LAKELAND — While Jesus’ commission to "go therefore and make disciples of all nations" (Mt 28:19a RSV) seems simple enough, churches are finding it increasingly difficult to meet that challenge in today’s society. With the abundance of media and messages competing for people’s attention, pastors and church communicators in the Florida Conference are trying different ways to get their message across.

Jean Vanderslice, the volunteer communications coordinator at 500-member College Heights United Methodist Church in Lakeland, said her biggest challenge is letting people know where the church is. "Most people attending College Heights don’t live in the neighborhood," she said. "We have to get our name out there, because the church is hidden geographically."

For that reason and because the church’s advertising is targeted primarily at United Methodists without a church home, Vanderslice makes sure every advertising piece includes the United Methodist cross and flame, a map to the church and times for regular church events.

Vanderslice says she places advertisements primarily in the yellow pages and religion sections of the local newspapers. She also takes advantage of "anything that’s free" and uses advertising space on the back of restaurant menus.

Although some families have told her they visited College Heights because they saw one or more of the church’s ads, she said most people attend because a member invited them.

The Rev. Bruce Ebert, pastor of Olga-Fort Myers Shores United Methodist Church in Fort Myers, said he discovered that young people not raised in a church do not know churches are open to visitors.

"I greeted a couple in a grocery store that I had met at my son’s school," he said. "I invited them to worship with us. Their response was, ‘Oh, can we do that? We thought you had to know somebody.’ "

Knowing people need to be personally invited, Ebert wrote personalized letters to the church’s neighbors using names and addresses from a computer disk he obtained from the tax assessor’s office. "A short pastoral letter…by name makes a better impression and will possibly be read," he said.

Ebert says the best advertising is a personal invitation, but "it seems so hard to get the folks in the pews to realize that and participate."

At 16-month-old Bay Life Community United Methodist Church in Sarasota, the Rev. Don Nations says electronic communication is the least expensive and most effective way to keep the church’s mission and activities in front of people.

The "Bay Life Business Fax" is a one-page sheet Nations sends to 1,300 members of the Sarasota and Venice chambers of commerce. It includes articles about business-related topics, thank-you notes to businesses that have helped the church, and information about the church.

"We have three or four folks at church, plus the family they bring with them, who have told me this was their first contact with the church," Nations said. "People who have changed jobs have called and asked, ‘Can you add my new work to your list?’ It builds awareness and credibility."

The church’s Web site is building community awareness, too, according to Nations, who says it gets more than 1,300 hits per month.

It is designed for people who are unfamiliar with the church or uncomfortable attending a church where they don’t know anyone. It has pictures and downloadable video of church services and activities, frequently asked questions, community information and self-help pages on health and finances.

"It’s an opportunity to check us out without coming in the door," Nations said.

Nations also sends e-mail newsletters to church members, visitors and people who have only visited the church on the Internet.

With such a high-tech approach, Nations says he and his staff are intentional about being "high-touch." Viewers can e-mail the church through the fax and Web site. Nations said he and the staff try to personally answer all e-mails. Church members also make sure they welcome newcomers at services.

All of the church’s efforts are designed to help people recognize and remember the Bay Life Community name. "It’s the old marketing thing, until they see your name seven times, they don’t know you exist," he said.