One of the simplest, most affordable ways to broaden your outreach strategy is to start a church door hanger ministry. Paired with direct mail, outdoor banners, social media, and other tools, church door hangers offer a budget-friendly way to get your church’s message front and center in your neighborhood. Ready for all the tips and tricks you need to start a ministry with hangers for doors that gets you noticed and brings in new visitors? Read on!
Why use church door hangers?
- They connect with your audience at their own front door — a place everyone has to pass through each day.
- They’re unobtrusive. You don’t have to knock on the door and interrupt anyone’s day to share your message (which can sometimes create frustration or negative feelings).
- Their size allows enough room for an invitation, an address, and even a map.
- They get your church members involved and vested in outreach.
- Their design can match any larger outreach event or campaign.
If you’re feeling ready to launch your church door hanger outreach campaign, start by prioritizing good design. Since the door hanger itself is the main focal point, it makes sense to spend a good portion of your time creating a well-designed piece.
These steps will get you started on your design:
1. Determine your purpose. Don’t try to make your door hanger do it all. Pick a specific event to highlight, or share special information about your church. Don’t lose your message by making it too crowded.
2. Design your door hanger. Choose a design that fits your outreach event or the style of your church. Make sure it looks professional and gets your message across in an exciting way.
3. Decide if you want professionally printed doorhangers or if you want to print them yourself. Remember that DIY printing will require plenty of ink and quality paper to ensure that the final result looks nice. Weigh the costs of the two methods before committing, and err on the side of professionalism. This may be the recipient’s first connection with you, so you want to represent your church especially well!
4. Print a reasonable number. Unless your invite is a general “welcome to church” greeting, you want to plan to print a reasonable amount of door hangers. This way you know your congregation can likely hand them all out and not waste any.
5. Be sure to include all important information. Your door hanger should have your church address, phone number, website, and basic information regarding your event or ministry.
6. Put yourself in the recipient’s shoes. If you didn’t attend church regularly (or at all), what would motivate you to visit? Make sure you consider your content from the perspective of an unchurched person. Topics such as faith can often be stressful or intimidating, so make your content welcoming and gentle so people feel as comfortable as possible about visiting your church.
Once you have your church door hangers designed and printed, it’s time to begin canvassing neighborhoods in your community. Starting a door hanger outreach in the community is definitely a group effort — the more people you have involved, the faster it will go (and the more fun it will be)!
Here are a few quick tips for gathering and deploying an enthusiastic team of determined canvassers:
1. Display a community map in your lobby with highlighters and a sign-up sheet. Ask your volunteers to ‘adopt’ a neighborhood from the map. Have them sign up to distribute the door hangers in that area by a particular date.
2. Have church members meet at your building on a Saturday morning. Thank them for coming, then send them out to distribute the door hangers and pray for the people in each neighborhood. Afterward, you can have everyone come back to the church for a celebratory lunch.
3. Ask your small groups, youth group, and Sunday school classes to participate. Ask each group or class to pick a day to put their faith in action by passing out invitations, instead of or in addition to meeting to study.
4. Place a few door hangers in the church bulletin and at your welcome desk. This makes it easy for any family in your church to help share your message or invitation in their neighborhoods.
Church door hangers are a great addition to your church’s overall outreach strategy.
With a well-designed church door hanger, an enthusiastic group of volunteers, and a little footwork, you can be well on your way to inviting your neighborhood to come get to know your church!
Invite the Community with Door Hangers
No need to interrupt people at home, leave an invite.
