How to Plan a CLCC Seminar

The following is a list of guidelines for the seminar planning process. Not all items will fit all occasions, so it is a bit of a “cook book” approach. Perhaps the two most important things are to plan early and plan broadly, not narrowly. In other words, we need to think outside the traditional box on how churches normally communicate their news about events. Why is this important? Because the message you are trying to bring, will not get to all the people you want to reach if it is subjected only to the filter of some church offices, or more specifically, the pastor, when that pastor is uncomfortable with our materials. Otherwise, we wind up “preaching to the choir,” because the word doesn’t get to the entire audience, and that is not what we are about. It is unfortunate that we have to say this, but that is the way the “world” we are serving exists. The following guidelines are focused on local, multi-parish gatherings using a seminar format. If you are focused solely on your own church then How to Host a Local Seminar might be all you need if you have a source for your speaker, etc.

Step 1. Organize. Get an Ad Hoc committee going, or an existing board, to do your planning functions and parse out the responsibilities. Select a seminar date, topic, a time and place, and request a speaker/trainer to do the seminar. CLCC will have a list of trainers, by seminar, to meet your needs. Start this process at least 4 to 5 months in advance as good speakers and trainers have a schedule to keep, so you can’t be too early. Going through this exercise will establish the what, when and where for use in developing the PR materials. CLCC will do the event flyer and bulletin insert tailored for your event, for you. If you need a single sheet registration form, ask. At this time you should also select an event committee, with one person designated as the coordinator. The coordinator’s main job will be to see that all of the details are taken care of “by somebody,” and provide the name and email address of this external point of contact to the CLCC. Provide the name, telephone and email to Norm Fisher, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , and Gene White, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , as soon as you can.

Set the registration fee for your event. Take into account the costs for the speaker, including travel and honorarium (if needed), as well as meal and refreshment costs that will not be covered by the hosting congregation(s). You also need to include the cost of providing blue two-pocket folders for holding the handout materials. A new option is to ask your local Thrivent Chapter to sponsor the event, fully or in part, as an educational event. Also, Care in Congregation funds under the control of your local Thrivent Chapter representative, can be used to sponsor a seminar. Establish communications with the CLCC Treasurer (Gene) for guidance as needed and agreement on the final fee for early registration and late/at the door registration. If you are going to offer this discount for early registration, do it now so it is included in your PR releases. Make the cutoff at least a week before the date of the event. No registration refunds after this date.

Step 2. Publicize. This step should start right after Step 1 is completed and be completed within two to three weeks. Start the publicity process early so people can plan ahead and put your event on their calendar, or have time to move other commitments out of the way. Make a list of all possible publicity sources available to you and their submission requirements. The list should include local print and broadcast media on community events (especially those needing long lead times), bulletin inserts for churches in your area, flyers that can be posted on bulletin boards in churches and other public spaces. Develop an email and surface mail lists of pastors and laymen and send your info direct to them. CLCC will send email addresses we have in your area as well. Enlist their support in gaining publicly in their churches, minutemen talks after services and Bible classes, etc. Keep this list up to date and have it ready for your next event. Send a copy of your mailing list to Kari Anderson at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it so we can share it later with an adjacent area having a seminar event. CLCC will provide an appropriate flyer for your event once the needed details are provided from Step 1, as well as a - registration form as part of the bulletin insert. CLCC will also provide national and regional coverage of your event though its own resources. Add the seminar PR to your newsletter and church Website too.

Do not restrict yourself to your own denomination or circuit, as other confessional churches, and confessional people in non-Lutheran churches may be interested in many of the topics CLCC will be presenting. Designate a specific person to be handling the money for you. If it is a CLCC sponsored event all monies collected early should be turned over to the CLCC instructor for tabulation and forwarding to the Treasurer for deposit, as well as a letter invoice for any local expenses. The trainer most likely will not want to be responsible for settling accounts etc., this is between the host site and the CLCC Treasurer. See the CLCC Website for a flyer or bulletin insert example If the seminar stretches over two days then accommodations must be planned for those attending as well. This will require someone to reserve a block of rooms in one or more nearby hotels/motels for the attendees at a discount price. It is smart to tie the block of rooms with early registration. In other words, have the hotel/motel hold the rooms until the last day of the early registration period. This creates an incentive to register early, so you will have a better idea of the number attending, thus better planning can be made for copying handouts, refreshments, seating, etc. Don’t forget to set a date for the block of rooms to expire, otherwise the hotel/motel may charge for all the rooms that did not get used by your attendees. Another point to consider is reservations at a local RV park for those interested attendees. It might also be possible to park one or more RVs in the church parking lot overnight, as most RVs are self-contained. This helps reduce the costs to the attendee and could be a part of the decision making whether to attend or possibly include the seminar in their travel itinerary. If you can accommodate 4 RVs, for example, consider making them available for the same period of time as the hotel/motel room block, on a first come, first served basis.

Step 3, Repeat Step 1. At about three weeks before the event repeat all of the publicity completed in Step 2 where possible to do so.

Step 4, Repeat Step 2. Repeat your public publicity efforts about one to two weeks before your event, where possible to do so. The list should include free local news bulletins on cable TV and your newspaper, public service announcements on the local radio stations, etc. There is no such thing as too much publicity when you are trying to overcome years of neglect that have existed in many cases. Don’t forget to cancel the hold on hotel/motel rooms for your event. The above steps are based on a commercial model, a model that is geared for success of the event, which is what we want. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box.

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Board of Congregational Services

(April 2009)