Podcast Episode #415
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Most every church thinks it welcomes guests well. Unfortunately, many are not welcoming at all. Today we discuss what welcoming churches focus on to more effectively reach guests.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
- We often neglect to invite people to church because we aren’t confident they will accept.
- There should be clear next steps for guests on your church’s website.
- Your church website should clearly communicate to guests what they should expect when they visit.
- If you have multiple services, it’s important to have a team of volunteers come through and reset the room before the next service.
The eight questions we cover are:
- Are our members inviting others?
- Does our website communicate to guests?
- Are our members friendly to guests or to members only?
- Is our facility clean, tidy, and safe?
- Are there barriers to worship?
- Are we speaking a foreign language?
- Do we follow up with guests in a timely manner?
- Do we have clear next steps?
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Our friends at Vanderbloemen Search Group help churches and ministries build great teams by finding their key staff, but did you know they have a ton of resources around team building? Their newest addition is TheCultureTool.com, a free comprehensive staff engagement survey to help you build, run, and keep a great team. It’s brand new and still in beta, so check out TheCultureTool.com to be on the cutting edge of this new tool that will help you improve your church staff culture.
Visit TheCultureTool.com to learn more.
Feedback
If you have a question you would like answered on the show, fill out the form on the podcast page here at ThomRainer.com. If we use your question, you’ll receive a free copy of Becoming a Welcoming Church.
Resources Mentioned in Today’s Podcast
- Becoming a Welcoming Church
- We Want You Here
- Invite Cards from The Church at Spring Hill
We have just started giving the “We’re Glad Your’re Here” book to first time guest. They absolutely love this. As far as follow-up, we have just started a 5 week follow up that envolves, a postcard, 2 text messages, 3 emails, one phone call, and one visit over the course of 5 weeks. Also, with the visit, we take a google drop pin at their address and then the member of the church that lives closest to them tried to visit them with me (the pastor). It’s been working great!
That is an incredible report, Jerry. I hope to mention what you are doing on a future podcast. Thank you.
Guest follow-up at our church is personal and simple:
(1) We have a couple designated greeters at the main door, one of which gives a “treat bag” with goodies and information in it.
(2) The guest leaves a card with their information which is given to me, the pastor. I make a copy of it on a full size sheet and make my own notes at the bottom of what I learned/observed about the person/family. I give a copy of this to one elder, one deacon, and one woman in the the church. These folks either call or mail a card to the guests.
(3) I personally, as the pastor, send a handwritten card to the guests from myself and the church on Monday or at least the same week.
(4) We add the email address to our weekly subscription (folks can opt-out, but they rarely do).
(5) After a few visits, we invite them out to lunch!
That is great, Wesley. Thank you!
I suppose my wife and I don’t fit the “regular new visitor” mold well. We are in the hunt for a church home, and find a prime variable missing from the list: “Do the church doctrines and theology match our beliefs & convictions, and do the church’s ministries openly express them?” We have noticed a couple issues regarding the above: 1. Obvious, simple scripture is ignored. 2. Or, statements of beliefs align with scripture, but not practice.
Thom, I am seeing more and more quotes and references from you showing up in Church Bulletins and on Church websites, so please keep up the good work!
I have a painful question to ask. Currently in my industry, an anonymous survey has indicated that 2/3 of the workers would not recommend their own career to their own children.
Based on that idea, I am wondering if it is fair to find out what percentage of Church members would not ask visitors to attend their own Church, and if so, what are the reasons.
Personally, I suspect that it is a significant percentage. What do you think?
It’s a great question, Ron.
As a 72 year young founder and CEO (Chief Encouragement Officer) of Helping Pastors and Church grow, when I was a staff member at Churches, we had a 9 X 12 White envelope printed with a read border and in the middle printed. “We’re Glad You Visited XYZ Church Today”. The 9 X 12 envelope had info on different ministries of our Church. As soon as the offering was received, 2 people received the Guest Cards, made a copy of them; attached the copy to a white envelope and placed them on a table in the Grand Hall. The Deacons had been trained of what to do. At the end of the service, someone would say, “Deacons, remember the table”. We had trained the Deacons to stop by the table and get 1-2 guest envelopes and deliver them on their way home. We always had 1-2 Deacons who would stay around and deliver the ones that was not on any Deacons way home. Sine most people eat out on Sundays, it was amazing the phone calls I received on Monday saying, “I can’t believe, before we got home, someone had already been by out house”. By the way, the 2nd time a guest visits, it is the most important time they will every visit.
Following up on number 4, when I was a young associate pastor the senior pastor said to me “The nursery is the handshake of the church.” Our church welcomed many young families and we had both a map directing them clearly to the nursery and child care areas, and someone to guide them there on their first visit. Those facilities especially were immaculate and reflected well-thought out features and equipment that spoke volumes. When technology advanced, we had individual beepers that were handed to the parents in case they were needed in the nursery/child care area during the worship service.
Good stuff, Tom.
We’ve been using Text In Church for automated electronic follow up (we try to have each electronic message signed by a different pastor/staff member so it doesn’t seem like just one person is doing it – over several weeks, each message will be signed differently), but after receiving the connection card, a Pastor/member makes an in-person visit later that week. We’ve found better success of having a return visit with a quick follow up!
The research (and the Bible): Local congregations can experience all of the brighter tomorrows for which they/we have the potential in their/our settings–but not by accident (cf. 2000-3000 church closings annually for the proof). Instead, intentional, strategic, and relational activities are required in order to capture all of those available tomorrows (this used to be called “Flake’s Formula” among SBC churches, but it receives little attention–and far less direct instruction–these days compare with years ago, and to our demise it seems).
Required: management, leadership, AND administration–all three (i.e., everything does not rise or fall on leadership alone–because it cannot, in order for change to take place and be sustained). Seminaries and Bible colleges say they teach them, but not many church or denominational leaders appear to practice them . . . Cannot figure out why . . .
I would like to order the “We Want You Here” in bulk but I cannot find the bulk order on lifeway.
Roy –
Here is the link. Note that the $5 bulk price will apply if you order in units of 20. Thanks.
https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/we-want-you-here-P005799680
Thanks
For follow up we send a post card the next day. On the front of the post card is a simple “Thank you for visiting”. On the inside I write a personal message giving them my personal email, the office phone number, and the website. I invite them to ask any questions and encourage them to come back the following Sunday.
If they do not return the following Sunday I will typically send out a follow up email saying we missed you and are here to serve them and the community.
I enjoys these podcasts and appreciate all that you do. You were a little rough on “The Voice” in this episode about his watch. I know you both generally banter about, but your criticism today to him seemed a little harsh and would have been better done before or after the podcast in my opinion. Thanks and keep up the good work. #StandingUpForTheVoice
We put alot of focus on first time guests but from your book “insights of the unchurched…”. the main reason people stay at a church is connection to the minister. Do you think those reasons are the same today? if people stay at a church because of the connection to the sermon/minister does first impressions matter. Just wondering are we putting resources in the right space. thanks