SOUTHEAST CHRISTIAN CHURCH ELIZABETHTOWN CAMPUS COMMUNICATION PLAN

Michelle McGuffin

DECEMBER 10, 2016 REGENT UNIVERITY

Communication Plan Southeast Christian Church Elizabethtown Campus

Incorporate Southeast Mission Statement Connecting People to Jesus

and One Another through the plan of Love Where You Are tailored to

the Elizabethtown Hardin County region’s culture.

Timeline

April 2016 Campus announced to the church and community

September 11, 2016-Press Release to announce Campus Pastor

September 14, 2016 -Media interviews with Campus Pastors

December 2015 Christmas advertising inviting Elizabethtown Residents to one of 4

existing campuses (prior to local campus opening)

Raising of the cross on the building (TBD)- Press release

Campus opening press release (TBD)

Campus opening advertisements in local Elizabethtown/Hardin County Media (TBD)

Tentative soft launch date- August 2017

Southeast’s Multi-Campus Strategy

Southeast Christian Church announced under the leadership of Senior Pastor Dave Stone

the plan to expand the ministry of the church into adjoining regions to reach the unchurched in

the greater community.

Multisite History

The first campus to launch outside of the Blankenbaker Campus was the Indiana Campus

in 2007. Following this campus the Oldham Campus was opened. (Now referred to as the

Crestwood Campus). These two campuses were joined in 2014 by the Southwest (Louisville)

Campus. At present the LaGrange campus is under construction with a soft opening date of

December 2016 and the Elizabethtown Campus location has been purchased with construction to

be complete in 2017.

Each of these six campus locations were selected to reach a population of unchurched in

that area. As the campuses have launched each has grown into its own with a core group of

members from the Blankenbaker Campus and additional new members added from that

community. The Elizabethtown Campus will be the greatest distance from the Blankenbaker

Campus. The 45 mile distance will create unique communication challenges for this campus.

Elizabethtown has the same broadcast TV news stations as the other campuses, but because of

the distance the community relies more heavily on the local daily newspaper and 2 local radio

stations for local news.

In addition to the media, Elizabethtown is also different from the other campuses as it is

not a suburb of Louisville as the other five campuses. Some from Elizabethtown drive to

Louisville to work, for specialized medical care or entertainment venues not offered in

Elizabethtown, but many do not and find all they need in Elizabethtown. Known at one time as

“Hub City” Elizabethtown is in itself a crossroads destination for the cities and counties

surrounding it.

Questions asked in putting together the communication strategy:

What will be the communication challenges?

1. Distance from other campuses

2. Differing local culture

3. Keeping on good terms with other churches

4. Getting the whole Southeast family (staff and members) to embrace and support the

newest furthest campus

5. Maintaining the Southeast culture and branding while granting some autonomy to be a

“local campus”

How can this be overcome:

1. Keeping communication lines open among all the campuses

2. Understanding the community, their needs and fears

3. Building communication bridges between existing churches and Southeast

4. Encouraging participation in cross campus events (Rotating staff members on occasion,

encouraging visits during work and for weekend worship))

5. Utilizing the strong DNA of long time staff member and now Campus Pastor Michael

Kast, spend time in the community and find the hybrid of the two

6. Giving profiles of campus locations to staff members either through a video, written

presentation or staff class

To effectively reach the Elizabethtown community a strategy of direct and indirect

communication is recommended. Direct Communication (Craddock 2002)

Traditional and digital communication channels will reach the external markets

Externally

1. Relationship with local media- Press releases and advertisements

a. The News Enterprise

b. WQXE (98.3)

c. WULF (94)

d. WAKY (103.5)

e. WIEL (105.5)

2. Utilizing Social media such as an Elizabethtown Campus page to share information and

the heart of the church (Who is Southeast campaign)

3. In person meetings with local current church members and potential ones

Internally (within church body)

Social media

Pulpit announcements

Southeast Outlook (church newspaper)

Next Magazine

Bulletin

Internally (within church staff)

Staff e-mail (updates and invitations to special events such as cross raising and staff day

of worship) followed by a campus visit

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 11, 2016

Michelle McGuffin│ Media Relations mmcguffin@windstream.net/270-763-2962

Elizabethtown, KY - Southeast Christian Church Introduces Elizabethtown Campus Pastor As Southeast Christian Church works toward the opening of its E-town Campus, another step forward has been made with the introduction this weekend of Michael Kast as the Campus Pastor. Kast began his career at Southeast in 1988, right out of college as the Jr High minister and has since been a leader in several ministry areas including the overarching role of Minister to Families he will leave to begin as the E-town Campus Pastor. Michael Kast and his wife Jill had been praying for God to lead them to more directly work with people and minister to them when the opportunity to lead the E-town Campus became available. Michael and Jill have three children, Monica, Morgan and Jacob who will be moving to Hardin County to join the community. “We want to live where our church is and do life with the community, shopping at the same stores, spending time at the ballpark and doing life together.” Kast said of moving from Louisville. The heart of the campus will focus on working together with churches already in Hardin County and Fort Knox to reach our neighbors in the area who are not already a part of a church. The E-town Campus and other campuses are part of the vision Senior Pastor Dave Stone described as the vision set forth more than 10 years ago. “God has blessed Southeast Christian Church’s

direction to expand beyond the initial Blankenbaker Campus to reach different communities with the church’s mission of connecting people to Jesus and one another.” Southeast Christian Church currently has four campus locations, one on Blankenbaker Parkway in Louisville, one in Oldham County on Crestwood Station Road, one in Southern Indiana on Charlestown New Albany Road and Southwest Campus at 8301 St Andrews Church Road in Louisville. Two new campuses one in LaGrange and the one in E-town are scheduled to open in months to come. Information about Southeast Christian Church can be found at www.southeastchristian.org

Media Interviews will be scheduled later in the week.

Media Tour with Elizabethtown Campus Pastor Michael Kast on September 15, 2016

Radio Interviews

Newspaper Coverage after Press Release

Elizabethtown Newspaper- The News-Enterprise

http://www.thenewsenterprise.com/content/southeast-christian-names-pastor-

e%E2%80%99town-campus

Louisville newspaper- The Courier Journal

http://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0LEV7xbOSxYSWwAGNMPxQt.;_ylu=X3oDMTBydDI5cX

VuBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwM2BHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg--

/RV=2/RE=1479322075/RO=10/RU=http%3a%2f%2fwww.courier-

journal.com%2fstory%2fnews%2freligion%2f2016%2f02%2f08%2fsoutheast-christian-plans-

new-e-town-campus%2f79998802%2f/RK=0/RS=AkQ66IenV0nQEoEaFmd0ZOvDWPQ-

Newspaper Interview

http://www.thenewsenterprise.com/content/pastor-ready-elevate-spiritual-climate

Strategy to Guage Interest and Build Relationships

Prior to deciding on a new campus location, the church elders look at growing populations in the

region and places where pockets of unchurched familes exist. Once a location is decided for a

new multisite campus location the lead tea of the church meet with local leaders in that area and

then purchase property and begin building relationships with existing churches, organizations

and rallying local Southeast members in that area.

Using social media to engage the community

In February 2015, a volunteer started

a Facebook page to begin engaging

the community of Elizabethtown with Southeast Christian Church.

Southeast Christian Church invited the Elizabethtown Community to connect and gauge interest

on March 2, 2015 at a local reception held at The Historic State Theater.

Over 100 People attended this informational event.

Many church leaders and staff members were there.

The beliefs of the church were outlined.

Elizabethtown residents showed a lot of interest.

Social media and local meetings are the strategy Southeast uses to gauge interest and then begin

building relationships in the community prior to a campus opening

Southeast will continue to build relationships in the Elizabethtown Community through:

-One to one meetings with local pastors (7 churches have been met with so far)

Meetings with community agencies to assess the needs of the community and partner

resources

Informal gatherings such as potluck socials with existing members bringing friends

Closer to the campus opening monthly worship and prayer services will take place to

draw interest from the community

Southeast will advertise for volunteers and will then trained them to serve

Southeast will advertise for Campus staff through the church website and newspaper

Once the construction site is secure, those in the community who are interested will be

invited to write Bible verses on stud walls and sub flooring

Home groups called Love Where You Are gatherings are formed with six week Bible

Studies conducted as opportunities to invite friends and neighbors into the houses of

existing Southeast members to build relationships

Since the church anticipates a large attendance in the first weeks, soft openings will occur to let

the community become acquainted with the services.

Local Social Media and Website

Closer to the Elizabethtown Campus opening, The “Friends of Elizabethtown Campus”

Facebook page

will be replaced

with an official

Southeast

Elizabethtown

Campus

Facebook Page.

This page will

serve as a tool to connect current Southeast members and those in the community who are

interested to the events and beliefs of Southeast Christian Church.

The Elizabethtown Campus will be added to what will then be the 5 other campuses on the Southeast

website location page.

In addition a webpage linked to SoutheastChristian.org will be created with specific information

for that campus such as the one in the example here for the Southwest Campus already in place.

Soli Deo gloria