Your Ministry Elevator Speech

Be Ready to Open Doors to Further Conversations

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Opportunity is Everywhere!

In God’s economy, He often provides for your ministry needs through connections with the people you meet in everyday situations. Your elevator speech can be a crucial part of making those connections.

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Where Can You Share Your Ministry Elevator Speech?

Consider these situations where being prepared can make a difference:

• After church: A friend introduces you and says, “Tell them about your ministry.”
• At your ministry display table
• At a conference or seminar
• On a flight or in a long line waiting to check out
• Networking at a business or organization meeting
• At a dinner where everyone introduces themselves

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Bottom Line: Opportunities abound!

If you’re not ready, you might miss a chance to connect people to what God is doing through your mission. The key is to keep your message simple and repeatable, so it flows naturally into conversation.

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Crafting a Conversational Elevator Speech

Creating an elevator speech can be tricky. It requires knowing and committing to memory the basics while maintaining a conversational tone. A scripted speech may come off as stiff and inauthentic.

Instead, aim for a shared understanding among your team, enabling everyone to communicate the essence of your ministry in about 90 seconds. This ensures consistency and prevents mixed signals, inviting others into your mission’s bigger story.

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The Five Key Elements of an Effective Elevator Speech

To craft a compelling elevator speech, focus on these five key elements:

1. Identity: Who you are - "We are…"
2. Those You Serve: Who you help - "We help…"
3. Solution: Your unique solution or approach - "We provide …"
4. Transformation: The impact you make - "So that…"
5. Success Story  Example: A real-life example - "For example…"

Example: House of Hope

"At House of Hope (Identity), our goal is to break the negative impact on children growing up in the foster care system (Those You Serve) by providing a Christian group home alternative (Solution) that enables them to gain life skills in a nurturing environment (Transformation). For example, when we met Jeff, he had been in the system for five years. After just one year at House of Hope, he now… because our volunteers taught him to… God has used this to show him… (Share story)."

Remember, it’s not necessary to follow this order precisely. The goal is to be clear on these basics, allowing flexibility to adapt to the person, situation, or environment.

Conclusion

An effective elevator speech piques interest and shares your ministry’s vision concisely and compellingly. By mastering these basics and incorporating a story or question, you can turn an “elevator pitch” into a meaningful conversation.