acc campaign

“Humans of ACC” Campaign

For Auburn Community Church

Presented by: Team May 10th

Rebecca Jett Lauren Klepac Hilary Meares Paige Wagner

CAMPAIGN: HUMANS OF ACC

1

Auburn Community

Church

Team May 10th Becca Jett, Lauren Klepac, Hilary Meares and Paige Wagner

PRCM 4090 | Campaigns


2

Introduction

This campaign document was created by a team of Auburn University public

relations students enrolled in a senior-‐level PR campaigns course (PRCM 4090). The group

named themselves Team May 10th and will be referred to as such throughout the

remainder of the document. The team members’ names are as follows: Becca Jett, Lauren

Klepac, Hilary Meares and Paige Wagner. The team was assigned Auburn Community

Church (ACC) as its client for the semester. The following pages contain the research

conducted throughout the course and Team May 10th’s campaign proposal for the client.


3

Table of Contents Title Page………………………………………………………………………………………………………..………….... 1

Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………….………...2

Table of Contents………………………………………………………………………………………………….………3

Executive Summary………………………………………………………………………………………………….…..4

Client Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………………………………5-‐12

Situational Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………………….…13-‐23

Goals, Objectives, Strategies & Tactics……………………………………………………………….….24-‐25

Evaluation Plan…………..……………………………………………………………………………………...….26-‐27

Budget.………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..….…..28

Calendar for Events/Media…………………………………………………………………………………...29-‐31

Implementation…………………………………………………………………………………………………….32-‐33

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………………..……….……..34

Appendices……………………………………………………………………………………………………………35-‐76

I. ACC Web Screenshots………………………………………………………………………………35-‐37

II. Inspiration Screenshots…………………………………………………………………………38-‐40

III. Team May 10th Humans of ACC Examples………………………………………………….41

IV. ACC Mock Info Card…………………………………………………………………………………….42

V. Media List……………………………………………………………………………………………..……..43

VI. Printing/Vendor Contact List………………………………………………………………..44-‐45

VII. Meals On Wheels………………………………………………………………………………..……..46

VIII. ACC PR Internship……………………………………………………………………..…………….47

IX. Auburn Family Article…………………………………………………………………..………48-‐49

X. Research For ACC……………………………………………………………………………..…….50-‐52

XI. Survey Results………………………………………………………………………………………53-‐76

Reference Page………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………77


4

Executive Summary

Auburn Community Church (ACC) is a new non-‐denominational church located in

Auburn, Alabama. ACC is focused on building strong relationships with its members

through worship and fellowship, and creating a multi-‐generational community. Because

ACC is a recently formed organization, its social media presence, community awareness

and attendance are lacking. Advertising for the church currently exists only through social

media platforms and word of mouth by current attendees.

Team May 10th conducted its research through the use of a survey (Appendix X)

and field observation of ACC. The team compiled a client and situational analysis with the

research found. The team then created a campaign based off of the information provided

by church attendees and the surrounding Auburn community.

Through the research conducted, Team May 10th developed a campaign titled

“Humans of ACC” with the goal of increasing attendance and awareness of the church. With

“Humans of ACC,” the team intends to create a deeper relationship between ACC and its

surrounding community. This campaign includes three different facets including targeted

social media posts, community events and outreach and local advertising (Appendix IV, V,

VI). These tactics were derived from specific objectives and strategies that correlated with

the team’s overall goals.

Team May 10th intends for this campaign to be implemented throughout the

summer of 2015 and has set the end date of the campaign for October 31, 2015. At the time

of this end date, the team anticipates increased percentages in attendance and awareness

of ACC and its events as stated in the campaign objectives.


5

Client Analysis Auburn Community Church (ACC) is a non-‐denominational church located in

Auburn, Alabama, which is focused on building strong relationships with its members through worship and fellowship. ACC started in March 2014 and has continued to develop and grow immensely. The unofficial mission of ACC is to open the door to all members of the community and to create a melting pot of people from all walks of life and ages.

Internal Strengths:

Auburn Community Church has many internal strengths as an organization. These

internal strengths are shown politically, socially, economically and technologically.

Politically, ACC has an advantage solely because of its geographic location. Because

ACC is located in the Bible Belt around a predominantly conservative environment, it has

more opportunity to grow and become attractive to members of the community. ACC is

non-‐denominational and can reach some audiences that have denominational loyalty.

Socially, the church has made great strides in becoming attractive to the community.

ACC has a gift of reaching audiences of all ages. The church has a melting pot of various age

groups (Appendix XI) to provide a family atmosphere. It is especially beneficial to students

that are away from their families. The church provides a home away from home for

students, adults or families that are new to Auburn. Moreover, ACC has started family-‐

hosted dinners with college members. Another social strength within the church is the

provision of childcare.

Miles Fidell, the lead pastor at ACC, has a talent of being able to speak in a way that

is relatable to all demographics (Appendix XI). ACC has a prominent “coolness factor.”

With Miles being from Atlanta, he has an edginess about him that is attractive in the

present day and age.


6

ACC is trying to reach more than just college students, and therefore has a greater

opportunity to raise money. The church has more than 20 family units that attend

regularly and tithe. Older families within a church are seen as a strength because they are

more equipped to tithe. ACC is completely funded by tithing. The church has a heart for

college students and was able to forgo its financial needs initially for those students.

Families that come in town during football season sometimes are willing to donate and

tithe. Only having two staff members, Miles and Steve, on the payroll currently is an

economic strength in building a new church. A technological strength of ACC is its

portability. Without having a permanent home yet, the church family can pick up and have

a service anywhere.

Internal Weaknesses:

Overall, Auburn Community Church has done an excellent job gaining momentum

and having a great congregation of members with its very recent presence to the city. With

all of the great strides Auburn Community Church has made, there are also some internal

weaknesses that the church faces. Some of the weaknesses Auburn Community Church

faces are in the political, social, economic and technological areas of the church itself and

the surrounding Auburn community.

Firstly, Auburn Community Church faces some weaknesses in the political sphere.

There are many political weaknesses within the general church community right now. For

instance, Christianity is gaining a bad reputation when it comes to the topic of gay

marriage. Whether or not ACC supports it, gay marriage is radically changing each day,

especially in the South.


7

Moreover, Auburn Community Church faces a few weaknesses when it comes to the

social state of the church and the community. Auburn, Alabama is a city heavily dominated

by the Christian faith. Thus, there are many non-‐denominational churches in the area that

offer similar services to ACC. Being a non-‐denominational can be a weakness because,

people may want to go to a service that is their denominational preference.

One of ACC’s main competitors in the Auburn area is Church of the Highlands.

Church of the Highlands attracts large amounts of people, has thousands of members and

has several locations in the South. Moreover, being in a college town is a challenge in itself.

ACC does not have a target demographic and specifically does not want to only attract

college students. ACC’s main mission is to create a true melting pot of members from all

walks of life, with all different ages. Sometimes it is hard to focus on creating a melting pot

of a congregation when college students heavily populate the town.

Another one of ACC’s internal weaknesses is in economics. Once again, being in a

college town presents its challenges, specifically when it comes to gaining enough capital.

Most college students do not have well-‐established jobs and are not financially capable of

donating their money to the church. This is where ACC has to attract more families in order

to increase its revenue.

Lastly, ACC also faces internal weaknesses in the technological sphere. Some

examples of its weaknesses in technology can directly relate back to social media

(Appendix I). When Team May 10th spoke to ACC during the first meeting, one of the

churches main priorities was to increase its social media reach on Facebook, Twitter and

Instagram. Also, meeting at the Auburn Fellowship Building is technologically limiting for


8

lighting, sound and other effects. Other downfalls are the major lack of parking, and ACC

being limited on the use of the building at its disposal.

External Opportunities:

Auburn, Alabama is located in the Bible Belt, which brings many political

opportunities to Auburn Community Church. The Bible Belt is a term for the Southeastern

United States that is predominantly conservative. Citizens who live in these conservative

areas attend church exponentially more than those who do not. Conservatives tend to vote

for values that line up with traditional views from the Bible, such as the pro-‐life view and

anti-‐same-‐sex marriage. With these kinds of statistics, churches such as ACC have ample

opportunity to be accepted and to thrive throughout these communities.

Socially, Auburn Community Church prides itself on focusing on growing a church

family and not focusing on a specific demographic or age group. The church has the

opportunity to achieve this judging by its surrounding population. Since 2000, Auburn has

seen a population growth of more than 30 percent. The city stands at 53,380 people today.

Married couples and families are moving to Auburn at an above-‐average rate because of the

city’s outstanding school systems. The city’s consistent and steady growth means ACC’s

regular attendance has the potential to grow much higher than its current numbers. These

numbers also do not include students who attend Auburn University. The school is

comprised of more than 25,000 students, which brings about a unique opportunity that

comes with being located near a college. The student body is always changing, and ACC can

use this to its advantage by constantly reaching out to potential new members that were

not previously familiar with the church.


9

Economically, Auburn Community Church is also presented with several

opportunities. All churches, temples, mosques and synagogues are exempt from any

federal or state income taxes, provided they apply for the exemption through the IRS. This

is a simple opportunity to save money, and at the beginning of any business, every dollar

counts.

While ACC is located in a community with a large amount of college-‐aged students,

the opportunity to reach out to families and senior citizens still exists. College students

may not have sufficient income to support the weight of the church alone, but citizens over

the age of 35 are the demographic with steady income that can routinely tithe to the

church. These people account for 35 percent of the city’s population.

Technologically, Auburn Community Church can use ever-‐changing technology as an

opportunity. Twitter users have increased from 241 million followers at the end of 2013 to

288 million by December 2014. Facebook now has more than 1 billion active users, and

Instagram was the fastest growing app of last year. Increasing presence on social media

will increase ACC’s visibility and reach more potential new attendees than ever before. In

addition to this, many new-‐age churches experiment with lighting, graphics and other

various effects on a daily basis. ACC possesses constant opportunities to become more

technologically savvy.

External Threats:

Because of the nature of the Christian church and its strong moral beliefs, politics

and legislation do have an effect on ACC. With recent legislation of same-‐sex marriage,

churches that are standing against such acts are being attacked and slandered. This leaves


10

the public with a negative view of the Christian church and causes many to leave or simply

stay away from congregations like ACC’s.

ACC is an entity that focuses and relies solely on its congregation. Because of this,

the organization must look at the social facets of the community in order to successfully

carry out its goals. Auburn is a thriving community, which has experienced a population

increase of more than 30 percent in the past 15 years. These statistics not only show

positive outcomes for social trends in the future, but also show potential social threats that

exist. Auburn is a town that is comprised of more than 25,000 university students. This

impacts the social and economic trends greatly.

During university off-‐seasons, such as summer and Christmas break, the city’s social

makeup changes drastically. Another aspect that must be considered is that if the student

population of Auburn University were to shift into a decline, ACC’s congregation size could

decrease. This could cause lower attendance, giving and involvement. There are also

perception issues that could be faced. The head pastor of ACC is given approximately 30 to

45 minutes every Sunday night to teach on a topic that he feels is necessary and beneficial

to the congregation. During that span of time, there is a possibility that he will misspeak or

say something that someone might not agree with. Because of basic human biases,

opinions and judgments, this could be grounds for a potential threat to the church’s

congregation numbers. Another potential threat would be the congregation growing too

rapidly. This could cause ACC’s leaders and staff to burn out too quickly. The church has to

be able to invest time into the congregation.

Because ACC is a church, and therefore a non-‐profit organization, economic threats

could cause a potential problem in its future operations. Unstable economic forces outside


11

of the organization could cause financial giving to fluctuate over time, causing ACC’s budget

and funds to vary significantly. When economies experience things like recessions or

inflation, general public spending is more likely to trend downward. This downward trend

could pose a potential threat.

ACC also faces a challenge in the realm of real estate and property rentals.

Currently, ACC operates from another church’s facilities. As the church grows, ACC’s

faculty and staff hope to establish a more permanent location to hold services for its

congregation. The economic condition of Auburn’s real estate market and possible rental

listings for facilities in the area could pose a threat to the organization if rental or interest

rates are high. Finally, Auburn is a college-‐based town with many university students that

lack extra spending money. These university students make up a large portion of ACC’s

attendee number. Because these students lack extra spending money, they will cause the

church’s population to grow, but may not fiscally contribute to the church.

In the realm of technology, ACC has utilized many different resources and maintains

them efficiently. Potential threats could arise in this area though if new technology is

created and the organization doesn't quickly adapt. Technology is constantly changing, and

if companies cannot keep up with these changes, they may find it hard to relate to their

audiences. On the other hand, ACC makes it its goal to reach out to populations of all ages

and could face problems if a large portion of its target audience does not keep up with

current technology. For this reason, the organization must be prepared to utilize multiple

methods of marketing and communication methods to reach out to the community.

ACC also faces the challenge that it does not currently have permanent operation

facilities. Because of this, its volunteers and staff must set up its equipment for service


12

every Sunday and take it down immediately following. This puts a limit on the amount of

technological equipment it can handle every week simply because the church is not in a

stable or permanent environment.


13

Situational Analysis The Problem:

Auburn Community Church (ACC) is a newly established, non-‐denominational

church that is struggling in its marketing presence among its key publics. The awareness of

the church is limited to specific demographics because of advertising only by word of

mouth and social media. Examples of the church’s current social media pages and posts

can be viewed in Appendix I. Because the church is newly established, the surrounding

community is not aware of its existence or of its services offered. The church has had

minimal attendee growth in the demographic of young families and hopes to increase

attendance rates in the future. Overall, Auburn Community Church does not have a strong

marketing presence and awareness of the church is lacking.

The Mission:

Auburn Community Church does not currently have a set mission statement for its

organization. In the conclusion portion of this campaign document, the client will find

suggestions for the creation and implementation of a concrete mission statement to use

throughout the organization.

Although ACC does not have an official mission statement, the church does have

three core values, which are to be radical, communal and missional. These three values are

the heart behind every strategy that the church implements. ACC’s goal is to reach out to

the community of Auburn with the love of Jesus Christ. ACC encourages people of all age,

race, gender and background to join its church body. Moreover, the church leaders strive


14

to create a family-‐conducive and community-‐based atmosphere through the lead pastor’s

sermons. The church aims to lead people to come follow Jesus and to go make disciples.

Existing Strategies:

Auburn Community Church currently only has a marketing presence through social

media and word of mouth. ACC has chosen to utilize the social media platforms of

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and an online blog (Appendix I). As of March 8, 2015, the

church’s social media statistics are as follows:

● Facebook is ACC’s most populated social media platform. The church has 553

likes on its Facebook page and posts information about sermon topics, times

and locations. The church also regularly posts updated photos of special

events and services.

● ACC has 316 followers on Instagram (@AuburnCommunityChurch). ACC

follows 109 accounts and posts approximately twice a week. It has a total of

82 posts and pictures about community events, church announcements,

sermon messages and additional news. Hannah Johnston, a regular church

attendee, is in charge of posting photos and writing captions for ACC’s

Instagram account.

● ACC has 152 followers on its Twitter (@AuburnCChurch). ACC follows 167

Twitter users. ACC posts on Twitter almost daily and occasionally more than

once a day. The Twitter account is used for church announcements,

encouraging words and service details. The church has posted from Twitter

145 times (including 59 photos and videos).


15

● Auburn Community Church maintains a blog called “The Wednesday” that is

written by Kim Boston, wife of ACC’s executive pastor, Steve Boston. The blog

is updated every Wednesday and can be found on the church’s official

website. Past posts have included pictures from previous ACC services and

general devotions.

Team May 10th’s analysis of ACC, identifies strong existing efforts, but recognizes

areas for improvement. Currently, ACC is growing steadily mainly because of word of

mouth, but ACC could still improve its social media efforts and continue to catalyze its

church growth and attendance.

In addition to the organization’s social media efforts, positive marketing has also

been produced for ACC. During the course of the creation of this campaign, a member of

Team May 10th interviewed members from ACC and published an online feature article for

Auburn University’s blogging website called Auburn Family. In this article, ACC was

advertised as a new non-‐denominational church that provided a family atmosphere

through worship and fellowship. This article served as a positive piece of PR that helped

improve the public awareness of ACC and can be viewed in Appendix IX.

Stakeholders and Perceptions:

ACC’s stakeholders include regular church attendees, the Auburn community,

potential new church attendees and leaders within the church. For ACC’s research, Team

May 10th performed a field observation and designed and distributed a survey. The Team’s

survey can be viewed in Appendix X. The survey was created to collect research on the

opinions of current and potential ACC attendees and the Auburn community as a whole.


16

The team chose these specific types of research methods to gather the best results, in order

to create the best campaign specifically for ACC’s needs.

Field Observation

On February 8, 2015, Team May 10th went to ACC for its weekly church service. The

team arrived 30 minutes early to meet important church leaders and regular attendees.

The team stayed for the entire service and took observational notes on important aspects

including attendance, church demographics and the church’s message. The following are

observations that Team May 10th made during the time spent at ACC:

● The average attendance is 125 people.

● The average demographic is Caucasian young adults with a heavy population

of 16 to 22 year olds.

● There are approximately 20 core families involved in the regular

implementation of church activities.

● ACC offers biblical truth through modern worship and dynamic teachings.

● ACC focuses on a family-‐like atmosphere for its attendees.

Survey

For Team May 10th’s additional research, the team constructed and distributed a

survey (Appendix X) to gather the Auburn community’s perception of ACC and other

general church information. Through the team members’ advertising on their personal

Facebook accounts and on ACC’s Facebook page, the survey gained a total of 163 responses.


17

The survey opened with a screener question of “Do you attend Auburn Community

Church?” This led survey respondents to a set of different survey questions based on their

initial answer.

● 94 respondents answered “no” to the screener question

● 69 respondents answered “yes” to the screener question

Question numbers two, three and four of the following survey were open-‐ended,

and Team May 10th categorized the survey responses according to response trends. Some

of the answers given by survey respondents fell into multiple response trends. Team May

10th felt that all suggestions and responses were equally important and that they should all

be included in the results of the survey. For this reason, some of the survey questions may

have an answer total that exceeds the number of respondents for that section of the survey.

If respondents answered “no” to the screener question, they were given the

following set of questions. There were a total of 94 respondents that received these

questions. The results from the survey follow each listed question below.

1. Are you a member of a church in Auburn?

● Yes: 45

● No: 42

● Looking: 5

2. What qualities attract you to your/a church?

● Congregation, friendliness, community and family: 36

● Biblically-‐based/sound doctrine: 16

● Worship/Music style: 12

● Types of programs (youth, children, small groups): 11


18

● Pastor: 10

● Type of service (i.e. conservative or traditional): 5

● Community service/outreach: 3

● Other: 3

3. What types of events/programs do you look for in a church?

● Sunday school/small group: 18

● Community outreach/ volunteering opportunities: 16

● Youth and college programs: 13

● Family and childcare: 7

● Special events (Christmas, Easter, choral, communion): 7

● Other: 5

● Events with food: 3

4. What reasons do you think people either don’t come to church or don’t stay at a

church?

● Scared of judgment: 30

● Time constraints/lazy/bored: 11

● Fear of not belonging: 10

● Sermon and message: 9

● Different doctrinal beliefs: 4

● Other: 5

Demographic questions:

1. Ethnicity: Please specify your ethnicity.

● White: 64/65


19

● Black or African American: 1/65

2. Marital status: What is your marital status?

● Single, never married: 36/65

● Married or domestic partnership: 25/65

● Divorced: 4/65

3. Gender:

● Male: 10/65

● Female: 55/65

4. Age:

● 16-‐19: 4/65

● 20-‐29: 36/65

● 30-‐39: 5/65

● 40-‐49: 11/65

● 50-‐59: 5/65

● 60+: 4/65

If respondents answered yes to the screener question, they were given the following set

of questions. There were a total of 69 respondents that received these questions. The

results from the survey follow each listed question below. Questions three, four, five and

six of the following survey were open-‐ended and were categorized based on result trends.

This categorization may result in an answer total discrepancy.

1. How long have you been an attendee?

● 6 months or more: 42


20

● 4-‐6 months: 9

● 2-‐4 months: 6

● 2 months or less: 12

2. How did you hear about ACC? (67/69 respondents)

● Friend: 43

● Other: 13

● Family: 9

● Social Media: 2

3. What qualities attract you to ACC? (55/69 respondents)

● Family and church attendees: 20

● Teachings and methods: 14

● Church leaders: 5

● Feeling welcomed: 5

● Worship: 3

● Jesus: 2

● Other: 2

4. What improvements would you like to see within ACC? (36/69 respondents)

● Larger/better facilities: 8

● Community service projects: 5

● Events/activities: 5

● More service times and options: 4


21

● More diversity: 4

● None: 3

● New songs/worship: 3

● Friendlier: 2

● Other: 2

5. How would you suggest ACC reach out to members of the community to increase

attendance? (39/69 respondents)

● Word of mouth: 11

● Volunteer/outreach events: 9

● Social Media: 7

● Advertisements: 6

● Special events: 6

● Other: 5

6. What reasons do you think people either don’t come to church or don’t stay at a

church? (41/69 respondents)

● People in church are judgmental/hypocrites/unwelcoming: 22

● Time constraints/laziness: 5

● Don’t feel welcome/hard to get connected: 5

● Bored: 2

● Other: 4

Demographic questions: (50/69 respondents)


● White: 47/50


22

● Hispanic or Latino: 2/50

● Other: 1/50


● Single, never married: 33/50

● Married or domestic partnership: 16/50

● Divorced: 1/50

7. Gender:

● Male: 16/50

● Female: 34/50

8. Age:

● 16-‐19:17/48

● 20-‐29:20/48

● 40-‐49:8/48

● 50-‐59:2/48

● 60+:1/48

Competition and Other Publics

Competition for Auburn Community Church consists of other churches in the

Auburn area. Since ACC is a non-‐denominational church, the other non-‐denominational

churches in Auburn are the biggest competition. The following church entities present the

largest amount of competition for Auburn Community Church:

● Church of the Highlands

● Auburn Fellowship


23

● Auburn Christian Student Center

● Believers Church Auburn

● The City Church

● Auburn Christian Fellowship

Because these churches have been established for a longer period of time,

awareness of their existence is much higher than the awareness of Auburn Community

Church. These churches also have a permanent gathering space or building for its events

and services, which makes them seem more stable than ACC to outsiders and potential

church attendees.

Organizations that practice other religions in Auburn are also competition for ACC.

Other religious organizations that promote teachings contrary to the Bible take away

potential Christian followers and therefore, take away potential attendees of ACC.

Other churches that have started as small congregations help to aid ACC in the

building process. ACC has found that by observing other churches in the area that began as

smaller churches, they can learn the dos and don’ts of church building and growth.


24

Goals, Objectives, Strategies & Tactics

Goal 1: To increase awareness of Auburn Community Church through “Humans of ACC.”

Objective 1a: To increase number of Facebook likes by 20 percent by October 31, 2015.

Objective 1b: To increase number of Instagram followers by 20 percent by October 31,

2015.

Objective 1c: To increase number of Twitter followers by 15 percent by October 31, 2015.

Strategy: Our primary strategy for this goal is to engage the community of Auburn through

ACC’s social media accounts. Targeted social media posts on all platforms (Facebook,

Instagram and Twitter) will be the focus for this community engagement. The social media

posts will feature current ACC attendees’ photos along with a quote or short story about

their experience at ACC. This will help followers virtually meet the people behind the ACC

name and help them understand more about the ACC community.

Tactic: Photograph and interview current ACC attendees for social media posts. See

Appendix III for example social media posts. Another tactic to increase awareness of the

church is to create an informational postcard about ACC. This postcard will include the

organization’s location, contact information and social media account names. Team May

10th designed an example of this kind of information card that can be seen in Appendix IV.

The card is to be distributed by current church attendees, posted (with permission) to local

bulletins, displayed at local coffee shops (with permission), etc.


25

Goal 2: To increase attendance at ACC services and events.

Objective 2: To increase attendance at ACC Sunday night services by 30 percent by

October 31, 2015.

Strategy: To increase service attendance, the strategies will include positioning ACC in the

community as a family-‐oriented organization and to present ACC as an inviting and

accepting community of all demographics. By executing these strategies, ACC will

eliminate attendees’ insecurities and will be seen as a welcoming organization, resulting in

increased attendance at events and services.

Tactic: One of the tactics in successfully positioning the church as a family-‐friendly

organization is to plan and implement a community-‐outreach event that will allow all

church attendees and their family members to participate. This service event will take the

form of a church family sponsored “Meals on Wheels” program (Appendix VII). In this

program, families at ACC will join together and volunteer to cook a complete meal for an in-‐

need family that does not attend ACC. Please see the Implementation page (pg.32-‐33) for a

more detailed explanation of this program. Another tactic in presenting ACC as an inviting

church is to host “Bring a Friend Friday.” This event will be advertised on all social media

accounts and will provide a casual atmosphere for attendees to bring their non-‐attendee

friends to get to know the ACC family better. Please see the Implementation page (pg.32-‐

33) for a more detailed explanation of the event.


26

Evaluation Objective 1a: To increase the number of Facebook likes by 20 percent by October 31,

2015.

Evaluation: To evaluate the success of this objective, ACC will monitor its Facebook

account throughout the duration of its campaign. ACC will note the number of Facebook

likes at the beginning of its campaign and will again take note of the number of likes at the

end of the campaign. From these two numbers, ACC will be able to calculate the percent

increase in number of likes and evaluate if this objective was accomplished.

Objective 1b: To increase the number of Instagram followers by 20 percent by October 31,

2015.

Evaluation: To evaluate the success of Instagram, ACC will monitor the number of

Instagram followers from start to finish. Moreover, ACC will be cognizant of the amount of

interactions each photo receives. The amount of interactions, including likes and

comments ACC receives will help promote ACC’s Instagram, thus increasing the amount of

followers. From these two numbers, ACC will be able to calculate the percent increase in

number of followers and evaluate if this objective was accomplished.


27

Objective 1c: To increase the number of Twitter followers by 15 percent by October 31,

2015.

Evaluation: In order to evaluate this objective, ACC will monitor its Twitter account

from start to finish. This includes counting the amount of followers and interactions.

Interactions include favorites and retweets, and will both promote ACC’s presence on

Twitter. From these two numbers, ACC will be able to calculate the percent increase in

number of followers and evaluate if this objective was accomplished.

Objective 2: To increase attendance at ACC Sunday night services by 30 percent by

October 31, 2015.

Evaluation: To evaluate this objective, ACC staff and the intern (Appendix VIII) will

monitor and take note of attendance during Sunday night services throughout the duration

of this campaign. ACC will note the average attendance on Sunday nights at the start of the

campaign and will take note again at the completion of the campaign. The church also may

take attendance averages throughout the campaign to monitor trends in their campaign

efforts. From these numbers, ACC will be able to calculate the percent increase in average

attendance for Sunday night services.


28

Budget Report

Rack Card Budget:

Budget Report

Rack Card Details-‐ Office Max Quantity Paper Type Paper Color

250 Cardstock-‐ Glossy Supreme .25 per piece

Total Price: $185.75 Project Budget: $500

Bring a Friend Friday Budget:

Budget Report

Bring a Friend Friday Budget: $500

Item Quantity Size Per Serving Price Per Product Total Price Spaghetti 13 16 oz., 6 in pack $1.99 $25.87 Marinara Sauce 4 10 oz., 6 jars in each $12.98 $51.92 Hamburger Meat 7 16 oz. $6.99 $48.93 Parmesan Cheese 4 24 oz. $8.98 $35.92 Garlic Bread 5 24 pieces in each $2.98 $14.90 Lemonade Powder 2 34 quarts in each $6.86 $13.72 Sweet Tea 5 I gallon $2.78 $13.90 Ice 3 20 lbs $2.98 $8.94 Drinking Cups 2 50 pack $3.98 $7.96 Paper Plates 1 100 in pack $14.95 $14.95 Utensils 1 120 each $9.96 $9.96 Plastic Table Cloth 1 6 in each $4.78 $4.78 Lettuce 5 2.5 lbs $2.97 $14.85 Crutons 1 32 oz. bag $5.88 $5.88 Tomatoes 1 32 oz. bag $5.96 $5.96 Italian Dressing 2 20 oz. 2 count $6.98 $13.96 Total Event Cost: $292.40


29

Calendar


30


31


32

Implementation Bring a Friend Friday: Each existing member of Auburn Community Church will be

encouraged to bring a friend who hasn’t yet visited the church to become more acquainted

with the ACC staff over dinner, which will begin at 6 p.m on Oct. 16, 2015. The attendees

will pay a $5 entry fee to cover their meal and their guests. The dinner will include a starter

salad, spaghetti with sauce, garlic bread and homemade desserts from existing attendees.

Pastors Steve Boston and Miles Fidell will be encouraged to engage with newcomers and

present themselves as approachable and inviting leaders of this new church. Following the

meal, guests and attendees are invited to stay for board games.

Humans of ACC Social Media Campaign: The Humans of ACC social media campaign is

inspired by the widely popular Humans of New York (Appendix II) photo blog created in

2010. This campaign will be a collection of high quality portraits accompanied with brief

quotes of attendees of Auburn Community Church. Attendees will share a short anecdote

about how Auburn Community Church has affected their lives or a relatable story to the

public. The social media coordinator will choose a short quote from this interview with a

picture of the church member and share it on the ACC official Instagram. On the Instagram

app, the coordinator will also choose to share the post on the official Facebook and Twitter

page of ACC. This way, the church does not have to spend time posting the image on all

three major platforms of social media. The posts are designed to give non-‐existing

attendees of ACC a closer and more personal look at the diverse attendees of ACC and how

the church has changed these attendees’ lives.


33

Meals on Wheels: Attendees and potential attendees alike have expressed their interest in

becoming involved in a community service project in which all ages can be of service. Meals

on Wheels is a program where volunteers deliver hot and fresh meals to senior citizens and

those in need on a consistent basis. The meals not only help because the recipients cannot

physically or financially provide their own food, but also because they develop

relationships with the volunteers that impact their lives in a positive manner. Attendees of

ACC could utilize this idea and make their own meals to give to those in need in the

Auburn/Opelika area. Volunteers would meet at the ACC location with ingredients to cook

5-‐10 meals. While the adults are preparing the food in the facility's kitchen, children can

have a role in this event by coloring on the card stock lid of each meal. When the meals are

complete, volunteers will package them in aluminum boxes and load them in their vehicles

to be delivered. Volunteers of all ages can join in to take the food to the recipients. Over

time, this monthly community service event will help ACC volunteers develop meaningful

relationships with members of the community. This will keep volunteers coming back each

month as well as potentially inviting others to volunteer, too.


34

Conclusion and Final Recommendations

In conclusion, ACC has a positive future in the growth of the church. Team May 10th

believes that ACC should have goals that include, but are not limited to, an increased

percentage on all social media platforms and an increased percentage in new attendance at

weekly services and special events. Moreover, Team May 10th believes that the preceding

campaign and the following recommendations will help achieve these goals.

Team May 10th’s first recommendation for ACC is for the staff and core families of

the church to create and implement a concrete mission statement. This mission statement

should be the overarching cause of what ACC hopes to accomplish through its church

efforts. This mission statement should be the driving force of the church and all of its

attendees. When writing a mission statement, it’s important to take into account the

following questions:

● What do we do?

● How do we do it?

● Whom do we do it for?

● What makes us different?

For Team May 10th’s second recommendation, they believe that ACC should develop

a universal hashtag unique to the church. ACC’s hashtag should be used on all social media

platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as a way for all followers to interact

with the church.

After the implementation of the strategies listed above, Team May 10th believes that

ACC will experience positive growth within the church. Team May 10th has had a

wonderful time serving ACC and wishes them the best in its future endeavors.


35

I. ACC Web Screenshots ACC Website Home Page:

ACC Blog:


36

ACC Facebook:


37

ACC Twitter:

ACC Instagram:


38

II. Inspiration Screenshots: Humans of New York Facebook Screenshots (Inspiration for Humans of ACC):


39

Humans of New York Instagram:


40


41

III. Team May 10th “Humans of ACC” Examples Instagram:

Facebook (shared from Instagram):


42

IV. ACC Mock Information Card Front

Back


43

V. Media List Auburn Plainsman ● Twitter: @TheAUPlainsman ● Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/theplainsman ● Phone: (334) 844-‐9108 ● Community Desk:

○ Email: [email protected] The Corner News ● Twitter: @The_Corner_News ● Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thecornernews?fref=ts ● Email: [email protected] ● Phone: (334)821-‐7150 ● Carla Nelson: Editor

○ Email: [email protected] Opelika-‐Auburn News ● Address: 2901 Society Hill Road, Opelika, AL 36804 ● Phone: (334) 749-‐6271 ● Twitter: @OANow ● Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/oanow

War Eagle Reader ● General Email: [email protected] ● Twitter: @wareaglereader ● Jeremy Henderson

○ [email protected] ● Kenny Smith

○ [email protected]


44

VI. Printing/ Vendor Contact List

Printing McQuick Printing Company ● Will work with people from home/office as well as in person.

○ Website: http://www.mcquickprinting.com/ ■ Can request estimates online ■ Can place orders online ■ File uploads on to website

● Address: 159 North College Street, Auburn, AL 36830 ● Phone: (334)821-‐0067 ● Fax: 334-‐887-‐0047 ● Email: [email protected] ● Hours: M-‐F 8:00a.m.-‐5:00p.m.

Craftmaster Printers ● Address: 687 North Dean Road, Auburn, AL 36830 ● Phone: (334) 502-‐3456 ● Fax: 334-‐502-‐3461 ● Email: For general information, or to request an estimate. All inquiries will be

acknowledged at [email protected] ● Hours: M-‐F 8:00a.m.-‐5:00p.m. ● Website: www.craftmaster.com

○ Will do online file uploads Office Depot ● Address: 2061 Tiger Town Parkway, Tiger Town shopping center, Opelika, AL

36801 ● Phone: (334) 742-‐0225 ● Hours: M-‐F 8a.m.-‐9p.m., Sat 9a.m.-‐9p.m., Sun 10a.m.-‐6p.m. ● Website: http://www.officedepot.com/storelocator/al/opelika/office-‐depot-‐2225/ ● Find different discounts: http://www.officedepot.com/a/browse/deal-‐

center/N=5+549384/ ○ Other printing coupons can be found by google searching: Office depot

printing coupons


45

Auburn Reprographics ● Address: 660 North Dean Road, Auburn, AL 36830 ● Phone: (334) 501-‐8235 ● Fax: (334) 501-‐8237 ● Email: Greg Sellers; [email protected] ● Hours: M-‐F 7:30a.m.-‐5:30p.m., Sat 9:00a.m.-‐2:00p.m. ● Website: http://www.auburnrepro.com/

Sam’s Club ● Address: 2335 Bent Creek Road, Auburn, AL 36830 ● Phone: (334) 821-‐0121 ● Website: http://www.samsclub.com


46

VII. “Meals On Wheels” Meals on Wheels Website: http://www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org About: Meals on Wheels ensures that seniors have access to adequate nutrition even when family support, mobility and resources are lacking. “Meals on Wheels operates in virtually every community in America through our network of more than 5,000 independently-‐run local programs. While the diversity of each program's services and operations may vary based on the needs and resources of their communities, they are all committed to supporting their senior neighbors to live healthier and more nourished lives in their own homes.” Local Programs

1. East Alabama Services for the Elderly a. Address: 1300 Commerce Drive, Auburn, AL 36830 b. Number: (334)826-‐5811


47

VIII. ACC PR Internship

The following are tasks for the ACC intern. The tasks are guidelines, and the intern should not limit him/herself to these actions.

1. Take pictures and get quotes from ACC attendees for “Humans of ACC” social media campaign.

2. Run social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram). Adhere to campaign guidelines on daily posts.

3. Use #AuburnCChurch (subject to change; #churchwithoutwalls) in all social media posts.

a. Make sure to have a concrete hashtag for social media. 4. Keep track of church attendance from services and events in an Excel sheet. 5. Make graphics for fliers/info cards. 6. Assist in running ACC website. 7. Assist in uploading podcast of services each week and advertise on social media. 8. Assist in the planning and implementation of events and community service

activities. 9. Help ACC draft and adhere to its mission statement.


48

IX. Auburn Family Article Article about ACC in Auburn Family: Auburn University’s Social Network February 24, 2015 family.auburn.edu http://family.auburn.edu/profiles/blogs/auburn-‐community-‐church-‐a-‐family-‐away-‐from-‐family?xg_source=activity


49


50

X. Research for ACC Survey Conducted for ACC research: We are representatives from Auburn Community Church. We are currently conducting a survey of Auburn residents regarding Auburn Community church and surrounding churches in the Auburn area. We would like to ask you a few questions regarding your interest in Auburn churches and the improvements that can be made. The survey should only take 3-‐5 minutes. For questions about the survey, contact Lauren Klepac at [email protected]

1. Do you attend Auburn Community Church?

● Yes

● No

If you answered no, continue to question #2. If yes, skip to question 9 please.

1. Are you a member of a church in Auburn?

● yes

● no

● Looking

1. What qualities attract you to your/a church?


1. What reasons do you think people don’t come to church or don't stay at a church?


● White

● Hispanic or latino

● Black or African American

● Native American or American Indian

● Asian/ Pacific Islander


51

● Other


● single, never married

● Married or domestic partnership

● Widowed

● Divorced

● Separated

1. Gender:

● Male

● Female Age:

Thank you for taking the survey. ACC Members only, continue below.

1. How long have you been an attendee?

● 6 months+

● 4-‐6months

● 2-‐4months

● 2 months or less

1. How did you hear about ACC?

● Social Media

● Friend

● Family

● other

1. What qualities attract you to ACC?

1. What improvements would you like to see within ACC?


52

1. How would you suggest ACC reach out to members of the community to increase attendance?

1. What reasons do you think people either don't come to church or don't stay at a church?


● White

● Hispanic or latino

● Black or African American

● Native American or American Indian

● Asian/ Pacific Islander

● Other


● single, never married

● Married or domestic partnership

● Widowed

● Divorced

● Separated

1. Gender:

● Male

● Female 1. Age:


53

XI. Survey Results:

My Report Last Modified: 03/06/2015

1. Do you attend Auburn Community Church? # Answer

Response %

1 Yes

69 42%

2 No

94 58%

Total 163 100%

Statistic Value Min Value 1 Max Value 2 Mean 1.58 Variance 0.25 Standard Deviation 0.50 Total Responses 163 2. Are you a member of a church in Auburn?

# Answer

Response %

1 yes

45 49%

2 no

42 46%

3 Looking

5 5%

Total 92 100%

Statistic Value Min Value 1 Max Value 3 Mean 1.57 Variance 0.36 Standard Deviation 0.60 Total Responses 92


54

3. What qualities attract you to your/a church? Text Response traditional services Na The Lord life environment Dynamic pastor and emphasis on the Bible's teachings Music and preacher Friendly people, interesting pastor Sense of community opportunities, community, college ministry Welcoming Biblically sound doctrine, community atmosphere and diversity Community, religion Friendly People A family feel, somewhere where I don't feel judged based on looks (what I wear etc.), the quality and type of praise/worship music, more time in the word than singing non fear based, everyone welcome convienent, friendly, current Openness, authenticity, accepting NONE Activities for a large range of ages, a strong young adult/young marrieds program, a combination of traditional and modern services, likeability and credibility of pastor, wide range of small groups/Sunday school classes/Bible studies Fellowship community More accountability, love my preacher Biblical truth Authentic biblical teaching The messages are good and all the programs our church provides are good. Truly represent Christ biblical teaching, biblical community Lots of options for small group, worship style Traditional music, strong liturgical practice, community, inclusive of all Youth program. Variety of services and times offered. Sound Biblical teaching. Genuine worship, not production based emotional stuff. Worship music Christ and His truth Friendliness People there the same age and same interests so we can connect and fellowship Congregation, priest My church encourages me to have a real relationship with Jesus. I love how we worship Him and how we study his word. I love that my church focuses on community. My church isn't necessarily about people who are already saved. Those of us who are saved are called


55

to reach out to the lost and I feel like my church does an awesome job at that! It's so inviting and friendly. Large youth group Size of college ministry, availability of small groups Preacher, youth programs, people, small group Bible studies Service opportunities, church family Family friendly Bible based teaching, Catholic, traditional service Local missions/community involvement the people friendly people Real people. God first. All else second. That includes what we call "the Church" today. Small groups, good worship, friendly people, good ministry aesthetics, church activities, relevancy of pastor's lessons, openness of church community Solid biblical teaching Life giving Types of music they perform, how well a pastor can preach a message, if they believe whole-‐heartedly in the bible Dynamic worship Bible based & warm small groups Youth Groups Welcoming, relevant congregation Truthful message, friendly people, and a humble pastor. I think it's so important for pastors to refer to this congregation as "the church" or "the bride of Christ"'rather than making it seem like your specific church is better than another because we are all in the same race. Welcoming members people outreach worship Community, non-‐judgmental, friendly, diverse, grace-‐centered It was an Episcopal church friendliness Great worship NONE laid back, down to earth none Friendly, Bibke based Word of God, Community, Prayer, etc. Based around the Bible worship, preaching, sense of community Authentic

Statistic Value Total Responses 71


56


Text Response community dinners, events with friends and family A sermon on how to live your life. small groups Small groups and volunteerism Young professionals groups (bible studies, etc) Events with food bible study Corporate worship and small group times College ministry Sunday School Classes, Christmas Programs Singles ministry, college ministry, children care, choir, outreach fellowship college ministry, community outreach Young adult/20-‐something program NONE Opportunities to serve -‐ both in the church and in the community, traditional services offered especially for events like Ash Wednesday, Easter, communion, etc, children's and youth programs Community outreach and retreat events Nothing in particular Mainly meaningful service and bible study options outreach/fellowship childrens Missions, youth program, children's program, discipleship groups, service opportunities Volunteer activities Traditional choral offerings, children's program and children's choir, evening offerings for family Youth, local community outreach. small groups, sunday school, and Sunday morning worship. College Group children/teen Communiry Traditional service Small groups Young adult bible study Community outreach, global and national outreach programs, small groups Small groups women's retreats, marriage programs Women's studies, music programs, family events Bible Studies, family groups


57

Age graded Caring individuals to help others Religious holidays to be celebrated above all others Worship and education family events young people activities Vision that looks past the church walls small groups seasonal events and individual and group opportunities offered in order to grow in faith Solid Children's Program and Good Community Being around people who encourage me and my family in our walk with Christ D-‐Now for the youth, Mission trips Sunday service and small groups Ministry that helps Retreats; Sunday school classes Small groups, bible studies, outings in the community Groups for all ages Small groups outreach bible study Child care, events where many ages mix and learn together Holy Eucharist Rite 1 and 2, sunday school, lenten dinners and speakers socials after service NONE none ?



58


Text Response Don't believe religion is relevent or beneficial. pastoral series arent moving enough differences in ideologies, inconvenience, difficult in college to balance academics, social life and spiritual growth Feeling like they are being judged, feel inferior to other members, feeling like an outsider They don't feel accepted intimidated to go alone or go but no one ever reaches out to them to get involved They think church is only on weekends Feeling judged, don't agree with teaching, or feel that they have better things to do. They don't make time, they don't feel comfortable at that church, they don't have anyone to go with each week Unfriendly people, or too much talk about money Hypocrisy, fear of judgement, time constraints, thinking it won't be worth it They go for the wrong reasons in the first placeSermons should be modern, uplifting and truthful they don't come because they don't know what to expect Too judgemental, pastor or congregation is offensive, people seem fake, not enough programs oriented toward their age group WE DO NOT BELIEVE IN MYTHOLOGY Service times are extremely early or inconvenient, lack of feeling of belonging, not having a place where they fit like having one young engaged couple in a Sunday school class of all middle-‐aged married couples They want something different and new not having someone to go with There is often an atmosphere of judgement or "all my friends are doing it" buy people may not like the actual church don't go because they "fear" hypocrisy, don't stay for MANY reasons, usually because someone made them mad though. dont feel welcomed lukewarm teaching, "clique" attitude They don't feel included They are turned off by the lack of inclusion Comfort level They fail to realize that since a church is made up of people, it can't be perfect. They see small flaws in the church and decide they need to go somewhere else, start something new, or just give up. They don't see the church as the bride of Christ, but more a place to be entertained and shake a few hands. They don't like the pastor's teachings or the worship team. Rudeness Judgmental congregation Too tired


59

Can't find the time, lazy Fear of judgement/condemnation. The people at the church might seem dead themselves. If the people at a church don't seem absolutely on fire for Jesus, it doesn't really appeal to me. I don't want to believe in something that isn't worthy of passionate praise. Don't feel welcome not getting plugged into a small group Don't feel like a part of church family Don't understand how to be a part Boring New believers are greeted warmly and then forgotten about. They need discipleship Lazy/sleep They feel judged about every thing they either do or do not do. unfriendly people lazinest Bad experiences or hypocritical positions Not connected i think people in general have a difficult time with commitment and time management. also, some don't give a church a chance, turning away when the sermon they hear offends them or doesn't hit home on the first try. Don't come to church because no one invites them and don't stay at a church because they do not feel they belong there They want want a relationship, not just religion Because they do not like feeling judged Too worried about what's going to happen with their kids at church Not truly connected through small group; having people hold them accountable People feel as if they aren't good enough to attend church It is not a good fit for their spiritual needs They think they aren't good enough or they have been hurt by Christians Not feeling welcome not comfortable with what to do. Hypocrisy, don't feel accepted or welcome, have difficulty finding a place to fit in, diverse opinions are trampled not discussed, church seems irresponsible in its teachings or administration Fire and Brimstone. They are not real disciples



60

6. Ethnicity: Please specify your ethnicity. # Answer

Response %

1 White

64 98%

2 Hispanic or latino

0 0%

3 Black or African American

1 2%

4 Native American or American Indian

0 0%

5 Asian/ Pacific Islander

0 0%

6 Other

0 0%

Total 65 100%



61

7. Marital status: What is your marital status? # Answer

Response %

1 single, never married

36 55%

2 Married or domestic partnership

25 38%

3 Widowed

0 0%

4 Divorced

4 6%

5 Separated

0 0%

Total 65 100%

Statistic Value Min Value 1 Max Value 4 Mean 1.57 Variance 0.62 Standard Deviation 0.79 Total Responses 65 8. Gender:

# Answer

Response %

1 Male

10 15%

2 Female

55 85%

Total 65 100%



62

9. Age Text Response 21 21 21 37 23 21 24 21 20 22 21 22 21 21 52 24 52 21 21 62 29 22 21 21 53 44 20 30 21 34 43 31 21 22 40 44 21 45 21 23 18 22 48


63

46 40 66 27 44 72 69 43 18 24 20's 45 20 22 50 17 21 24 19 57 22 36

Statistic Value Total Responses 65 10. How long have you been an attendee?

# Answer

Response %

1 6 months+

42 61%

2 4-‐6months

9 13%

3 2-‐4months

6 9%

4 2 months or less

12 17%

Total 69 100%


64

Statistic Value Min Value 1 Max Value 4 Mean 1.83 Variance 1.38 Standard Deviation 1.18 Total Responses 69 11. How did you hear about ACC?

# Answer

Response %

1 Social Media

2 3%

2 Friend

43 64%

3 Family

9 13%

4 other

13 19%

Total 67 100%

other class was in on the beginning of the formation of ACC, Steve Boston My bffss miles and court Steve Steve Charter member Miles & Steve Met the Pastor met Miles at Winter Retreat



65

12. What qualities attract you to ACC? Text Response solid teachings. Traditional-‐family style atmosphere. Walking in, feeling welcome, and wanting to come back asap. Small groups JESUS, community, worship/message people from every age can get something out of it. also Miles and Courtney are both so welcoming family atmosphere Such great things The challenge from the pulpit mostly The church body the community and the real-‐ness of the people there Relaxed atmosphere Smaller Message, family atmosphere Honesty, truth, passion, not sugar coating Bible verses Truth is taught in a bold way that challenges and encourages Miles, Steve, and a smaller church. The all ages welcome factor and the fact that it meets on sunday nights. ACC is a genuine, Christ-‐loving family. In a world where churches go through the motions, ACC is raw and real. I wouldn't trade it for the world. family and wanting to get more involved in community to share Jesus Authentic community, passionate Word based messages Feels like a family Community the community, the welcoming feel, Miles and his preaching, etc. Jesus The depth of the teaching. The Lord teaches me something everytime I go. Family atmosphere, they're not putting on a "show" Pastor and family environment Sense of community and the message gospel Small and intimate The community feel, the preaching, the worship Multi generational style learning... And Miles' dynamic, honest, real sermons Real community Family Small, ownership, a part of something Genuine interest of the members, focus on community Realness Going after God all the way honesty, enthusiasm, comprehension of scripture smaller more intimate setting with a family focus on service Honest, open, and dynamic approach to scripture.


66

the people!!! miles is awesome. and the music is on point too. open to anyone It's not like normal church. Miles doesn't preach like a "normal" preacher. It's very honest and open, which I believe is a very important quality of Jesus. Awesome, family atmosphere, incredible teaching Miles Miles Family atmosphere Community, low key atmosphere, friendly people Home emviorment Its small size, family atmosphere Community It's so real & relatable but doesn't sugar coat the messages music and message



67

13. What improvements would you like to see within ACC? Text Response community outreach Larger space More food events becoming more than just a service but a CHURCH better facilities None bc it's awesome I'm not sure new people feel welcome. Even with the community time some people are ignored. Communion, small groups, more community service projects I love everything about it! I would love to have dinners like we had Sunday more often. Getting to know more people More church wide gatherings outside of worship Maybe a few new songs Morning service Honestly, it doesn't get much better than where we are headed as a church. I am SO excited, and I guess the only thing is that I hope it stays simple, strong, and fully focused on things above. I like the small groups where you get to know everyone better presence within community Morning services honestly, i love it so much that i don't see much room for improvement right now. except the obvious, more seats. also, the sound of the band could be improved a little bit. Better volunteer system Stable building! That will come with time I'm sure None. It is my ideal church. More space two services-‐space Permanent building as we grow more get togethers and more community service More families join... Parents want to make sure their is opportunity for their children to grow -‐ love that they can grow and learn from older kids and young adults-‐ maybe eventually offer groups or studies with this in mind too More space more activities; more families Morning and evening service Church home I would like to see ACC reach more of a diverse congregation. It is mostly upper class white families and wealthy college students. But there are many people who don't fit into this category that would benefit form a church like ACC. Diversity in age-‐ranges. maybe one more song at the beginning worship and the end more highschool kids It's own building! Although I love the idea of a church without walls, it would be nice to


68

have a bigger building to expand more small groups among high schoolers



69

14. How would you suggest ACC reach out to members of the community to increase attendance?

Text Response volunteer work day in the community to get our name out and have a chance to tell people who we are and what we are about. Family movie night on the lawn or something that will encourage invitations to friends. Going out and meeting more college students and families High attendance Sunday school contest more advertisement in public shows, maybe a radio talk show, videos having more events that aren't just church nights Fancy advertisements IDK. Mailouts, word of mouth, social media "Bring a friend" community service. Sponsor a community event that raises money for a charitable organization. Word of mouth seems to be working the best, but you could encourage members to invite friends or post on social media More programs Mailings, ministry work Car wash? Encourage bring a friend week, dessert social Another device a little more traditional Social media is an awesome way, and I think if we could just encourage people to bring a friend, attendance would steadily increase. word of mouth maybe offer activities that reach different ages Host community events, advertise Social media, more outreach events More diversity mainly just through telling people and seeking them out to come. Personal relationship Be present -‐ on campus, at events; attract the old and young alike Big outreach events that people outside of the church would be I retested in going to More projects and events in the community where members can volunteer have college students handout flyers on the concourse, handout flyers to the homes in the area Ads within the local community i think that is going well-‐ continue doing what we are doing-‐ word of mouth is best This summer -‐ family activities where ACC families invite other families... Picnics-‐ whiffle ball games -‐ vbs with older and younger kids together with college etc.... ?? Through word of mouth and some marketing ads; mailings I think the new building will help tremendously in addition to social media and word of mouth Have different events, like dinners or serve days or even just a movie night so the people that might be reluctant to come to church would feel more comfortable coming That would be great!


70

I would say the best way to do that, would be to send small groups out to visit other churchs every so often, or to volunteer at local shelters and get to know other ministries in the area. involvement on auburn university campus Word-‐of-‐mouth seems most genuine to me. put a flyer up at wake up coffee! I'm not sure Keep being awesome! Keep the focus on God and the characteristics of Jesus and ACC will shine. social media, get togethers



71


Text Response Finding things they think are more important to do rather than spend an hour worshiping Jesus. Too early People don't stay at a church if they aren't being fed or there is nothing holding them there (community, accountability, being known) they don't feel welcomed by the people not enough room to do ministry They feel judged hypocracy, fakeypants people Distractions outside of church. Not feeling welcome. Personally, I found it difficult to find a church because I could not find one I liked as much as my home church. I think college students see this as a just four years so its easy to push aside getting plugged into a church. They feel judged Don't feel welcome Desire. Tired of the routine. Get bored They don't find a place quickly enough and that scares them away People tend to avoid church because it's either too showy, too restricting, or that it isn't genuine. When a church isn't truly faithful and on fire for Christ, people can tell. They pick up on the hypocrisy, and they turn away from it. they only want to do church on Sunday They don't get connected Feel judged, don't connect Lack of community, don't feel included at church the way they feel at church and the way the church community makes them feel. you don't want to feel like another number that just comes and sits on sunday. ACC does a great job of building this community. I have never been happier or felt more accepted at a church than i do at ACC. The Church forgets to put Jesus at the center and, therefore, it loses its purpose They are turned off by religion and "following rules." They don't have time. They don't have a relationship with God; don't care; aren't welcomed by the church community; not getting plugged in They don't know anyone that goes How welcoming the church is to its members bad church experience, feel condemned, they don't hear the gospel preached correctly, time Not always welcoming past bad experiences-‐ boring Bored... Lazy... Too much going on.... Don't get enough out of it to WANT to go back.... Time don't feel welcomed; not getting much out of it. Feeling uncomfortable or not relating to the church and members


72

Because they don't feel included or a purpose there No commitment n/a they feel excluded or like outsiders Corruption, hypocrisy, and complacency of the modern culture of Christianity. acc, because they havnt heard about it. but church in general, because they are lazy or find an excuse to not they don't feel welcome Because they think they aren't welcomed or wanted. They don't feel as loved as the people who seem to be the leaders of the congregation, speaking from personal experience. Involvement or lack there of they get busy with other things

Statistic Value Total Responses 41 16. Ethnicity: Please specify your ethnicity.

# Answer

Response %

1 White

47 94%

2 Hispanic or latino

2 4%

3 Black or African American

0 0%

4 Native American or American Indian

0 0%

5 Asian/ Pacific Islander

0 0%

6 Other

1 2%

Total 50 100%


73

Statistic Value Min Value 1 Max Value 6 Mean 1.14 Variance 0.53 Standard Deviation 0.73 Total Responses 50 17. Marital status: What is your marital status?

# Answer

Response %

1 single, never married

33 66%

2 Married or domestic partnership

16 32%

3 Widowed

0 0%

4 Divorced

1 2%

5 Separated

0 0%

Total 50 100%

Statistic Value Min Value 1 Max Value 4 Mean 1.38 Variance 0.36 Standard Deviation 0.60 Total Responses 50 18. Gender:

# Answer

Response %

1 Male

16 32%

2 Female

34 68%

Total 50 100%


74



75

19. Age Text Response 24 22 18 42 20 17 22 17 45 23 20 19 18 44 22 45 45 18 18 71 19 45 20 19 23 23 24 20 23 18 50 50 44 23 20 44 21 19 19 25 18 28 24


76

20 17 18 19 15



77

Works Cited

Auburn Community Church. (n.d.). Retrieved April 9, 2015, from

http://www.auburncommunitychurch.com/

Auburn Community Church Blog. (n.d.). Retrieved April 9, 2015, from

http://www.auburncommunitychurch.com/#!blog/c1ws1

Auburn Community Church Facebook. (n.d.). Retrieved April 9, 2015, from

https://www.facebook.com/AuburnCommunityChurch

Auburn Community Church (@auburncommunitychurch) • Instagram photos and videos.

(n.d.). Retrieved April 9, 2015, from

https://instagram.com/auburncommunitychurch/

Auburn Community Church Twitter. (n.d.). Retrieved April 9, 2015, from

https://twitter.com/AuburnCChurch

Humans of New York. (n.d.). Retrieved April 9, 2015, from

https://www.facebook.com/humansofnewyork

Qualtrics: Online Survey Software & Insight Platform. (n.d.). Retrieved April 9, 2015, from

http://www.qualtrics.com/

https://www.city-‐data.com/

acc campaign

Documents