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my Feed.Here is a promo for the conversational evangelism conference, though it was last month. I include it here because it features thinkers and thought leaders [...]
Evangelism Coach International
Fearless Evangelism Training and Church Growth in the Americas
Conversational Evangelism Conference
Discussing the Bridge Illustration
During the time in Enfield for the Youth Night: Discover Your Faith - Enfield CT I had blast meeting with several teenagers and talking about faith.
You are God’s poem.
Ephesians 2:10 shares how we are God’s workmanship. The Greek word for workmanship is the root of our word poem. That says a lot into how [...]
God’s in Charge Not Me
Check out this brief video (about 1:30 or so) about why I find there is little fear in doing personal evangelism.
Sample is from a sermon preached March 2008 at Mt. Oak United Methodist in Bowie Maryland.
Technorati Tags: Evangelism,Gospel,Fears,witness
Possibly Related PostsEvangelism Book Review: Evangelism Made Slightly Less DifficultEvangelism: Process or Event?Friday Finds for May 16God’s Heart [...]
Who are you? A Church Website Review
Recently I visited a very elaborate website for a church and wanted to find out some information before potentially visiting. As part of a church’s marketing strategy, a website is a useful tool to help attract people to your congregation. While not directly evangelism, it is a tool that can help create evangelism moments by [...]
Conversational Evangelism Conference
Here is a promo for the conversational evangelism conference, though it was last month. I include it here because it features thinkers and thought leaders in practical evangelism training. I have used training material from many of the people seen on the stage in this promo:
Mark Mittleberg (see: Eight Barriers to Effective Evangelism Communication)
Rick Richardson [...]
Request Your Help
I’m working on a small research project that I think will help a lot of readers. I’ve put together a little video explaining what I’m looking for. You can add your thoughts in the comment field below.
If you get this by RSS feed via email, you may not see the video and you’ll have to [...]
How to Welcome Church Visitors Ebook
It’s published. You can now purchase a downloadable Ebook on How to Welcome Visitors that I have written.
In the last year, my readers have asked me for a book on greeting church visitors that is different from others on the market. Some are focused on assimilation, some on stale church growth techniques from the 1980s.
This is different. It’s focused only on the first time welcoming process from the Parking Lot to the Pew.
I’ve written this to answer in one place lots of questions that you have asked me over the years.
There is now so much church hospitality information on this website that I’ve compiled it and packaged it for you in a downloadable ebook.
With this instantly downloadable 62 page e-book on church hospitality and welcoming first time church visitors, you will find resources like:
- Five words you never want to say to a first time church visitor. (Save yourself from potential embarrassment!)
- How to organize a team of church greeters
- Ways to train a team of church greeters.
- Why church hospitality is not evangelism.
- What 9 out of 10 church visitors think is important when visiting your church
- Over 20 verses to study on Hosptiality
- 3 other book recommendations
- 9 ideas for church visitor gifts
- 1 gift never to give a church visitor.
- 16 Study questions for group discussion.
- A hospitality audit form that you can use.
- What never to install in a church bathroom!
- What common action used to be frowned upon in the 1920s.
This Ebook on greeting first time church visitors will not cover
- Church marketing — how to get first time visitors to your church
- First Time Church Visitor Follow-up — how to help them stick and stay with your church fellowship.
Visit www.welcomechurchvisitors.com to purchase and see the bonus offers.
Risk free, as I’ll refund your purchase if you don’t like it.
Request Your Help
I’m working on a small research project that I think will help a lot of readers. I’ve put together a little video explaining what I’m looking for. You can add your thoughts in the comment field below.
If you get this by RSS feed via email, you may not see the video and you’ll have to click through.
Put your responses below or simply email them to me. Thanks.
Update: “If I was a microphone recording this part of your service, what would I hear you say?”
Check out this reaction to my book
Wow.
This came in to my email box this morning as a reaction to my new Ebook: How to Welcome Church Visitors.
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Chris Walker hits the target with his new e-book “How to Welcome A Church Visitor.” You will laugh and maybe weep at the truly down-to-earth life stories and the photographs, but more than that you will learn how to think like a visitor and practice holy hospitality that makes a difference. Love is a verb when it comes to living out our faith. One of the best opportunities for Christian action in our churches comes when a new person arrives at the front door. From A to Z, Chris Walker covers what to do next and how to enjoy the blessing of welcoming guests. What an amazing difference it would make if more churches would practice the simple recommendations that fill this book.
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— Ron Crandall I met Ron several years ago when we brought him to do our hospitality training to Richmond for our Presbytery. I’ve respected his opinion and am honored for this write-up.
Get your copy at www.WelcomeChurchVisitors.com
What to say to A Church Visitor
Greeting church visitors is every one’s responsibility. However, it doesn’t always get done so many churches have organized greeting teams to serve a few weeks in a row.
In my experience, some times people who are recruited as greeters may not be sure exactly what to say or how to give a greeting.
It can be a little embarrassing to say “I don’t know how to do this” so in the privacy of their own home, they search the Internet for
- “How to say a welcome to a church visitor”
- “Welcome Scripts for Church Guests”
- “Greetings to 1st time visitors at church”
- “A word of welcome for church visitors”
- “Welcome church visitors speech”
- “Words of welcome to church visitors”
- “What to say to welcome visitors in a church”
- “How to say a welcome to visitors at church”
- “Tips on welcoming First timers in Church”
This list above comes from my search logs just in the past 3 days. So let me share some possible starting scripts that you can use yourself, or develop more fully into a resource you can use at your church.
If you are a church greeting coordinator, perhaps you might want to consider giving a script to your new greeters. Once people say something a few times, they might feel the liberty to relax and put their own flavor to it.
You can give your new greeter permission to mess up. Consider these as guidance to offer them.
Greeting People at Church Entrances:
Sample one line greetings for parking lot or entry greeters or for your members to say in a hallway:
Welcome to [church name] this morning!
God bless you.
We’re glad you are here this morning.
I’ve not met you yet! Welcome.
Greeting Visitors from the Front.
During the worship service, the leader can say something like the following to welcome visitors.
We are glad that you are here with us this morning.
If this is your first or second Sunday with us, we are grateful that you have come to be with us this morning. It is our hope that you experience the love of Christ this morning and His presence during our worship.
If your church does the passing of the peace handshake ritual, the worship leader can go on to say this to help the church greet visitors (See #5 in this list of 10 practices to welcome church visitors).
Get up, turn and greet someone that you’ve not met yet. Shake their hand, introduce yourself, and take a few moments to welcome them to God’s house.
Greeting People After the Worship Service
During the fellowship reception time after the service, church members can be encouraged to look out for and intentionally greet people they haven’t met.
I have find it helpful to break the ice and initiate the conversation by saying:
“I’ve not met you yet. I’m Chris.”
With that, I offer my hand to shake and I continue with a conversation.
Follow up: 20 Blunders in Welcoming Church Visitors.
See also my instantly downloadable book: How to Welcome Church Visitors
Let me ask you this?
What do you say to greet visitors to your church? Add your thoughts below.
God’s in Charge Not Me
Check out this brief video (about 1:30 or so) about why I find there is little fear in doing personal evangelism.
Sample is from a sermon preached March 2008 at Mt. Oak United Methodist in Bowie Maryland.
