For church plants
The people you came to reach are looking. Can they find you yet?
Right now, a neighbor has to know your church’s exact name to find it. The people you planted to reach don’t know it yet. We build the way in for them, so when someone nearby goes looking for a church, they find yours.
King’s Church welcomed 231 first-time guests over two Sundays.
More than 100 churches. 98% stay with us; we’re decades-long ministry partners.
The real challenge
You’re building toward viability in a place that doesn’t know you yet.
These are the actual words of church planters we’ve worked with, shared in conversations with our team. We’ve lightly edited them for clarity and kept their names private.
People are asking me at events, ‘Are you guys on social media?’ And it’s, not yet. I know better. And yet I have not done better.
On being found
There’s a church on every corner. Lord, why do you need another church?
On the place you were sent
For us to appear, people have to put our exact name. But people don’t look like that. They don’t know.
On being found
The last one said, ‘My husband isn’t comfortable coming to your living room right now, so let us know when you get a building.’
On first impressions
They have a negative connotation toward church plants, because they’re like, ‘Oh, you’re going to come and go.’
On being trusted
I’m learning a lot on the job. We don’t have a dedicated admin assistant, so I’m working my way through things.
On carrying it all
People are wanting to sign up for a meetup or to volunteer, and I just don’t have the time. The couple of volunteers I have don’t have the bandwidth.
On carrying it all
I don’t want it to be wasteful, that we’re spending the money and still not getting the results we’d like.
On every dollar
You don’t need one more thing to learn. You need someone to carry this part with you.
How we’d walk with you this first year
How do we do this? The Antioch Bridge
One connected system, built and run by Digital Outreach.
The Antioch Bridge is how we carry it with you. Every person who becomes part of your church crosses the same three spans: finding you, being welcomed, and staying. We build all three with you in your first year and keep them standing, so your hours go to the people you were sent to reach. We start with being found, because right now the people searching for a church near you can only find you if they already know your name.
Span 1 of 3: Discover
Can a neighbor find us before launch day?
People hear about a new church long before they visit. When they search or scroll, they find a clear, honest picture of who you are and what to expect.
Local search and ads
Local search and social ads in the neighborhoods you’re called to
First-visit website
A website built around a first visit: times, kids, parking
Launch team invites
Invites your launch team can share with confidence
Span 2 of 3: Welcome
Will a first-time guest feel expected?
A first Sunday is a big step for a guest. Every one of them is noticed and gets a personal follow-up, even while your team is small.
Plan-a-visit flow
A plan-your-visit flow, so you know who’s coming
Guest follow-up
Follow-up texts and emails written in your voice
A clear next step
One simple next step after the first Sunday
Span 3 of 3: Belong
Will the people who visit find a home here?
Launch day fills a room. Over the first year, guests start to belong, finding a group to join or a place to serve.
Next-step pathways
Clear pathways into groups, serving and membership
First-year visibility
Steady visibility through the first year, not just launch
Retention insight
A view of who’s returning and who’s getting stuck
Let’s map the path for your launch.
A 30-minute call with Matt Engler, our co-founder, to see where your plant stands on each span and what we’d build first. You’ll leave with that whether or not we ever work together.
Your first year
For your first year,
the cost is ours.
A note from Digital Outreach
To the planter reading this,
You are carrying a lot right now. A launch asks for most of your evenings, and much of the money behind it was given by people who believe God is starting something through you. You feel the weight of every dollar.
We have sat with planters who did everything right and still stalled because their neighbors never knew they were there. We decided we could carry part of that weight.
So for your first year, we charge no service fees. The work is real, and so is the cost to us. We take it on gladly, because we believe in what God does through new churches, and we hope to walk with yours for a long time.
If this sounds too good to be true, I understand. Whenever it would help, let’s talk. I’ll walk you through exactly how it works and what it would ask of you. If this isn’t the season, that’s alright.
You are doing the kingdom work of planting a church. We want the people God is sending your way to find it.
Matt EnglerCo-Founder, Digital Outreach
We keep the number small on purpose.
Each new church plant gets more than 40 hours of hands-on setup from our team in its first four months. That’s about a full work week given to your church alone. So we start with four new church plants a month, because that’s how many we can serve well.
Who this is for
This is for a gospel-centered plant with a sending church, network, or planting structure behind it. If you’d rather build it all yourself, we’re probably not the right help.
From church planters we serve
In their own words
231
first-time guests in two Sundays
“I thought you guys would be encouraged to hear that we have had 231 first time guests over the past two Sundays. Thanks for your partnership to help us be findable through social and online!”
JL
Justin Leitch
Lead Pastor, King’s Church, Wilmington, North Carolina
~600 people
came to King’s Church’s Trunk or Treat. Justin reported that nearly all of the traffic came from social media ads.
“Genuine care with all this.”
“Thank you very much for your time and help and genuine care with all this. It is a pleasure knowing you and working with you on this.”
PT
Pat Tedeschi
Church Planter, Grace City
“A clear path forward.”
“Thank you again for making the time to chat, answering my questions, and giving us a clear path forward. So very grateful for all you guys do for the kingdom!”
TL
Timon Lau
Church Planter
From a church-planting leader
“This is EXCELLENT and helpful. Thank you for sending this over. This is something I would love to offer our guys as we get off the ground.”
Zack MorganEvergreen Collective
Our launch promise
What if launch Sunday doesn’t go the way we hoped?
If you follow the plan we build together and aren’t satisfied with how launch Sunday goes, we’ll cover your next month of ad spend. On the call, Matt will walk you through what that asks of your church.
Common questions
A few questions you may have.
Is there a catch?
Your church pays for its own ads, and that money goes to Google and Facebook, not to us. We charge no service fees in your first year. Before you decide anything, we’ll walk through every detail together.
What happens after year one?
If it’s serving your church, you continue with a monthly service fee plus your ad budget. You’ll know the fee before your first year begins. If it isn’t serving you, you step away. The decision is yours.
Why only four a month?
Every launch gets more than 40 hours of setup from our team in the first four months. Keeping the number small is how we make sure your church gets that time.
What if we’re launching with a small team?
That’s who we built this for. A small launch team already carries a lot. We take the digital work off their plate, so you can stay with your people while neighbors still find your church.
What if people in our area have never heard of us?
That’s where a plant starts. Some people near you are already searching for a church. Others aren’t yet, but they’re open, and one day they’ll go looking. When they do, we want your church to be what they find.
Can this help before many people are coming?
This is when it helps most. Before launch, we help your neighbors learn you’re coming and give them an easy first step, so the people who visit early already have some sense of who you are.
Will this still feel personal and true to our church?
It has to. We build everything around your theology and the neighborhood you’re called to, so the church people find online is the same church they’ll meet in the room.
How much time will this require from our team?
Very little. We’ll ask for some time at the start to learn your church and get your approval on what we build. After that, the digital work sits with us, and your time stays with preaching and your people.
The people you’re called to reach are already out there.Will they be able to find your church when the moment comes?
Your launch matters, and so does every week of your first year. People near you are looking for a church and for Jesus. We want to help them find yours.
Whenever the timing is right.