What goes on the Connection Card is as important as how you use it. And as far as I can recall, our Connection Card is a direct result of Nelson Searcy’s book, Fusion. Here is ours. It prints three to a page. We cut off .75 inches from each side so it stacks well with the Loop when it is attached. This is ALWAYS printed on card stock. Don’t go cheap on paper — ever!
The Front Side:
The Date
We print new Connection Cards every week with the date already printed on the card. Don’t make people think. Some people, may stop filling in the Card altogether if they don’t know the date. And, people won’t get the date right every time anyway. It can be frustrating trying to guess when the Card came in. We also include check boxes at the top so that people can tell us which service they attended that weekend. Sometimes I can recall a person just by knowing which service he or she attended.
If you are just getting started and printing every week is daunting, then don’t put a date box in at all. When you get them on Sunday afternoon or Monday morning you can put the date on them yourself!
What Are You?
People don’t always know how to describe themselves, so we help them out with only four choices: 1st Time Guest, 2nd Time Guest, Occasionally Here, Regular Attender. This is important! Some people will fill a Card out their first or second time. How you use the information will be different accordingly. Some people will hide in plain sight and won’t let you know who they are until they are a regular. Let them self-identify for you!
Also, this answers the question about how long it takes to become one of the family. Answer: three weekends! After the first and second time, people should feel a sense of belonging and possession. For us, you don’t need to to hit certain mile markers before you will be accepted as one of us! We will accept you right were you stand!
Most “occasional” people know who they are. They may be coming to visit family from out of town or are true Christmas and Easter attendees.
The Digits
Give people plenty of room to write addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and the like. The more room you give, the more usable information you will get right off the Card! The more room the easier it will be to read.
How Did You Find Us?
A fabulous question! If a friend invites them, you will know who to thank! You will also know who your ally is in keeping up with the person on the other end of the Card. You may also find that people found you online, on facebook, or simply commute by the church five days a week for work. You might be surprised by what you will find! The best find is when someone you don’t know thinks enough about your church to invite their friends to come. The inviting party might not have let you know who they are yet, their friends just ratted them out!
The Back Side:
Prayer Requests and Comments
We tell everyone that we will pray for their requests each week. Of course, we love to pray for people in need. This is also a great way to find out what is happening in the lives of your congregation.
It is also a great place for comments — some encouraging, some discouraging. Your people need to know that they are being heard, even if it is a complaint. It is best to let poeple just tell you.
My Next Step
The steps in the blue box are constants on the card. They are check boxes corresponding to how to take the next step with us.
“I raised my hand today” comes from how we end every service. We present the gospel and give people a chance to respond to God. Yes, every week!
“Baptism” is an important second step for us. We don’t wait to baptize if we can help it. We baptize any weekend any service! We want to celebrate a new life in Jesus!
“I want to become a member” is a step farther. In our tradition we place a high value on quality membership, not quantity. When someone checks this box we schedule the next membership class to talk about who we are, where we came from, and where we are going.
Participation Box
This is a rotating content box that reflects the kinds of events and opportunities that people can respond to or to let us know they are coming. These match up to what we have published in our Loop.
Our Card
Feel free to steal our Connection Card (right click on the link and choose “save link as”). We print it with Microsoft Publisher. If you have publisher, feel free to download the source document and make it your own. Have a Connection Card of your own you want to share? Send it to us!
Why is this a Non-Negotiable?
The Connection Card is how people tell you who they are. This is a piece of how you will make new friends. If you and your church are into that, then you must do this! Download, change the card, and print them for this weekend!