Maplewood Reformed Church in Holland, Michigan was seeing a vital need in its community. As an older congregation, the church was losing its younger audience and needed to strategize to develop a plan.
Tactics
Tactics are ways in which goals can be accomplished. With a strategy in mind, platform development begins to take place.
1. Church Hub
The Church Hub is a single access point for congregation members to interact and engage with the church community 24/7/365. This includes a physical in-person kiosk to access the hub for those who do not have internet access. For example, in the Church Hub, you can:
- Fill out a connection card
- Sign up for a Life Group
- Volunteer to serve
- Sign up for events and happenings
2. Design & Content
- Created solidified brand identity for Maplewood Reformed Church that was unique and relevant to the target audience.
- Developed modern website using WordPress and Elementor with Mailchimp integration.
- Took drone footage to enhance website experience.
3. Internal Communications
- Created Mailchimp email marketing list and strategy for weekly bulletins and updates.
- Established Facebook groups for communication among congregational groups.
- Proposed a variety of direct mail tactics to effectively reach the older audience demographic.
4. External Communications
- Livestream integration into website and Facebook Live.
- Storytelling and blogging
- Staff spotlights
- History series (the church has a rich history, dating back to the 1940s)
- Event recaps
- Memorials
- Create social media strategy (Facebook & Instagram) to engage an external audience.
- Pitching stories to local media about happenings at the church (Holland Sentinel).
