When a potential visitor or staff member clicks on a church website, they want to get a sense of the church’s identity. The values, ministries, and staff are probably a few clicks away, but what about your church’s personality, strengths, and heartbeat? The best way to convey the core of who your church family is, is to provide a welcoming message that puts it all in one spot. After reading a welcome message, someone makes the decision, “Yes, I want to visit this church.”
If you don’t already have a welcome message, you’ll quickly find you need one when conducting a thorough executive search. Potential candidates will look first at who you are as a church to consider if they might make a good fit for your team. All the thought and direction you put into your church’s introduction will transfer over to save you time in the interview and narrowing-down process. Candidates want to fit into the church as much as you want them to fit.
Here are the key points to focus on when writing your introduction:
- First, state your church’s name, age, denomination, and a few words to describe the culture and purpose.
- Example: “Welcome to [Church Name]! We are a down-to-earth, [denomination] church focused on discipleship and service. We have been committed to serving the people in [city] since our humble beginning in [year].”
- Next, summarize your mission and values. Your reader probably already understands what you believe because you stated your denomination. Interested candidates and guests can explore your website for an in-depth view. Give them a snapshot in this introduction.
- Example: “At [Church Name], our mission is to help people find and follow Jesus. As we do so, we value serving sacrificially, loving unconditionally, abiding relentlessly, and meeting regularly. This is who the [Church Name] community is at our core.”
- Then, share necessary information about your surrounding community and your strengths as a church. This is one of the only opportunities to make strengths known to outsiders.
- Example: People in [city] know that [Church Name] is a safe space to come as they are. Our food banks and school partnerships have cultivated a unique relationship with the community, allowing us to meet their needs as a church. [Church Name] also focuses on bringing up the next generation to know and love the Word of God. Our ministry programs focus on equipping every member to have a growing and contagious relationship with Jesus.
- Lastly, wrap up with an invitation to join. This is especially important for introductions welcoming visitors.
- Example: “We invite you to join our faith family and look forward to seeing you.”
Take these key points and expand them with a little bit of your church’s personality and history (but save the names, dates, and specifics for the History tab on your website). No two churches are the same. When anyone reads your introduction, they want to know why yours is unique and to see evidence of your church’s faith. That being said, keep your introduction concise. Those 1-2 paragraphs should be packed with the most insightful information about your church. Don’t make your readers work for it.
If you are writing your first welcome message for a search, take this opportunity to paste it into the About tab on your website, or on the opening page. Seeing the summarized heart of your church strung together in a friendly message will convey your church’s warm personality to all who are considering joining your faith family.
If you are struggling with the costly intricacies of conducting a search, seek help from a search firm like Vanderbloemen. We match churches and organizations with the best candidates on the market, carefully considering how candidates could fit into your team’s culture and mission. Avoid a costly bad hire by running a thorough search with help from our team.
