Last updated July 20, 2010

 

●  We both want to provide participants with an event of the highest caliber. And as partners, we have the opportunity to work together, each stronger with the other's gifts.

 

              ●  My goal is to provide you with the most effective practical and technical support possible before the event, and the highest quality presentation during the event. And I am committed to reaching as many church members as possible, so I keep my base fees modest and affordable. I can do this because, by using the latest technology, I do not need to employ a large support staff. In addition, I offer schedule and site alternatives to suit your demographic realities; you may review these alternatives on the Topics page.

 

●  In turn, I must rely on you to generate all the "on-the-ground" support possible so that together, as a team, we can provide participants with a first-rate, professional quality event.

Potential sponsors, equally keen to present a quality event, usually ask questions like these:

What types of congregations benefit from your events?

What package of product and resources do you provide
and what pre-event support do we get from you?

If we engage you, what will an event cost us?

As a sponsor, what do we need to be able to provide?

How do we contact you for more information?

SERVING CONGREGATIONS

The Magnetic Church is designed to help churches and their members learn realistic new member ministry strategies and is intended to complement your existing programs. Very affordable, it usually requires only modest program financing, based on a reasonable number of participants and a modest registration fee, never exceeding $US 45.00 (excluding accommodations, if provided). And, it amplifies and extends the many tools provided in my book WELCOME !, Tools and Techniques for New Member Ministry, published by The Alban Institute.

The sessions and workshops have proven to be very effective both in starting and re-energizing evangelism programs, and by renewing hope in churches across the U.S. and in Canada. They have been manifestly successful in inspiring, motivating and equipping lay persons and clergy in:

●  struggling churches, for whom an attempt at evangelism may appear to be a tempting cure-all for their problems.

●  churches in interim periods which wish to examine their sense of mission, and their history of and desires for evangelism and incorporating newcomers, as an integral part of their profile and visioning processes.

●  large, "successful" churches without well coordinated new member ministry programs, often because of strongly held prejudices about emotional or "in-your-face" styles of some public evangelists.

●  churches with good programs to react to those transferring within their denomination, but which lack a sense of purpose and format to attract, retain and educate those in the community no longer committed to any particular denomination, or those with no religious background or experience.

●  churches with existing incorporation programs whose members desire to review, renew and help ensure the continuity of their current mission endeavors.

I am also discovering that an increasing number of congregations, when scheduling their annual ‘retreat weekends’, are choosing to begin those gatherings by sending their entire management teams (vestry / session / council) to these events for inspiration and equipping. Then, to take advantage of the momentum they have gained on Friday and Saturday with me, they follow through immediately by continuing together Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon on their own, reflecting and building on what they experienced and learned at The Magnetic Church.

I PROVIDE A COMPLETE PACKAGE FOR YOU

The Package includes: (Please scroll down for complete details)
For Participants: the full PowerPoint presentation and the print master 40 page companion guide. I also bring with me and display (3 tables) a wide variety of ‘real life’ welcome brochures, newsletters, booklets, postcards, and catalogs, all of which are also available for download on my website in html and Adobe pdf formats.

For Participating Churches: the 25 page church handout as a print master; all pages are also available for download on my website in html and Adobe pdf formats. In addition, on my website, I provide extensive listings of more than 100 links to other web-based resources.
For All Sponsors: 4 page pre-event Preparation Guidelines Checklists; personalized invitations; complete Publicity Kit; extensive Press Release texts and graphics (all in print, and downloadable html versions); forms and site posters.

And, for Sponsor Churches and Host Churches: extra program options.

And: volume discounts on my book Welcome! from The Alban Institute; and a Companion Sunday Program.

Comprehensive PowerPoint Presentation
Version 9.0, September, 2011:

The entire presentation includes:
- 255 slides in the 6 program sections (you may review topic outlines for these program sections on the Curriculum page). All are in full color with detailed, specific, informative texts and charts; over 400 photoimages which are both humorous and provocative, and also are gender- and age- balanced and ability and racially inclusive.
- 43 slides in the Friday evening, Saturday morning and Saturday afternoon opening 'loop' presentations.

- 11 slides in the closing worship service ( 2 alternatives: ‘commission’ and ‘charge’).
- Plus, in addition to the content, the entire presentation itself - the mechanics, formats, layouts, graphics, animations, transitions - is intended to provide an extensive array of ‘object lessons’ for participants wishing to use or upgrade PowerPoint in worship, Christian Ed., stewardship, +.

 

●  Continuing Updates: Twice a year, between the seasons, I invest 200 to 300 hours to update the entire program. I modify the text content with new ideas from ‘best practices’ I have encountered, my own research, and from the comments on participants’ evaluations. Also, given the importance today of engaging participants visually, I incorporate continuing changes to the formatting of screens and animations of texts and images; plus, I continue to replace / upgrade photoimages as I locate more compelling ones.
Recent Upgrade Log: June / July 2010: 107 new photoimages, backgrounds, banners and revised texts. February through May 2010: (as now a majority of sponsors have upgraded to Office 2007 on their ‘backup’ laptops), I have converted the entire 298 slide presentation to PowerPoint 2007: all new backgrounds and animations; converted every image and text display to 3D. January 2010: 61 new photoimages; 97: revised texts; restructured multiple slide groups; updated membership statistics; August 2009: Total; January 2009: 62 changes; August 2008: 176 changes; January 2008: 145; July-Sept. 2007: 201; January 2007: 126; July-September 2006: 208; January 2006: 64.
Last Total Renovation: July/August, 2009: After years of constantly adding new photoimages and squeezing in ever more text, it was time to clean up the 'look and feel' of all six sections of the presentation. So, I harmonized all the header, sub-header and text font choices; reset selected bullet texts so all would be 'left-justified'; increased bullet text font sizes in 2 of the 6 sections; and, changed all headers to initial caps and removed italics in 4 of 6. Then I edited all the header and text layouts and photoimages to fit, modifying over 200 of the 220 slides in the 6 program sections. These changes make the screens much easier to view, and they also dramatically improved the look and readability of the handouts. These changes also necessitated the complete redesign of and the addition of new photoimages: Marketing, 20 slides; Greeting, 4; Communications, 9; and Organization Managing Growth, 3. Also: I added 3 new slides in Intro2; renovated over half the 45 slides in the 3 session-opening 'loop' presentations; and, redid the layouts on all 9 of the closing worship slides.

●  Previous Major Renovations: July/August, 2008: 176 across-the-board changes / upgrades to photoimages, animations, transitions, formatting and content; Particularly: Intro2: 25 reformats; Marketing: 17 new charts/texts; Greeting: 46 major changes to formats, graphics and texts; Communications: 37 major changes to formats, graphics and texts.
July/August, 2005: 98 new photoimages; 110 across-the-board changes/upgrades to animations, transitions, formatting and content; Particularly: Marketing: 45 changes/adds; Greeting: new script and other changes; Communications: 31 changes; Organization: total redesign and new content; larger print format for all sections. July/August, 2004: 172 across-the-board changes/upgrades to graphics, photoimages, animations, transitions, formatting and content: 51 changes and new slides in the 3 opening "looping" presentations; 32 changes/adds to Introduction Parts 1 and 2; 46 changes/adds to Marketing- revamped/ added signs, worship, and property interior slides; 44 selected upgrades to Greeting, Communications and Organization. (see also Handout below).

Full Companion Documentation: $ included in the base fee.

 

●  Participant PowerPoint Presentation Reference Guide Master Set Version 9.0, September, 2010: 40 program pages plus 4 ‘work’ pages, to guide your participants through the agenda and assist in their note taking. The main body of this Handout is derived from the PowerPoint presentation noted above, and therefore reflects all the most recent changes. The Package also includes four additional, separate ‘work’ pages: the Greeter Practice Script, Worship Bulletin samples, the Media workgroup Checklist, and the ‘Check and Look List’ as a reference guide for all the samples displayed on tables at each event.

●  Resources Handout for Participating Churches Master Set: 8^th Edition, September, 2007: 25 pages of resource templates, forms, texts and tools to encourage churches to pursue evangelism goals after the event. This package also includes the Post Conference Progress Checklist; churches can use this as an Action Planning Guide; sponsors may also use it as an initial agenda for a follow-up event for all participants..

Full Web-based Resources: $ included in the base fee for sponsors; FREE access for participants via a special, unlinked index page within this site:

 

●  Complete Handout Package for Churches in HTML Format: all the forms and texts in this Church Package are hot-linked and available in html format via a special, unlinked index page within this site. At the event, participants are given the address for FREE access to this material and to all the other (see next) related texts, lists and website information I continue to gather. So while sponsors and participants can photocopy and use the Package contents as provided at each event, by downloading them in html format, they may also adapt all the forms and texts for their own particular uses without having to recreate them.

●  Other Resources for Churches in HTML & Adobe Formats: Over 110 hot-links to other product, information, training and purchasing resources; and, sample benchmark websites and Adobe Acrobat newsletters. Available via a special, unlinked index page within this site. I add new links continually.

●  from the Participant Presentation Reference Guide, in HTML Format: 4 ‘work’ pages: the Greeter Practice Script, Worship Bulletin samples, the Media workgroup Checklist, and the ‘Check and Look List’; hot-linked for participants on a special, unlinked index page within this site.

FOR ALL SPONSORS

Preparation Support: free, included in the base fee.

 

●  Detailed pre-event Guidelines and Checklists to assist your local organizers (even the most inexperienced) in producing effective publicity, managing all organizational preparations and providing an adequately equipped and furnished site.

●  Event Timeline Guide, Registration Form, site arrow posters(3), Schedule Poster, Vision Statement Poster, and evaluation form.

●  If desired, personalized invitations to adjacent congregations and regional judicatories of the ABC, ECUSA, ELCA, PCUSA, UMC and UCC in the US; and of the Anglican, Presbyterian, Lutheran and United Churches in Canada, to help foster pan-denominational connections and boost attendance.

Complete Publicity Kit: $65.00.

Proven, professionally designed forms customized for your event; masters printed in high-resolution on photo-quality paper to ensure the best possible results (all renovated during 2006):

●  Registration Brochure: B&W: six panel, (11 x 8 ½), Tri-Fold with: schedule, content, mission statement; customized with your dates, site(s), directions, fee and contacts.

●  1 Poster: Color: 8½x11, customized with your dates and site(s).

●  1 Poster: B&W: 8½x11, customized with your dates, site(s) and contacts.

●  ‘2-up’ Bulletin Insert: B&W: 8½x11, customized with your dates.

●  2 Posters: 8½x11: Color + B&W: Top Ten Reasons To Attend.

●  2 Posters: 8½x11: Color + B&W: Why Bother to Attend?

●  Conference Curriculum: B&W: 11x8½.

●  Printing and Distribution Guidelines for preparing packages for your own churches.

●  Guest Printing and Distribution Guidelines for preparing packages to invite local churches of other denominations, plus html links to letters of reference from previous sponsors in those denominations for inclusion with the packages.

Also:

●  In Adobe pdf format: Registration Brochure for you to upload to your own web site.

Complete Press Release Package: free, included in the base fee.

 

●  Sample Press Release Texts: 3 versions for promotional use in your own print media and on your own Web sites, so you can ‘edit down’ to suit. I provide these both in print form and also in html format; sponsors may adapt selected texts in this package for their particular uses from the hard-copy, or more easily by downloading them; also includes texts from the promo brochure, the registration brochure and all 3 posters; and, 3 newsletter inserts, full of good ideas and humor.

●  Sample Press Release Graphics, in both gif and jpg formats:
The Magnetic Church Logo, from the web index page:
a. full version, in color and b&w
b. reduced version with border and all text, but no cross; in color and b&w
c. reduced version with all text, but no border or cross; in color and b&w
d. reduced version: no border, no cross; "The Magnetic Church" text only; in color and b&w
The Magnetic Church Banner, as displayed on all the internal web pages:
a. full version, in color and b&w
b. reduced version: no border, no cross; "The Magnetic Church" text only; in color and b&w
The Magnetic Church Cross "Building Disciples" (gif only)
and:

●  Inclusion of your event on the Calendar Page of this Web Site.

●  Links from your own denomination’s Web Site, if available.

And, for Sponsor Churches and Host Churches: extra program options:

 

●  For Both: detailed property and signage critique as part of the Saturday morning Marketing section.

●  For Sponsor Churches only: if desired, pre-event personal critique of all print media (bulletin, newsletter, all welcoming materials, etc) and website.

My book Welcome! (Alban):

 

●  You may purchase directly from me copies of my book WELCOME ! discounted on bulk orders; and the companion CD: Chapter 6 Forms and Brochures on CD.

Companion Sunday Program: Base fee $200.00.

Personal, individual "Monday through Saturday" evangelism. I provide: a sermon, a companion "take-home" Bulletin insert, a 45 minute interactive Forum and a short list of follow-through "reminder" ideas. This separate arrangement (not to compete with the conference) allows the members of a local church to take advantage of my being in the area. The base fee for a moderate size church is $200.00 for one service, the Forum and materials. Unfortunately, given the current turmoil in airline schedules, especially to early Sunday afternoon flights, I can offer this program only if I still can depart on Sunday early to mid-afternoon.

Fee Schedule: 1 site, Friday evening and Saturday
(Effective and unchanged! since May 15, 2007):

August 10, 2009: You don't need $5000 to $6000 to host an event! With registration revenue and prudent spending (like not $9 per person for lunch from Subway), most sponsors can limit their net expense to $1500 or less. And right now, I know that many prospective sponsors are hesitant to commit to a weekend until they see more clearly how their funding is surviving the current economic conditions. If this is also your situation, and you would like me to temporarily hold a date while you try to finalize funding, please contact me and I will do my best to accommodate you. Also know that I am extremely vigilant about securing the lowest travel costs - even non-refundable airfares may be renegotiable and I know the best day/hour to book!! In addition, I am willing to discuss expense travel allowances and performance rebates.

These fee structures are designed to make the event affordable to small judicatories and single congregations while also offering reduced rates for sponsors anticipating much larger groups.

 

●  *$2000.00 for up to 60 participants, plus $31.00 per person over 60, deposit $1000.00; OR
**$2600.00 for up to 80 participants, plus $30.00 per person over 80; deposit $1300.00; OR
$3100.00 for up to 100 participants, $29.00 per person over 100; deposit $1500.00; OR
$3500.00 for up to 120 participants, $27.00 per person over 120; deposit $1700.00; OR
$4100.00 for up to 150 participants, $25.00 per person over 150; deposit $2000.00; OR
$5000.00 for up to 200 participants, $23.00 per person over 200; deposit $2500.00; OR
$6700.00 for up to 300 participants maximum, deposit $3300.00.
* the lowest base fee for 60 participants is available only to US and Canadian sponsors in the Atlantic and Eastern time zones.
** the lowest base fee for 80 participants is available in all other time zones, and the base of 80 is negotiable under certain circumstances (distance/time).

●  In addition, sponsors are responsible for reimbursing me for air/car travel, and moderate hotel accommodations, but not any of personal expenses. Historically, sponsors have preferred to have all costs ‘unbundled’ and specific; therefore I break these out separately. And, I make all the arrangements myself, using my experience and frequent-traveler status to ensure that we get the best fares and discounts available.

●  Plus, for Thursday night: an extra 15% of the total fee.

I DEPEND ON SPONSORS

   For any event to be successful, we "suppliers" are called to present our best. Many who come to your event will have attended well-planned business and professional seminars, and they will have similarly high expectations of your event. And at an evangelism conference like this one, we have the additional pressure of dealing with participants who are more likely to be extra intense because the topic itself will raise challenging issues for them.

As the "software supplier", I have spent over 6500 hours refining the color presentation media, using the most recent programs available. And I continually update the content of the visuals and all the companion printed materials. All this to provide a spiritually moving, challenging and practical experience for your members, and as a ‘live’ example of the quality potential newcomers will expect of a church. None of which matters without your enthusiasm and determination.

Because, as the sponsor, you become the primary publicist and chief "hardware supplier". The success of this event will depend just as much on your attention to preparations and details as it will on the quality and content of my presentation. As the event sponsor, you will have two primary responsibilities: first, to generate the maximum possible attendance; and second, to provide a comfortable, well equipped and organized site so that participants will return to their churches with positive memories and excitement for this ministry.

As the sponsor, your mission will be to:

●  Adapt and publish all the necessary publicity from the hardcopy and html templates I furnish, including: press releases, cover letters, phone calls, ads in your local church papers and magazines, announcements at events and notices on your judicatory and/or church web site.

●  Copy and distribute the brochure/registration forms, posters and inserts (from the Publicity Kit masters I supply) no later than 90 - 120 days prior to the event.

●  Supply sufficient copies of both Handout Packages at the event.

●  Furnish a site suitably equipped with 2 or more separate non-worship areas:
a. one for the plenary session with a minimum capacity of 80 to 120 persons; equipped with a cordless lapel or earpiece microphone with a quality sound system (minimum left / right speakers);
b. one or any number of smaller spaces (gyms, parlors, classrooms) for the lunch and work groups, with the same total capacity; equipped with chairs and tables for eight.

●  Furnish 1 backup laptop Windows PC with PowerPoint, one or 2 data projectors (LCD minimum 2000 lumens or DLP minimum 2500 lumens); one or two hi-resolution white screens.
Effective Spring 2010: depending on when, if you do not have Office 2007 installed on your backup laptop, you may need to download and install PowerPoint Viewer 2007 from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=048DC840-14E1-467D-8DCA-19D2A8FD7485&displaylang=en

●  Provide suitably varied refreshments, lunch and other reasonable amenities.

●  Limit the participant fee to a maximum of $45.00 (i.e. to not make a "profit" on the event), and a minimum of $20.00 so as not to ‘devalue’ the event.

TO CONTACT ME:

Would you like more information by email or phone about engaging me to present an event for your own church, or for your area, cluster, conference, convocation, deanery, diocese, district, presbytery or synod? Or, would you prefer me to supply a hard-copy proposal with complete specifics, including schedules and other fee structures scaled to different group sizes?

If so, and if you represent a ‘mainline’ - ‘legacy’ or similar church which ordains both women and men, and would welcome me to receive communion, I would be most pleased to respond to you. In order for me to respond to you effectively and specifically, please advise me of your:

Name, Title and the name of the committee, commission or church you represent
Denomination
cell and daytime wired phone numbers
e-mail address
snail-mail address (if you wish an original hard-copy with pre-printed enclosures)
The probable/possible size group you would anticipate for the event - (sponsors usually plan between 75 and 200; the effective synergistic minimum is 30).

I welcome your inquiries at:

● Andrew D. Weeks: 401-766-7656 (Best time 9AM to Noon, ET,
Monday/ Tuesday / Wednesday) OR

● aw@magnetic-church.com (please put your church/judicatory name
in the subject line so my spam filter won’t delete your message);
click here to connect right now.