When I sat down with Pastor Ken Bennett from Connect Church in Plano, he told me how their church grew from 150 to over 600 using Facebook ads and why they’re now preparing for a third service.
I’ve worked with Pastor Ken for months now through ChurchCandy. I’ve seen firsthand how he leads with intentionality, measures what matters, and builds systems that show people they’re cared for.
Before ChurchCandy: Frustration and Uncertainty
Pastor Ken says that before ChurchCandy, their strategy was simple: people reaching people. It sounded good, but didn’t guarantee new guests.
“I got tired of hearing, ‘We never knew you were here.’ I realised being the best-kept secret wasn’t a compliment.”
Despite strong sermons and a welcoming community, they couldn’t count on new faces every Sunday. That’s when they decided to try something different.
The First 30 Days: Facebook Ads + Structure
After partnering with ChurchCandy, they started seeing results in just 30 days. Pastor Ken knew it couldn’t stop at clicks. Clicks meant nothing if they didn’t have a plan for what happened next.
“We wanted to grow and make sure people didn’t fall through the cracks.”
When I reviewed their follow-up script, I saw how detailed they were, down to asking what kind of coffee a guest might prefer.
By the time guests show up, they already feel like someone knows them—because someone took the time to ask about their coffee order, their kids’ names, and followed up with real care.
The Power of Mindset: A Four-Week Series
If you’ve seen how Pastor Sherman Dumas approached digital outreach with ChurchCandy, you’ll recognise a similar mindset here. Sherman’s story shows how alignment across a team can create big results even on launch day.
Before launching anything, Pastor Ken led his church through a four-week sermon series.
“I told them, we’re going to be intentional about reaching people who’ve walked away from church. There are millions. And this is one way to meet them where they are.”
He wanted the team and congregation to share the burden, not just rely on an agency.
A few of the younger volunteers, including college students, joined a Zoom call just to help with Easter follow-ups.
Caring at Scale: Personal Follow-Up and Retention
I’ve seen a lot of follow-up systems over the years, but the way Pastor Ken’s team records every guest detail, from kids’ names to seating preferences, is next-level.
To keep up, a few churches have started using AI for scheduling and follow-ups, but only where it doesn’t get in the way of real connection.
Easter 2024 was their biggest service ever. Pastor Ken called 600+ past plan-a-visits. Many who skipped months ago came for Easter.
“Just hearing, ‘Hey, we haven’t forgotten you’, that moved people.”
Scaling Up Without Burning Out
Pastor Ken worked closely with Alex from ChurchCandy, who helped them refine their strategy and execute quickly. Alex helped them move fast without dropping the ball. His advice made things simpler when everything started picking up.
Since partnering with ChurchCandy, Connect Church has gone from struggling to hit 200.
To two packed services every Sunday.
A third service is on the horizon.
And their sanctuary only seats 170.
“We’re still in a storefront. We lease our building. We don’t have a mega-church budget. But we’re stewarding what we have, and God is honouring it.”
Ken Bennett’s Advice for Other Pastors
Some pastors I’ve worked with take a different route but reach the same goal. Pastor Bob Moya, for example, moved from park events to personal videos and grew by 70 people.
Pastor Ken is direct:
“This won’t work if you don’t carry the burden. ChurchCandy brings people to your door, but you’ve got to be ready to love them when they show up.”
Pastor Brandon Holmes saw similar results by meeting people one-on-one over coffee.
He recommends putting a small team in place, even just two or three people. Train them, give them a script, and empower them.
And most of all, help your team understand why this matters.
“If your team buys into the mission, they’ll do more than follow and carry it.”
Pastor Bryan Larson’s New Life Church used that same team alignment to revitalize a declining congregation into a thriving one with a packed launch Sunday.
Final Thought
Every Sunday, Pastor Ken sees new faces walk in. Some planned their visit weeks ago, some months ago. But they’re showing up, and staying.
A team member reached out, asked about their family, and followed through, which built trust.
Want to reach more people like Connect Church? Let’s build your outreach system one step at a time.
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