Americans are drifting away from the Church in record numbers.
At the heart of this crisis is a failure in communication...
Why They Follow: Lessons in Church Communication from That One Lost Sheep
Why They Follow: Lessons in Church Communication from That One Lost Sheep
By Matthew Warner
By Matthew Warner
Word on Fire | July 5, 2023
Word on Fire | July 5, 2023
236 Pages | Hardcover | Size: 5” x 7”
236 Pages | Hardcover | Size: 5"x7"
Retail Price: $24.95 $19.96 (20% OFF & FREE U.S. Shipping)
Retail Price: $24.95
$19.96 (20% OFF & FREE U.S. Shipping)
Americans are drifting away from the Church in record numbers. At the heart of this crisis is a failure in communication.
So many church leaders repeatedly make unnecessary missteps in communication which are hurting their otherwise great work. Thankfully, these are easily fixed.
With over ten years of experience working with over ten thousand churches as the founder of Flocknote, Matthew Warner offers church leaders a practical guide to leading their flock somewhere truly meaningful—no matter their church role!
In Why They Follow, you'll learn:
- Why some people listen and others don't
- How to get them to open (and respond to) your messages
- Why most church websites and apps don't work
- How to ask for money (and why it should be fun)
- Mistakes most church leaders make
- Why people should even follow you in the first place
- Where to find the time for all of this
Get 1 Book: $24.95 $19.96
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“Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?”
LUKE 15:4
The Parish Pack
With The Parish Pack, you'll get 59% off and Free U.S. Shipping on 10 copies that you can distribute to your whole team.
Get a copy of Why They Follow for each member of your staff and start revolutionizing how you communicate with your flock today.
In Why They Follow You'll Learn...
- Why some people listen and others don’t
- How to get them to open (and respond to) your messages
- Why most church websites and apps don’t work
- How to ask for money (and why it should be fun)
- Mistakes most church leaders make
- Why people should even follow you in the first place
- Where to find the time for all of this
- And so much more!
Here's What People are Saying...
“To face the challenges of our age the Church needs faithful innovators—Matthew Warner is one of them! His passion for reaching people with the life-altering message of the Gospel is relentless and inspiring. Why They Follow is a clear-eyed look at what we are facing as a Church, filled with new and innovative strategies to address these challenges.”
—Matthew Kelly, author of Holy Moments and founder of Dynamic Catholic
“Why They Follow is a practical ‘how-to’ for anyone interested in effective Church communications. More than that, however, Matthew Warner provides a timely reminder on what should always be at the heart of the Church’s mission: the need to follow Jesus’ command to ‘make disciples of all nations,’ and how to fulfill that mission in today’s digital world.”
—Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York
“Matthew Warner is the most gifted communications expert in the Church today, and this book is like a one-on-one masterclass with him. Clear, practical, direct, inspiring, even funny at times, Why They Follow helps you understand why some groups succeed at reaching and connecting with people, especially the disengaged, while other groups fail. If your communication efforts don’t seem to be working, or if you’ve wondered how to better utilize tools like email, texting, and online giving, this book offers a treasure trove of helpful advice (especially the second section, worth the price of the book alone!). Why They Follow is the must-read book of the year for leaders in every parish, diocese, school, and ministry in the Church.”
—Brandon Vogt, author of The Church and New Media and Return
“You need to read this book and give it to others. Matthew Warner has given the Church a gift in Why They Follow, and now it is up to you to open it up. This book is challenging in all the right ways yet full of practical and easy-to-apply wisdom. If the Church wants to get better at communicating Jesus’ Gospel with the world, then we need to listen to messengers like Matthew Warner.”
—Marcel LeJeune, president and founder of Catholic Missionary Disciples
“Matthew Warner explains, beautifully and clearly, why we need to be better communicators, and more forward thinking in our strategies to engage others and share the faith. I really enjoyed his insights into both the ‘why’ of the challenges we face and the ‘how’ to make necessary corrections to our methods. Matthew is the voice to listen to on the issue of Church communication in this modern age, and I’m remarkably grateful this book will be in the hands of so many who want to communicate and evangelize well.”
—Katie Prejean McGrady, author and host of The Katie McGrady Show on The Catholic Channel on Sirius XM
“Matthew Warner is someone who I would love to sit down for a drink and hear his thoughts on the Church and the world today. In Why They Follow, we have the chance to do just that. In a book on communication, Matt models how to do it effectively so that we can do the same. It's a must read for anyone trying to reach those in the Church and beyond.”
—Kevin Cotter, Head of Content at Hallow
About the Author
Matthew Warner is the founder of Flocknote, an innovative communication and all-in-one software solution helping over ten thousand churches and dioceses better connect with their flocks.
He’s on a mission to help the Church communicate better, spending the last twenty years on pastoral councils, leading ministries, traveling all over the country speaking to thousands of church leaders, podcasting, blogging, writing books, and creating innovative media projects that have engaged countless people. He writes at BacktotheHome.com and is the author of Messy & Foolish: How to Make a Mess, Be a Fool, and Evangelize the World. He, his wife, and their six children hang their hats in Texas.
Contents
Foreword by Uno the Sheep
PART I: GUIDING PRINCIPLES
1 - Nobody Was There
2 - Here’s Why They Follow
3 - The Message They Hear
4 - What’s at Stake?
5 - Context Matters
6 - Why Should They Trust You?
7 - Cultivating Soil
8 - Navigating the Digital Landscape
PART II: PRACTICAL LESSONS
9 - How to Add Followers
10 - Don’t Assume They Know
11 - How to Get Their Attention
12 - Say Different Things to Different People
13 - Did You Miss Me?
14 - The Best Communication Channels
15 - Say Less, Communicate More
16 - Are You Listening?
17 - Doing It on Purpose
18 - Invitations That Work
19 - The 1 Reason People Open Your Email (or Anything)
20 - Asking for Money
21 - Don’t Say It; Do It
22 - Hangups, Hurdles, and Help
23 - My Hope
What’s Next?
Acknowledgments
Notes
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WordOnFire.org | Privacy | Contact
1-866-928-1237 | support@wordonfire.org
Word on Fire Catholic Ministries is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit ministry.