Are you interacting with your members? We hope so. Did you know you can use your Shelby Systems database to track your connections and interactions with those in your faith community?
Using Interactions to Close the Backdoor
Too often, individuals in our churches feel disconnected or that no one cares. That is the opposite of what we are called as the body of Christ to do, so here are some tools to help keep up with member interactions and contacts. While we are often aware of keeping the “front door” of welcome open to the community, closing the back door means following up with those members or regular attendees who might be slipping away because they may not be feeling a link with the community of Christ
Use Interactions to . . .
- Log contacts with those who are sick or in the hospital.
- Keep tabs on those homebound or those in need of weekly checkup visits.
- Follow up with visitors and new prospects for the church.
- Check on those who have made a significant change in their pattern of attendance or giving (this is often a sign that a member is losing their relationship with the church for one reason or another).
- Assign contacts to deacons to do regular follow up meetings with members to be sure everyone feels involved and that they belong.
- Check on those who have lost loved ones on painful anniversaries.
- Do the work of the kingdom and keep tabs on those in your care.
How do you use Interactions?
Interactions can be used to log connections that have already been made or to assign a visit to a team member or staff member to be completed by a specific date. Once the assigned interaction is completed, then notes can be entered detailing the contact and any next steps in keeping ties to this visitor or member.
Create TYPES to catalog the different types of interactions (e.g. “email”, “phone call”, “home visit”, “hospital visit”, “homebound visit”, “gift basket”, “prayer”) TYPES can be anything you want to report progress on as you look back at an individual or at the whole congregation. Each fellowship has unique ways to build community. You can adapt Interactions, especially by the Interaction Types, to be personal to your fellowship and your church traditions and strengths.
It’s important to be there for your people and let them know you care. Building and nurturing relationships is key to the mission of the Church and the edification of the Body of Christ. Interactions will help your church to keep people from falling through the cracks and becoming detached, due to lack of engagement.
Here is a helpful article that walks you through the steps of creating and using interactions:
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