In 2016, over 600 Adventist churches in the United States and Canada joined together to share The Voice of Prophecy’s Shadow Empire with people in their communities. And the results were exceptional: tens of thousands of guests walked through church doors, many for the first time. And thousands of them stayed to join follow-up Bible studies.
It was a compelling four-part event that truly exceeded expectations.
But although the nationwide campaign for Shadow Empire is over, it’s momentum is far from finished. Churches who have used Shadow Empire as an evangelistic tool in 2017 have seen continued interest and steady attendance for their series.
CASE STUDY— THE WOODLANDS ADVENTIST CHURCH
In a community packed with booming mega churches, it’s a challenge to bring in new faces for evangelism series. Pastor Chris Jones of The Woodlands Adventist Church, located in The Woodlands, Texas, knew he had to use a new and unique approach to reach his community— so he decided on Shadow Empire.
And his community responded to the documentary-style videos featuring Shawn Boonstra, the Voice of Prophecy’s Speaker and Director.
“Everyone told me they loved how it was produced,” Pastor Jones said. “I had one guy tell me that the presentations were perfect, with just the right amount of info—not too much or too little.”
The March 31- April 4 event yielded over 120 online pre-registrations, with 70% of registered attendees actually walking through the doors of The Woodlands Adventist Church. Several attendees also decided to join follow-up Bible studies.
“One of my friends that I have been praying for and working with for three years asked for Bible studies after this series,” said Pastor Jones. “That is a huge win for Jesus!”
THE STRATEGY
Pastor Jones partnered with SermonView Evangelism Marketing to come up with an effective multi-touch strategy to help make Shadow Empire a success in his community.
We utilized:
A colorful, attention-grabbing bi-fold mailer, designed to stand out in the mailbox
Detailed demographic study of the area
A personalized landing page for people to pre-register for Shadow Empire and reserve their seats
Targeted Facebook video ads, which reached over 20,000 people with 40 shares
Each of these pieces, when used together, led to a cost of $150 per guest—far lower than average evangelism results.
THE TAKEAWAY
We have found that although the nationwide advertising for Shadow Empire is finished, churches who use Shadow Empire as a series continue to see results. It continues to be an effective tool to bring in new people through the doors of local churches.
Pastor Jones was so pleased with this Spring’s Shadow Empire that he plans to run the series again as a pre-event for the Voice of Prophecy’s A Pale Horse Rides this fall.
“The feedback from those who attended has been amazing!” Pastor Jones said. “We will definitely do Shadow Empire again in the fall before the next series, A Pale Horse Rides.”