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Guest Presenter:
Gary Galbraith |
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THE PIE ON THE |
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Have you ever attended your first meeting with a group or an organization, only to have them tell how glad they are you're there, then, how much work there is to do, and, finally, how much it will cost to do it. Didn't you think, "Heck, I just thought it was pretty neat that you brought my grandmother dinner (or whatever initially caught your interest and hooked you into that first encounter)!" Did you go back?
If we wish to be more successful at getting people into our organization to stay there and become active members, we need to employ the Four I's: we need to get people "In," "Involved," "Interested," and "Informed."
I think of the process as being much like a pie on the window sill. The sight and the smell of the pie draws you in ; an offer of a piece of the pie to eat, gets you involved; if the pie tastes really good, we ask, "Gee, how do you make this?" and that shows we've become interested; and, once we hear how it's done, we know, "Wow, this is a lot of work!" and we are informed.
Let's start with "in". What do we do in our churches or groups to get people in? Have you ever walked through the mall, there's kiddy rides ... merry-go-rounds, mechanical ponies, and the fire truck with the flashing light and siren? In the mall, you can hear the popcorn popping, smell the coffee brewing, or get shot at by an eight-inch life-like soldier guarding the doorway of the toy store. Would you ever notice the sugar-coated almonds if they cooked them elsewhere? Marketers understand that the more senses you trigger, the more likely you are to attract customers.
Churches have the greatest gift, the greatest "product" of all, but what do we do to get people in?
I've asked people to go out to the road and walk by our church and answer the question: What do you see that says "Come in!"? Why don't you do that at your church and list what you see.
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What programs do you offer that say, "Come in!"?
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What "senses" (touch, taste, vision, hearing, smelling) do your programs use? (Don't forget the organ!)
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Getting people in is the first step. Then we need to make them feel welcome and accepted, but not pushed in to more than they're ready for.
The next step is "involved". What kind of involvement can we offer in our church? We can sing, but don't push joining the choir. We can drink coffee, socialize and attend Sunday School. At this stage, many people only want the worship service. At the mall, you want to go on the merry-go-round, but, please, you don't want the grease gun and the maintenance book before the first ride!
List some non-threatening things people can get involved in at your church.
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After I get involved, I may or may not get "interested". I may remain involved for a long time. Usually people become interested in how all of this is made possible. We can promote curiosity and raise questions so people become interested.
When they do show interest, then and only then is it time to "inform" them of the work and the money that it takes to be an effective church or organization.
In conclusion, I'm "in,""involved,""interested," and "informed" and maybe I'll come back. There's a good chance that I will be back, if the steps are negotiated in that order.
So, is the pie on the window sill cooled off enough to slice?
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I would be interested in hearing of situations in which your "pie on the window sill" worked. or by snail-mail at: Gary E Galbraith, Box 58, Genesee, MI 48437 (810) 640-1069 |
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