Planting Space

Email communication is great… so are blogs, websites, facebook and my new favorite, twitter.  The problem is some people just don’t get the whole electronic world in which we live.  On top of that, everyone still appreciates the personal touch of a handwritten note.  Now I know you are thinking that there is no way you can do that for all your contacts but you just aren’t planning ahead for it.  There are a few strategies you can try:

• Sort your contacts by birthdays and send out cards once a week to everyone with an upcoming birthday.
• Simply block out (plan ahead, put it on your calendar just like a meeting) 1-2 hours per week to send thank you notes and personal cards of encouragement.
• Sub-contract out the job… okay, not really, but you can have your spouse, older kids, or someone on your launch team send written notes.  Maybe the forge your name or just sign it from the “project”.  Either way a hand written note from someone else is still better than none at all.

You should also make some phone calls.  A few calls a week go a long way.  Maybe block off 1 hour a week in the evening (with your spouse’s permission) to make some personal calls when you can reach people at home.

Either way, you need to remember that all the communicating is about relationships.  It’s not about “getting something”.  It’s an investment in people.  Your supporters deserve to be loved by your church plant just as much as the people you are reaching.

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