Rich Birch

Rich Birch is one of the early multi-site church pioneers in North America. He led the charge in helping The Meeting House in Toronto to become the leading multi-site church in Canada with over 5,000+ people in 18 locations. In addition, he served on the leadership team of Connexus Church in Ontario, a North Point Community Church Strategic Partner. He has also been a part of the lead team at Liquid Church - a 5 location multisite church serving the Manhattan facing suburbs of New Jersey. Liquid is known for it’s innovative approach to outreach and community impact. Rich is passionate about helping churches reach more people, more quickly through excellent execution.His latest book Church Growth Flywheel: 5 Practical Systems to Drive Growth at Your Church is an Amazon bestseller and is design to help your church reach more people in your community.

communications strategy

5 Reasons Your Church Should Offer Name Tags Every Sunday

Rich BirchJune 16, 2013

When you arrive at our church on Sunday's you are greeted by some fantastic members of our team who offer you a name tag. You can opt out of this experience ... but our hope is that the majority of our people at our services will decide to get a...

communications

How do churches celebrate the “other” holy days?

Rich BirchJune 12, 2013

Throughout the Christian calendar there are days that it seems like the community is more likely to accept an invitation to come to church. For our church it's Christmas and Easter ... but what about those "other" holy days? You know ... the one's that our culture (and greeting card...

communications

4 Essential Questions Pastors Can Use to Troubleshoot Technical Problems

Rich BirchJune 10, 2013

Church leaders are increasingly relying on technology to deliver their weekend service experiences. Audio, video and lighting systems are now a standard part of many Sunday mornings in churches across the country. Most pastors aren't naturally technically inclined but we heavily rely ... that's a recipe for anxiety! How can a pastor interact with...

strategy

10 Differences Between Starting and Launching Ministry Initiatives

Rich BirchJune 7, 2013

I've been involved in a lot of "new things" in my church leadership life over the years. In fact, I've seem to have a track record of being on the front end of new projects all the time. New campuses, leadership development programs, outreach initiatives, digital engagement strategies, follow up...

communications strategy

How Global Consumer Trends are Impacting Your Church. [infographic]

Rich BirchJune 6, 2013

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communications

7 Alternatives to Sunday Morning Announcements

Rich BirchJune 4, 2013

Ministry leaders think if they just get their event or program "promoted from the stage" people will flood into it. Church communications people are peppered with requests all the time for people wanting to get "their deal" in the announcements. The urgency from those leaders leans towards desperate. However, the more...

communications

7 Reasons for Regular Church Invite Cards (& 6 Tips to Make Them More Effective!)

Rich BirchMay 31, 2013

As communications continues to shift towards more digital and online we've found an increasing value in producing regular invite promotional cards for our people. We used to only do this for "big days" or "special series" but we've shifted to do this for every series. Over this last year we've...

personal productivity strategy

7 Decision Making Skills for Church Leaders to Help Fight Confirmation Bias

Rich BirchMay 29, 2013

“It is difficult to lay aside a confirmed passion.” – Caius Valerius Catullus We are all impacted by confirmation bias. We develop a belief about a situation then seek out information that bolsters that belief. We end up analyzing our options through the filters of what we already believe to be...

multisite

11 Guidelines for Multisite Central Staff When Visiting Campuses

Rich BirchMay 28, 2013

Recently I was talking with a church leader in a multisite church that broke my heart. This leader was reflecting on when their central services counterpart would come and visit their campus to "help". "They just show and vomit all over our people ..." this leader said. Too much information...

personal productivity strategy

10 Performance Based Interview Questions for Church Leaders

Rich BirchMay 24, 2013

Often when we hire staff in a church context we are thinking about the potential a candidate has for the future. A part of the way we're wired as church leaders is to see the best in people ... to believe that people will develop and become "better". Although this...