Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

Selecting target audiences is a key step in creating a communication – and ministry – plan.

In this blog, we talked about methods to identify target audiences. My recommendation is to pick two or three target audience groups. For instance, you may decide to frame your evangelism efforts for young families and immigrants. These target audiences then should become an important lens for programming, marketing, and even outreach.

What I mean is that there are a gazillion things a congregation can do, from new styles of worship to changing service times to mission trips to food pantries, from after-school activities for kids to wine tastings, mid-day Bible studies, and Sunday School classes. Determining target audiences helps narrow some of the options. If your congregation is serious about attracting young families, then it needs to pony up for a renovation of the nursery and invest time and perhaps money in a quality Christian education program. If your congregation is committed to being a place of worship for immigrants, then you need to consider your signage and printed materials. Should they be printed in two languages? Are they in clear and simple English so that new learners can decipher them? Does the church have intentional opportunities for integration?

If a congregation is deliberate and disciplined about target audiences, then it can make some decisions easier. Yes, a ministry to empty nesters might be important, but that’s not where the congregation has decided to focus its time and money. Yes, a ministry for divorcees can be a good and helpful initiative, but given the decision to focus on the two target audiences, this is not the right time to launch it. 

We all know that you can’t say yes to everything. Otherwise the congregation and its leaders are stretched too thin, the quality diminishes, and people’s energy flags. By saying no to some projects or ministries, you’re able to say an enthusiastic yes to others. 

This is hard, because it will mean saying no to good and important and even needed ministries. But this exercise isn’t about placing value on one ministry over another. It’s not saying that young families are more important than empty nesters. Rather this strategy acknowledges that at this time, in this place, and in this space, we will do a few things really well. And in a year or two, we’ll revisit the target audiences and likely change them. Hopefully by that time, the ministries for the first target audiences will have traction and won’t need the same care and financial commitment, and we’ll be able to birth new programs that will attract new people who are seeking meaning and community – and most importantly a relationship with Jesus.