Peter Bowden

Do you need to relaunch, rebuild or start a new program this fall?    

In this live strategy session, I share tips and strategies for rebuilding programs especially when you are starting over from scratch.

How do you gather people and get them excited when you have NOTHING??!!   

How do you avoid having people see they are the only ______ (young adult, young family, etc...) and run for the door? 

How do you communicate honestly about having nothing while gathering people to form a new amazing ministry, program, or community? 

I've worked across areas of congregational life and have started many programs over the years including programs for children, youth, young adults, and adult small group programs.

This session shares successful approaches plus some of the latest from my hands-on work with congregations.

Listen via my podcast.

I know things are challenging but I want you to pause and ask yourself an important questions.  Are you vision-casting or manifesting a congregational death spiral? If you have a budget problen, gloom and doom talk is going to make it worse!  Here's a live stream on this topic followed by a shorter 5 minute version.

Full 28 minute live stream:

Listen via my podcast.

I’ve been reviewing congregational fundraising communications. Many communicators are so caught up in their challenges, the congregation’s vision has been lost. In this session, how gloom and doom communication can undermine your fundraising capacity especially with newcomers and how you might approach it instead.

KEY TAKEAWAY:
The last few years have left most congregations with fewer members than before the pandemic. This is driving widespread budget deficits.

As leaders and communicators you get to choose how you frame the challenges you are facing. You can...

Learn how "meet the minister" videos on congregational websites support the visitor research process and membership development.

Have you ever heard someone say they chose to visit the congregation after meeting the minister somewhere? This happens all the time. After getting to know the minister at a wedding, funeral, protest, or elsewhere in the community people feel comfortable visiting.

Today, we can help people get to know the minister on-demand when they land on your website, through social media, and if you choose, advertising. It is part of building a digital path into the life and heart of your congregation.

This session introduces strategies from my Video Message Academy for Congregations program. 

Does your congregation have very few or no visitors?  Talking with leadership teams in small congregations, I'm finding some are waiting for visitors to come BEFORE they establish or re-start their process for welcoming and connecting with visitors and COMMUNICATING what that visitor experience will be like. 

In this episode, I explain why we can't wait for the visitors to show up before we map out how we are going to welcome, greet, and connect with them AND to communicate "the plan" to potential visitors.

For many, to feel comfortable visiting, they need to know what to expect. 

What's it going to be like?  Where do I go?  How do I connect with people when I visit so I don't have to suffer through an awkward and painful experience?  Is it going to be okay?  Can I do this or should I just stay on the couch watching Netflix?  I have a lot of shows waiting for me... What's the plan?  

Watch Episode 23 // ...

Social media platforms are changing how they determine what people see online!

Driven by TikTok's success, they are shifting from a "social graph" to an "interest graph."

What's that mean?

Instead of showing people content based on what they SELECTED they want to see -- like, follow, subscribe -- they are showing them MORE of what they are actively watching and engaging with!

These companies know what your members, friends, and potential newcomers are watching on their apps and websites. They have the data.

To get people to spend more time on their platforms and see more ads, social media algorithms are being re-designed to show people more of what is capturing and holding their attention.

If we aren't careful, this has the potential to SQUEEZE CONGREGATIONS OUT!

Where does that leave your congregation? 

In this episode, I explain the shift, what it means for you, and three communication priorities. 

Watch, listen, and read some key takeaway points below.

 ...

In this episode, how to write announcements that get results!  Download my free Announcement Makeover worksheet discussed in this episode:

• Announcement Makeover Worksheet (PDF)

The average congregation is an announcement making machine!  However, many are not getting results.  There's a reason for this.  Today, people are bombarded by information online. THEIR need to rapidly identify which content is relevant to THEM changes how WE need to write announcements.  I’ll tell you how!

 Watch Episode 21 //  Subscribe on YouTube

Listen to Episode 21 // Listening Options

Congregations across religious traditions are challenged, stressed, and worried about their future.

In this episode of The Peter Bowden Show I share the KEY to growing congregations today (in my experience) and three easy ways to start growing your congregation.

• One is focused on connecting newcomers.
• Second prioritizes congregation-wide community building during periodic services -- I'm talking during PRIME TIME, not an additional program people have to register for.
• Last, making important changes to your small group program.

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Watch Episode 20 //  Subscribe on YouTube

Listen to Episode 20 // Listening Options
 

As we approach the Fall, here are some tips for your congregation. We are in what I consider STORM conditions. I think most of you will benefit from a "Get everyone in lifeboats ASAP!!!" approach -- this means small groups, prioritizing and promoting group life, and helping newcomers bypass all barriers between them and face-to-face community experiences (online and onsite).

CHAPTERS
Jump to video YouTube video chapters using time code links below or in YouTube video description.

(0:00) Welcome
(0:40) Training Preview
(1:00) Digital is here to stay
(2:30) Hour long online worship not a viable first step
(5:00) Prioritize lifeboats = small groups!
(6:26) Expect group-LESS people to drift away
(7:20) Designing a viable congregation
(8:30) Different types of groups
(10:20) Connecting worship and group life
(12:25) If you have declining membership
(13:18) Use video to communicate and connect
(14:20) Engaging with video now essential skill
(15:00) Digital is a primary context of...

The following is the replay from my March 24, 2022, live strategy session discussing the following question:

 "Changes in US society and culture seem to have made organized religion less relevant to our population. How can churches change how they "do church" to make them more relevant?"

What should congregations do in response to the decline of organized religion?  My short answer: Change HOW you organize!