Church email list - why it's important, how to build it and what to do with it.

There are many reasons why having a church email list is essential, but the most important is that it helps you communicate with your members.

When you send email messages to your members, you can help them solve problems, share helpful information, and encourage them to attend church.

However, building a church email list takes work and time.

In this post, I'll explain why you need a church email list, show you how to build it, and what to do when you have one.

What is a Church Mailing List?

A church email list is a database of people who've opted to receive emails from you. An email is a powerful tool for building relationships with your congregation and reaching out to them through email.

When you use a church mailing list, you can send messages to everyone at once rather than contacting each person individually. In addition, you can target specific groups within your congregation, such as young people, parents, visitors, those who missed church, or those who signed up for your newsletter.

The most common church mailing list is called a "newsletter." These lists allow members to opt-in to receive periodic updates about events, services, and news relevant to your church.

Another type of church email list is called a "membership list," which allows members to sign up for regular important church business updates.

The benefits of a church email list.

A church email list is beneficial because it helps you stay connected with your congregation. Most people who regularly attend church receive emails from their pastor, choir director, or youth group leader.

Another benefit of having a church email list is that it allows you to reach out to people who may not be your church members. You can use your church email list to invite people to join your church, share information about new ministries, and encourage people to volunteer.

Furthermore, you can use your church email list to run your email evangelism campaigns by sending out regular bible study emails to your members.

How to collect emails for your church or ministry.

Direct outreach is the most effective way to grow your church email list, and this means reaching out to people who already attend your church and asking them to sign up for your email list.

But there's another way to grow your church list.

Instead of going door-to-door, you can reach out to people online. There are many ways to do this, including social media, search engine optimization (SEO), and paid advertising.

To get started, you need to decide whether you're looking to grow your church email lists organically or through paid advertising.

Organic growth is free, but paid advertising costs money. So depending on your budget, you may be able to afford either method.

There are two main types of organic growth:

Social Media

You can use social media to grow your church email by sharing content from your blog, YouTube channel, or other websites. You can also share links to your church's website.

When posting content on social media, try to include a call to action ( CTA). For example, if you post a link to your church's website, ask readers to subscribe to your email list. Or, if it's a video, ask viewers to subscribe to your email newsletter.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

SEO might be the best option for you to grow your church email without spending any money. With SEO, you create content that ranks well in Google searches. Then, when someone searches on Google, your site appears at the top of the results page.

Appearing on the first page of Google increases the likelihood of someone clicking through to your website.

Here is how you can collect emails for your church email list.

1. Create a Landing page.

First, you must create a landing page where visitors can enter their contact information. An excellent place to start is your church's website. If you don't have one, you may use email marketing platforms such as Systeme.io to create a simple landing page quickly.

2. Add an opt-in form.

Next, add an opt-in form so visitors can submit their names and email addresses. Make sure the form is easy to fill out. And make sure you give clear instructions on how to submit the form.

3. Promote your landing page.

Now it's time to promote your landing page. Use social media to tell your followers about your landing page. Also, write articles and posts promoting your landing page.

Finally, share your landing page URL with your members so they can help you promote it.

How to grow your church email list

Lead generation is the most effective way to grow your church email lists. This means finding people interested in your church or ministry and getting them to sign up for your email list.

Here are eight ways to grow your church mailing list:

1. Use social media to encourage signups.

Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter allow you to share content directly with your followers. This means they get notified when you post something new, and they can click through to your site to sign up.

2. Promote your church email list on your website.

Include a link to your church email list at the top of every page. Ensure this link is visible on your homepage, contact pages, and blog posts.

3. Ask your members to join your church email list.

Please encourage them to signup during worship services, special events, and other times when interacting with you.

4. Offer incentives to signup.

Give away freebies, raffles, or other perks to those who signup and share with others.

5. Send a weekly newsletter.

Keep your members updated with news and announcements related to your church. Include relevant articles, videos, and photos.

6. Segment your subscribers into groups.

Don't send all emails to everyone. Instead, segment your email list by their interests. For example, you could send different newsletters to parents, teens, young adults, etc.

7. Automate your email campaigns.

You can also automate your email campaigns using email automation software. These programs let you schedule emails automatically based on specific criteria.

8. Track your results.

Finally, track your results. How many people signed up? What percentage did not open your emails? Which ones opened the most? The answers to these questions will help you improve your next campaign.

Church email segment examples

There is no such thing as too many segments or lists for church email evangelism. Here are nine examples of how you might segment your email list.

1. Parent's email list

This group would include anyone who has children. You could send them regular updates about activities at the church, upcoming events, and other relevant information.

2. Young Adult's email list

This group includes anyone between the ages of 18 and 25 years of age. You could send them messages about upcoming events, sermons, or anything related to their lives.

3. Teen's email list

This group includes anyone between ages 12 and 17. You could send them information about upcoming events, sermon series, or anything relevant to them and their age group.

4. General church email list.

These are the lists that include everyone in your church. You can use them to send general messages about upcoming events, new ministries, or anything else that affects everyone in your church.

5. Ministry-specific email list.

If you have ministry leaders within your church, you should create separate email lists for them. Use these lists to communicate with them about upcoming events, sermon series, or anything else relevant to their role.

6. Event-specific email list.

Create event-specific email lists if particular events are happening in your church. You could use them to send invitations, reminders, or announcements about the event.

7. Church membership-specific email list.

The church members' email list is essential for any church because it allows you to keep your church members informed.

One of the hardest things many church leaders face is getting every member to participate in the church business. There's always a group that never attends meetings yet asks many questions. The only way to ensure that every member is on the same page is by sending emails to let everyone know what's going on.

The great thing about most email automation tools is that, they show you who opened the email and who didn't. Knowing which people did not open your emails will allow you to re-send the emails.

Another excellent use case for your church email list is during church nominations and voting. You don't have to wait for the church to be in session to carry out these essential tasks. In fact, you can use email to ask your members to nominate or vote.

8. Donor-specific email lists.

Your donor list is a great way to stay in touch with those who give generously to support your ministry.

Every church has members or people who attended church at one time or another but no longer do. If you do not have an email list of these people, you're losing out.

Although these people don't attend your church anymore, they still have ties and care about your church.

I attend a church where we always have between 20 and 30% University students. Therefore, we always have about 30% membership transfers in and out.

If you do not have an email list of all past church members, you should start building one. You are missing out on a pool of donors to help your church ministry move forward.

You can send them special reports about the impact of their support, thank you notes, and other messages that relate to them specifically.

9. Volunteer-specific email lists.

You can use this list to notify volunteers about training sessions, volunteer opportunities, and other events that are related to volunteering.

As you can see, there are many different ways to segment your church email list. Choose one or more of the above groups and build your email list today.

What to do with your church email list.

Now that you have an email list for your church, what next? How will you use it?

The answer: Email evangelism!

Email evangelism is the best way to reach people with the gospel because it reaches them where they live. People read emails every day. If you want to reach someone with the gospel, then email is the most effective method.

How does email evangelism work?

There are two main methods of using email to evangelize. The first is known as "mass" emailing. You can write and send a general message to many people at once in a mass email.

This type of email is great for announcements where the content does not have to be personalized to each recipient.

The second method is called "personalized" email evangelism. With personalized email evangelism, you can write and send a message to a group of people.

This is a special type of email because it contains some personalized variables that allow you to personalize things like names and other essential variables.

For example, you may have a special welcome email that you send to first-time visitors. It is essential to add some personal variables that make the emails feel more personal.

Why is email evangelism so powerful?

People love getting emails. When you send an email to someone, they feel you are personally reaching out to them, making them think twice before clicking away from your email.

People also love receiving emails from someone they know, which often leads them to open up the email and read it.

When you use email to evangelize, people are more likely to respond than talk to them face-to-face.

Let's look at some ways you can use email evangelism.

1. Church visitor follow-up.

If you have a database of visitors to your church, you can use that information to send them emails after they visit your church. You can ask them questions like, "Did you find anything helpful?" Or "Would you recommend us to others?

Sending a visitor follow-up email increases the likelihood of that visitor returning and eventually becoming a member.

2. Emails are great for church member nurturing.

If you have a database of new and old members, you can use it to invite them to join a small group, offer a gift, or encourage them to become active in the church's life. These types of emails keep your new members engaged and nurtured.

3. Church growth follow-up.

If your church has been growing over time, you can use that growth data to send emails to your members.

You can invite your members into leadership roles, tell stories, or tell them that God is doing something extraordinary through their ministry. These types of emails encourage people to stay connected to your church.

4. Church renewal follow-up.

You may consider starting a new church plant or revitalizing an existing church. If this is the case, you should consider sending your current members emails asking them to pray and support the mission.

You may also send out update emails to keep them updated on the progress. And the best part is that you do not have to wait until the next service to inform your members.

5. Church recruitment.

You can use your email list to recruit new members to your churches. An average church receives between 5 and 20 visitors every month, and without a proper visitor follow-up system, you risk losing church growth opportunities.

A church email list will help you welcome, follow up and nurture first-time visitors into members.

6. Church fundraising.

If you want to raise money for a specific cause, you can use your email list for fundraising. You can ask people to donate money to support your work. You can also ask them to attend a special event where they will hear about the outcome of your organization.

7. Church communication.

You can use email to communicate with your congregation. You can send out announcements, remind people about upcoming events, or update them on what's happening around the church.

Church email tools

When choosing the best email automation tool for your email evangelism, there's no shortage of tools. However, combing through a list of tools takes a lot of time and, in most cases, money.

We went out and tested tens of tools and came up with a comprehensive list to get you started. Best of all, these tools are free and easy to get started.

For a comprehensive list of email evangelism tools, please check out - https://www.delmethod.com/blog/free-email-evangelism-software

Conclusion

I hope you found some value in this article, and I hope I pushed you further into building your church email list. If you already have one and don't know what to do with it, I hope you now have some great ideas.