That reminds me of that Chariots of Fire quote "When I run, I feel His pleasure." I'm so glad God gifted you in this, I find videos like this very helpful to me.
I'm a pastor at a smaller church and did the mugs to do something nice. About 6 months ago, I was thinking, "Why do we give out mugs?" and I had no answer. We are almost out of mugs, but will be giving gift cards to a local coffee shop in our neighborhood after we are out. If we are going to "unleash hope" to our community (our mission), why not connect our church with a small business? The small business gets new customers and we get to give hope to the business and the guests. Thanks for solidifying this in my mind!
You asked the right question, Aaron! “Why are we doing this?” It’s remarkable how often we neglect that question altogether. Love the upgrade you’re planning to make.
Brady, you're missing the importance of memory and permanence. Of course, people give away junk that immediately gets tossed. But as a family with kids, mugs are constantly breaking, so we keep whatever isn't ugly or unusable. I've still got a mug from a church that we visited one summer we visited once, I was a pastor at a near by church and we were on vacation, we told them as much and they still offered us one. I can still recall what I thought about the room and the people when I grab that mug. Its not about the mug it is about giving people a tangible memory of a positive experience.
Well shared. Thank you. We thought through this a few years ago and asked ourselves these same hard questions. What we came up with allows others to take ownership in preparing the gift as well as sharing our small town family DNA with our guests - a jar of homemade strawberry jam. We went from 10-20% of our guests completing a card to almost 95% of all first-time guests completing a card.
Completely agree with you. I think churches do it because 1) others do it and 2) it's something the person making the decision would like to have. Those are both bad reasons, but the key to "SWAG" is that it's about belonging to something - that's why you use it. It's your identity. I use my church's mug because I am a part. A mug or similar logo swag makes more sense as a gift for completely the church 101 class or something than as a gift for visitors.
Really, what’s wrong with a simple acknowledgment from the pastor that we are thrilled that our visitors chose to be with us this morning? Add to that something like we would love to meet with you personally right after the service to answer any questions you may have.
Bro, if I got socks as a first-time guest gift I would be pumped!!! This might be your greatest idea yet! I mean come on, if we are being the hands and FEET of Jesus then our socks are going to be worn and in need of replacement. On a more serious note, we give a donation in honor of each first-time guest as well as give them a coffee mug with a focus on the donation to a local charity.
This is hilarious. I see both sides and there are no wrong answers. I just moved from GA to FL and use a gift mug from a church I love, and now miss every day. I'm also looking forward to a new mug of the church I was a part of. I think the mug should be sold like all other church merch. Or give a gift that's thoughtful. I went to a church here that gave away thermal totes. Which is very useful for beach trips. Lol
I think the same “marketing” can be done by just changing the message to something universal such as, “Jesus, the living Water” or “Have I drank from Jesus today?” …and putting a tiny logo from our church or not. When someone sees it, it can remind that those nice peeps from “ “ want me to drink from the Living Well. That works for me, even if they don’t come back.
Fair points here. I like it. It's good to consider both sides of the coin. I love mugs. I have a mug problem. I LOVE getting them. I collect mugs, its a big part of my coffee experience. I like my mug just as much as I love the coffee, if not more. My wife on the other hand... doesn't love my mug problem. She has just the ones she likes, and if she sees a new one she wants, she throws out the old one. I could never. Our church doesn't have a mug, but I would be so ecstatic if we did though. Because I love my church, and drinking a warm bevy out of it gives me the warm and fuzzies. But there is always going to be a Brady out there who gets those warm fuzzies elsewhere :) Maybe a there can be an alternate gift to those Bradys who hate coffee mugs? ....maybe a mug with Jesus' face on it!?!! lol only jokes....
I wasn't initially with you when I started the first video, but you quickly won me over. Mission should lead method. Always. Thanks for the more detailed follow-up in this video.
I completely agree. I truly don’t need one more coffee mug. Our church gives out gas cards. Everyone could use a little help with a gas card, especially with the ever growing price at the pump.
Hate the idea of donating to charity of their choice. I hardly ever give to anyone without knowing ALL their ins and outs. Too many folks doing stupid things with their donations. Too much effort to track down for every differing charity.
Make sure to check out the video dedicated to that idea. We have the guest select from a list of pre-approved charities by the church so that the visitor has the freedom of choice, while the church has the confidence the gift will go to a mission they align with.
@@prochurchtools Is there a specified amount that your idea gives? I don’t mind entertaining the thought, but even if I did have that list, I’m not sure I get the sentiment.
@@prochurchtools I was confused by this, too, and hated the idea. It seemed on the video that you were saying they could pick charity in the world. Now that you've explained that it would be choosing from a list of pre-approved charities, it's not as bad.
When I visit a church, I really don't want to feel like I'm entering a sales pipeline. A lot of big churches give off that vibe though so apparently some people don't mind.
Yep. Same. And they don't get why you don't want to immediately just give your personal info out. And would rather listen and observe. This used to be the norm.
Just arrived at a church in Southwestern Ontario, and this is one of the things that I'm changing...if you're from town and you visit our church, you're getting a gift certificate for a free pizza from a beloved pizza place in town. I've seen too many church mugs I designed for sale at Value Village and Goodwill.
Our past church in Ohio gave homemade jam to new visitors and they’d share in the announcements that this was “because Jesus’ love is sweet and free.” I thought it was an AMAZING idea! And definitely stuck with me because that was 13 years ago. ❤️ The Church Next Door in Hilliard, OH
A church I used to be at gave out fake flowers. The pastor tongue in check said it was to represent God's "eternal love." Most flowers were returned to be reused, but joy of laughing at the silliness was a great bonding agent. (Note: not every church could get away with this.)
Churches giving free stuff to new visitors is a big red flag for me. Whether it's a mug or not, with a logo or not. It always makes me feel like they are trying to buy my adherence. If anything, the gift will make me less likely to visit again. I'd rather see a church genuinely happy to meet me who demonstrates love to each other, AND with a solid sermon. I recently saw a church's website that was emphasising how comfortable the seats were, how cool the pastor was, and how many wonderful FREE (all in capitals) stuff I would get (FREE coffee, FREE welcome gift, etc.). Made me wonder why they were trying so hard. Don't they have anything more substantial to offer ?
It’s a sad reality. But in a capitalist culture, churches end up competing in the marketplace for attention and time. Which is how we end up with ministries relying on tactics like that. Because they probably work on a good percentage of folks. I also think they can have their place. But it’s very easy to have our churches reflect culture’s consumerism when we need to resist that pull.
We give out bags with a small notebook with our stamp on it, a candle with a sticker on the bottom that says “a gift to you from trailside church”, some candy, a vision guide telling about the church, and a handwritten note from me with a card. We can’t ask people to be billboards for a place they don’t feel ownership in yet.
@@prochurchtools it may sound silly, but a little bit of everything. Our main thought is that we are inviting the whole family to be a part of our church, so everybody gets something. Theres chocolate, hard candy, a few lollipops, a couple gummy things/starburst... Our next step up is to do some trail mix in little bags for our sugar-conscious guests.
I went to a church many years ago that had a “food” shower for a needy family. The family had never been taught cleanliness, and as a result they had an odor. On the Sunday they gave this needy family their box… it was all soap, from bath soap and shampoo to laundry detergent and a bunch of cleaning products. Very little that they could eat or drink. The only food was several canned goods that my young wife and I provided…. I get what you’re saying about the “primary” use for the gift not aligning with Jesus’ values. The example I gave was that only on steroids.
I agree in principal, but I personally like coffee mugs that reflect things I like. My favorite mug is shaped like Darth Vader's helmet. I also have one shaped like Jabba the Hutt (it's my biggest mug, reserved for rough mornings). I also have Raspberry Pi, Batman, MicroCenter, and many other mugs. I do have an older mug for my church which was the first thing they gave me and I've had it in my regular rotation since. But we don't just give out the mug, we have it filled with non "branded" goodies like candy, bookmarks, pens, and gift cards for local restaurants.
lol the hate is hilarious. With you Brady. Why don't we give an appreciatioin gift of asking what's important to them or a need they might have to discover if the church is positioned to engage what's important to them or come alongside their need. Way more complicated but way better gift.
Agreed. I don’t want your merch if I’ll never see you again. We’ve tried gas cards with ‘gas on us’ ‘we hope to see you again’ whether they use it to come back or not. It’s free gasoline for them. We recently changed though cuz gas money doesn’t go as far as it used to. 🤣
When looking for new churches, my wife and I cringed whenever we visited a new church that gave out gifts, even moreso when they advertised it in the service: "we have a free gift for you"
What kind of church gives out coffee mugs? They should be giving out Yeti coffee tumblers with spill-proof lids. And the first cup of coffee should be free. :)
Mission > Method is such a great short form for how we should question everything we do as churches... too often the methods of our churches either gets in the way or is directly works against the mission of Jesus.
Yeah, you're overthinking it. The mug is just a gift, and it looks so much better with the church logo on it - much better than the plain mugs I have at home. In any case, the mug is just a small part of the connection process; there's the additional literature, the connection card, and, ah, yes, the QR code on the side of the mug. Works for us.
I have long said that "excellence is in the details", so I don't think you're overthinking anything. The subtleties of non-verbal communication are not subtle at all and anything that we can do to communicate You Are Welcome Here is worthwhile. Keep it going Brady!
I agree. Now we still give out a coffee mug in fall/winter--but not with our name on it. We add some coffee or tea, candy and chocolate all with a fall/winter theme. We add an inspiring Christian book too. We also add a welcome guide to our church that focuses on next steps (a full color made like bulletin). This is all wrapped up in a nice gift bag. The welcome guide is the only branded item in the gift bag. We aim for the warm fuzzies. We trust that they will remember where they got the gift.
Interesting, thanks. I’m a minister from France and honestly Church culture is soo different. I didn’t know giving mugs was a trend. I like your videos they are usefull and refreshing
In an attempt to stay on Mission, if you text “guest” and fill out the prompts, we will donate 5 meals to the Boise Rescue Mission in your honor. Our visitor engagement improved dramatically as opposed to when we used to send them a Dutch Bros GC in the mail.
Brady, my wife and I (church planters) are discussing this and you lost her at "I will never need another coffee mug in my life." 😂 We do the mugs but certainly aren't married to them. Great discussion. Previously, I was a connections pastor and I do think it comes down to the purpose of the FTV "gift" in the first place as you said. At the end of it all, you always nail it with the "mission over method" reminder. We can't just give mugs or whatever because we always do or some other church did. We need to understand the reasons and sense the Lord's leading either way. Thanks for all you do. And to show my gratitude, I'll be sending a mug to your office this week. 😂
We don't give out coffee mugs to guests that fill out a connection card. Would NEVER do that! We simply hand out encouraging "Thank You" literature in a customized ceramic 'container' with a handle. We've found people quite happy with the the thank you gift. IF our guests choose to put coffee in the container later, so be it :)
We give out mugs, but we buy blank ones. It's simply because it's so easy to go grab blank ones at a local store (and they are cheap). We put all our info in the mug. By this same principle, should we have pens with our logos/names on them?
@@prochurchtools we currently do coffee mugs and I’ve never even really thought about it. I love the idea of making a donation to a charity. Brilliant! Taking about fostering a heart of giving and love as a first impression.
A lot of people say this kind of thing is "overthinking." To me, the DELIGHT is in the DETAILS. And the details can add up to make a big difference! 😇
That reminds me of that Chariots of Fire quote "When I run, I feel His pleasure." I'm so glad God gifted you in this, I find videos like this very helpful to me.
I'm a pastor at a smaller church and did the mugs to do something nice. About 6 months ago, I was thinking, "Why do we give out mugs?" and I had no answer. We are almost out of mugs, but will be giving gift cards to a local coffee shop in our neighborhood after we are out. If we are going to "unleash hope" to our community (our mission), why not connect our church with a small business? The small business gets new customers and we get to give hope to the business and the guests. Thanks for solidifying this in my mind!
You asked the right question, Aaron! “Why are we doing this?” It’s remarkable how often we neglect that question altogether. Love the upgrade you’re planning to make.
Brady, you're missing the importance of memory and permanence.
Of course, people give away junk that immediately gets tossed. But as a family with kids, mugs are constantly breaking, so we keep whatever isn't ugly or unusable.
I've still got a mug from a church that we visited one summer we visited once, I was a pastor at a near by church and we were on vacation, we told them as much and they still offered us one. I can still recall what I thought about the room and the people when I grab that mug.
Its not about the mug it is about giving people a tangible memory of a positive experience.
Well shared. Thank you. We thought through this a few years ago and asked ourselves these same hard questions. What we came up with allows others to take ownership in preparing the gift as well as sharing our small town family DNA with our guests - a jar of homemade strawberry jam. We went from 10-20% of our guests completing a card to almost 95% of all first-time guests completing a card.
Love this. A great example of thinking through something from a missional perspective and not just following other churches based on what’s popular.
Completely agree with you. I think churches do it because 1) others do it and 2) it's something the person making the decision would like to have. Those are both bad reasons, but the key to "SWAG" is that it's about belonging to something - that's why you use it. It's your identity. I use my church's mug because I am a part. A mug or similar logo swag makes more sense as a gift for completely the church 101 class or something than as a gift for visitors.
Really, what’s wrong with a simple acknowledgment from the pastor that we are thrilled that our visitors chose to be with us this morning? Add to that something like we would love to meet with you personally right after the service to answer any questions you may have.
Bro, if I got socks as a first-time guest gift I would be pumped!!! This might be your greatest idea yet! I mean come on, if we are being the hands and FEET of Jesus then our socks are going to be worn and in need of replacement.
On a more serious note, we give a donation in honor of each first-time guest as well as give them a coffee mug with a focus on the donation to a local charity.
This is hilarious. I see both sides and there are no wrong answers. I just moved from GA to FL and use a gift mug from a church I love, and now miss every day. I'm also looking forward to a new mug of the church I was a part of. I think the mug should be sold like all other church merch. Or give a gift that's thoughtful. I went to a church here that gave away thermal totes. Which is very useful for beach trips. Lol
I think the same “marketing” can be done by just changing the message to something universal such as, “Jesus, the living Water” or “Have I drank from Jesus today?” …and putting a tiny logo from our church or not. When someone sees it, it can remind that those nice peeps from “ “ want me to drink from the Living Well. That works for me, even if they don’t come back.
Fair points here. I like it. It's good to consider both sides of the coin. I love mugs. I have a mug problem. I LOVE getting them. I collect mugs, its a big part of my coffee experience. I like my mug just as much as I love the coffee, if not more. My wife on the other hand... doesn't love my mug problem. She has just the ones she likes, and if she sees a new one she wants, she throws out the old one. I could never. Our church doesn't have a mug, but I would be so ecstatic if we did though. Because I love my church, and drinking a warm bevy out of it gives me the warm and fuzzies. But there is always going to be a Brady out there who gets those warm fuzzies elsewhere :) Maybe a there can be an alternate gift to those Bradys who hate coffee mugs? ....maybe a mug with Jesus' face on it!?!! lol only jokes....
If I'm not mistaken, that is a NotNeutral Lino mug...I would be happy receiving one of those
I agree with everything you are say. Stop branding, do what Jesus would do
Don't celebrate Halloween say take it easy don't know what I'm talkin about look up the origins of Halloween love Jesus
Our church does a goodie bag with info and a mason jar of Brownie mix, chocolate chips, etc. prepared by our Women on Mission ministry. ❤️
Nah - completely own it on this end. We give as a gift and we own that it’s marketing.
I wasn't initially with you when I started the first video, but you quickly won me over. Mission should lead method. Always. Thanks for the more detailed follow-up in this video.
What if we give a cup without our info on it. Particularly if it is a cool cup. :)
I mean, should a church even give gifts to visitors? Where does that come from?
I still have the coffee mug I was given by the church i first visited 13 years ago.
did you ever go back?
@@isherwoodme I was going to it off and on the year I lived in that area, then moved 2 hours away.
Man, I gotta get me some church socks.
I completely agree. I truly don’t need one more coffee mug. Our church gives out gas cards. Everyone could use a little help with a gas card, especially with the ever growing price at the pump.
A great alternative
Hate the idea of donating to charity of their choice. I hardly ever give to anyone without knowing ALL their ins and outs. Too many folks doing stupid things with their donations. Too much effort to track down for every differing charity.
Make sure to check out the video dedicated to that idea. We have the guest select from a list of pre-approved charities by the church so that the visitor has the freedom of choice, while the church has the confidence the gift will go to a mission they align with.
@@prochurchtools Is there a specified amount that your idea gives? I don’t mind entertaining the thought, but even if I did have that list, I’m not sure I get the sentiment.
@@prochurchtools I was confused by this, too, and hated the idea. It seemed on the video that you were saying they could pick charity in the world. Now that you've explained that it would be choosing from a list of pre-approved charities, it's not as bad.
When I visit a church, I really don't want to feel like I'm entering a sales pipeline. A lot of big churches give off that vibe though so apparently some people don't mind.
Yep. Same. And they don't get why you don't want to immediately just give your personal info out. And would rather listen and observe. This used to be the norm.
Just arrived at a church in Southwestern Ontario, and this is one of the things that I'm changing...if you're from town and you visit our church, you're getting a gift certificate for a free pizza from a beloved pizza place in town. I've seen too many church mugs I designed for sale at Value Village and Goodwill.
Love that 🍕
You must not like coffee. 😂
I like your thinking about the donation in their name, but what if their favorite charity is in open opposition to the church's values?
Check out this video - we talk that here: ua-cam.com/video/pd6b7eRzmg4/v-deo.htmlfeature=shared
Our past church in Ohio gave homemade jam to new visitors and they’d share in the announcements that this was “because Jesus’ love is sweet and free.”
I thought it was an AMAZING idea! And definitely stuck with me because that was 13 years ago.
❤️ The Church Next Door in Hilliard, OH
Love some jam
A church I used to be at gave out fake flowers. The pastor tongue in check said it was to represent God's "eternal love." Most flowers were returned to be reused, but joy of laughing at the silliness was a great bonding agent. (Note: not every church could get away with this.)
Churches giving free stuff to new visitors is a big red flag for me. Whether it's a mug or not, with a logo or not. It always makes me feel like they are trying to buy my adherence. If anything, the gift will make me less likely to visit again. I'd rather see a church genuinely happy to meet me who demonstrates love to each other, AND with a solid sermon.
I recently saw a church's website that was emphasising how comfortable the seats were, how cool the pastor was, and how many wonderful FREE (all in capitals) stuff I would get (FREE coffee, FREE welcome gift, etc.). Made me wonder why they were trying so hard. Don't they have anything more substantial to offer ?
It’s a sad reality. But in a capitalist culture, churches end up competing in the marketplace for attention and time. Which is how we end up with ministries relying on tactics like that. Because they probably work on a good percentage of folks. I also think they can have their place. But it’s very easy to have our churches reflect culture’s consumerism when we need to resist that pull.
We give out bags with a small notebook with our stamp on it, a candle with a sticker on the bottom that says “a gift to you from trailside church”, some candy, a vision guide telling about the church, and a handwritten note from me with a card.
We can’t ask people to be billboards for a place they don’t feel ownership in yet.
What kinda candy are we talking?
@@prochurchtools it may sound silly, but a little bit of everything. Our main thought is that we are inviting the whole family to be a part of our church, so everybody gets something. Theres chocolate, hard candy, a few lollipops, a couple gummy things/starburst... Our next step up is to do some trail mix in little bags for our sugar-conscious guests.
I went to a church many years ago that had a “food” shower for a needy family. The family had never been taught cleanliness, and as a result they had an odor. On the Sunday they gave this needy family their box… it was all soap, from bath soap and shampoo to laundry detergent and a bunch of cleaning products. Very little that they could eat or drink. The only food was several canned goods that my young wife and I provided…. I get what you’re saying about the “primary” use for the gift not aligning with Jesus’ values. The example I gave was that only on steroids.
I agree in principal, but I personally like coffee mugs that reflect things I like. My favorite mug is shaped like Darth Vader's helmet. I also have one shaped like Jabba the Hutt (it's my biggest mug, reserved for rough mornings). I also have Raspberry Pi, Batman, MicroCenter, and many other mugs. I do have an older mug for my church which was the first thing they gave me and I've had it in my regular rotation since. But we don't just give out the mug, we have it filled with non "branded" goodies like candy, bookmarks, pens, and gift cards for local restaurants.
lol the hate is hilarious. With you Brady. Why don't we give an appreciatioin gift of asking what's important to them or a need they might have to discover if the church is positioned to engage what's important to them or come alongside their need. Way more complicated but way better gift.
Agreed. I don’t want your merch if I’ll never see you again. We’ve tried gas cards with ‘gas on us’ ‘we hope to see you again’ whether they use it to come back or not. It’s free gasoline for them. We recently changed though cuz gas money doesn’t go as far as it used to. 🤣
When looking for new churches, my wife and I cringed whenever we visited a new church that gave out gifts, even moreso when they advertised it in the service: "we have a free gift for you"
What kind of church gives out coffee mugs? They should be giving out Yeti coffee tumblers with spill-proof lids. And the first cup of coffee should be free. :)
Mission > Method is such a great short form for how we should question everything we do as churches... too often the methods of our churches either gets in the way or is directly works against the mission of Jesus.
Yeah, you're overthinking it. The mug is just a gift, and it looks so much better with the church logo on it - much better than the plain mugs I have at home. In any case, the mug is just a small part of the connection process; there's the additional literature, the connection card, and, ah, yes, the QR code on the side of the mug. Works for us.
I have long said that "excellence is in the details", so I don't think you're overthinking anything. The subtleties of non-verbal communication are not subtle at all and anything that we can do to communicate You Are Welcome Here is worthwhile. Keep it going Brady!
I've never heard of that idea of giving a donation for new visitors before...that's pretty cool
I agree. Now we still give out a coffee mug in fall/winter--but not with our name on it. We add some coffee or tea, candy and chocolate all with a fall/winter theme. We add an inspiring Christian book too. We also add a welcome guide to our church that focuses on next steps (a full color made like bulletin). This is all wrapped up in a nice gift bag. The welcome guide is the only branded item in the gift bag. We aim for the warm fuzzies. We trust that they will remember where they got the gift.
I don't use mugs at all. To me they are utterly useless. I agree with you.
Lowkey Chip clips have been a huge hit for us.
Interesting, thanks. I’m a minister from France and honestly Church culture is soo different. I didn’t know giving mugs was a trend. I like your videos they are usefull and refreshing
Always cool to hear from churches around the world how different cultures are
Smoothest transition to a related video I have ever seen.
In an attempt to stay on Mission, if you text “guest” and fill out the prompts, we will donate 5 meals to the Boise Rescue Mission in your honor. Our visitor engagement improved dramatically as opposed to when we used to send them a Dutch Bros GC in the mail.
Love that
Brady, my wife and I (church planters) are discussing this and you lost her at "I will never need another coffee mug in my life." 😂 We do the mugs but certainly aren't married to them. Great discussion.
Previously, I was a connections pastor and I do think it comes down to the purpose of the FTV "gift" in the first place as you said. At the end of it all, you always nail it with the "mission over method" reminder. We can't just give mugs or whatever because we always do or some other church did. We need to understand the reasons and sense the Lord's leading either way. Thanks for all you do.
And to show my gratitude, I'll be sending a mug to your office this week. 😂
“Return to sender” 😆
We don't give out coffee mugs to guests that fill out a connection card. Would NEVER do that! We simply hand out encouraging "Thank You" literature in a customized ceramic 'container' with a handle. We've found people quite happy with the the thank you gift. IF our guests choose to put coffee in the container later, so be it :)
What about a bookmark?
We give out mugs, but we buy blank ones. It's simply because it's so easy to go grab blank ones at a local store (and they are cheap). We put all our info in the mug. By this same principle, should we have pens with our logos/names on them?
That would be my position, yes.
This is gold haha. Great stuff Brady.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great content. Thank you for all your help.
My pleasure!
@@prochurchtools we currently do coffee mugs and I’ve never even really thought about it. I love the idea of making a donation to a charity. Brilliant! Taking about fostering a heart of giving and love as a first impression.