing meaningful relationships and ensuring member wellness. Oh, and we employ the latest technologies to make all this possible.
Please give us your name so we can keep you informed. Thanks for checking out MRMBER.COM. Tell your friends and come back often. There will soon be a lot more to see.
The MRMBER Team
