Your pastor calls you on Thursday and says

We are preparing the church bulletin.

Would you like to be our liturgist and give the welcome speech on Sunday?

Your heart races, the mouth goes dry.  You think:

Me?  I have to say something in front of all those people?

But since you want to

• please the pastor, or
• volunteer your time, or
• practice good church hospitality because you know its the right thing to do,

you suspend your fear for just a moment and say yes.

How do I say a welcome at church?

When you hang up the phone its a race to Google and type in something like:

• How to Say the Welcome at/in Church
• How can I say a/the welcome in a church
• How do you say a church welcome at church functions
• How to do church greeting
• How to give a welcome address in the church
• How to give welcome address for church visitors
• How to give a church welcome
• How to give welcome speeches for church visitors

I know, because this question and variants are common for my website and in my coaching practice.  I was surprised by the number of queries asked of me, so let me give you some tips.

5 Tips to Prepare the Welcome Speech at Church

1.  There is no magic formula to a church welcome speech.

I wish I could give you a script.  I’m often asked for a script. You might even be looking for sample welcome speeches to give at church.

But churches are so unique, each church visitor is unique, every person who does this unique, and every worship service is unique.

Even the location of the greeting is so unique to every church.  Some give this welcome greeting at the beginning of the service, others in the middle in relationship to their connection card, and others at the very end after the worship is over.

What you will say in your welcome speech at church is dependent on lots of other variables.

2.  To design a welcome speech, think like a first time church visitor.

Once first time church visitors get to the sanctuary and are participating in the worship service, first time church visitors have common questions.

• Will I fit in here with this group of people?
• Is this a place where I can serve?
• How do I get more information about this church?
• Will this place help me grow in my relationship with God?

Depending on where your welcome or greeting speech for visitors is located in the service, you may want to address one or two of those typical questions.

3.  Typical parts of a church welcome speech

Your welcome speech doesn’t have to be long at all.

Most church welcome speeches start with some kind of acknowledgment or appreciation of the visitor’s presence.

• If you are here for the first time today, we’re glad you are here.
• We want to give a special welcome to our first time visitors today.

Some may then move on to address a potential fear in the mind of a church visitor at this point.  For example

• We won’t make you stand up if you don’t want to  . . .  .
• We want to give you space to be as anonymous as you want . . .

Some may then move on to how to learn more.  For example

• We invite you to visit the welcome center.
• If you’ll raise your hand, the ushers will give you a welcome packet that we’ve prepared just for you.
• If you’ll fill out your connection card, we’d love to send you a gift.

Some move into an invitation to some volunteer mission work or connection point that is upcoming.

• We are building houses for Habitat this next Saturday and we invite you to come and serve with us and meet more people who might just be the ones to help you grow in your faith.
• This Friday, we’re having a newcomers gathering at the pastors house.  Come and meet new people and get some of your questions answered.

4.  Invite them to join your church’s mission

That last part is a big deal for me.

I don’t know about you, but the generic “we are here to serve you” speech falls on my deaf ears.

I find that the more and more I hear that, the less I pay attention.

Why?

“I don’t know how the church can serve me.  I know nothing about it.  I don’t know their programs, I don’t know their people.  They don’t know me.”

What catches my attention is the church’s mission and programming.

What is your church’s unique mission and how are you expressing that in your programing in the next few weeks.

Think like a visitor.

What would motivate you to explore more of the church’s programming / service

• We are here to serve you.
• We are building houses for Habitat this next Saturday and you are invited to come serve with us.

You don’t need to cover every announcement every week, but pick one program expression that you want to invite people to.

This is simply suggesting a next step in a first time church visitors process of connecting with your church.

5.  Cover your visitor welcome speech with Prayer.

As you prepare your welcome greeting, pray for your part in the service.

Your part is one of many that the Lord may choose to use in helping people make another step of growth in their spiritual journey.

If you are a layperson, pray that the Lord will give you the right words for that particular crowd on that particular worship service on that particular day.

Let me ask you this?

What advice would you give to someone who is nervous about composing or giving a church welcome speech?  Use the comment field below

Tonight I was asked by a guy in our church
to be a “Greeter” which means
I’d shake people’s hands as they come in.
(Twitter user)

Being a greeter is much more than shaking hands as people walk in the door of your church during worship services.

So many churches simply recruit warm bodies to fill the role of church greeter without much

• thought,
• training, or
• planning

into the role that greeters have come to play in American churches.

Greeters are the front line of your church’s hospitality ministry.

They are a vital part of your organized friendliness that helps members and visitors connect.

But how do you train greeters?

(There are only so may ways to say “Good Morning”.)

What does a church greeter training meeting look like?

What resources might be available to help with recruiting and organizing greeters?

Author of The Work of the Greeter, Paige Lanier Chargois has found some insights from her research and experience across the United states and 47 different countries.

She’ll join us in the next installment of the EvangelismCoach.org webinar series

Thank you for providing this valuable service. I attend a smaller church and there were several points that we will be able to work on for an improved more complete welcome to those who are seeking to worship together with their brothers and sisters. Thank you. I look forward to going over the presentation power point with our group next.

Diane

Webinar Resources:

• The Work of the Greeter
• Certain Women Called By Christ:  Biblical Realities for Today
• Church Greeters 101, order ebook online
• Back to School Season Greeter Training webinar DVD or Download (order online)

New Church Greeter Training DVD for purchase

I’ve recorded  an on-line training event for

• First time greeters and Ushers
• Potential Greeter and Usher Volunteers
• Hospitality ministry organizers who want a review.
• Current Greeters and Ushers

to help you give that last minute training.

You’ll

• Sharpen your own skills to greet
• Receive a fresh vision for effective greeting
• Overcome the awkwardness some new greeters feel
• Learn some helpful things to say to make small talk with guests.

Read more:

http://www.evangelismcoach.org/store/back-to-school-season-greeter-training/

Replay of Pagie’s Church Greeter webinar

Audio Podcast:

Video Replay:

You will need the most recent version of the Adobe Flash Player to see the replay.

Download the Slides as a PDF: Note: There is a file embedded within this post, please visit this post to download the file.

Who is Paige Lanier Chargois?

Her first solo book is Certain Women Called By Christ:  Biblical Realities for Today which is based on the Gospel of Luke 8:1-3.

Her second book, The Work of the Greeter was released in June ’09.  It provides the biblical basis of hospitality along with practical directions and instructive information about launching or sustaining a congregation’s greeters ministry.  It is part of Judson’s book series covering every task in the church.

Paige has served as Director of Membership and Maturity with the Saint Paul’s Baptist Church in Richmond VA at which she developed the structure to accomplish the Pastor’s vision for small groups.  More recently she has served as the Pastor of First Baptist Church in Franklin, VA.

Dr. Chargois teaches theology, world religions, and missions at Richmond Virginia Seminary.  She is a member of the Saint Paul’s church family, and continues to serve the Kingdom of our Lord as a church consultant, leadership trainer, workshop leader, and Bible teacher along with being tapped to preach at churches and retreats.

1.  Preprint church name tags for your regular attendees

One church set up two large registration areas.

One has preprinted tags for regular attendees and blank name tags for first-time guests.   To get a name tag, each guest completes a registration information card. The next week, those guests have preprinted name tags waiting for them.

Another area has preprinted name tags for staff and core volunteers such as the prayer team or ushers.

First time guests are somewhat easy to identify because their name tags are handwritten.  This can help your ushers and greeters connect them with more information and resources about the church.

Yet, this “obvious” distinction may have an unintended consequence of showing a visitor that they are yet “different” as the nametag is not like the others.  You know your local culture to be able to discern how people might feel about this.

2. Handwritten name tags every Sunday

Another church has a stack of labels every Sunday.

All members and visitors fill one out as part of their “culture.”

All are handwritten, avoiding some of the concerns of the pre-printed ones

This takes administrative burden off the staff, but requires that your regular members understand the reason for doing this every week.

One church shared with me they preprint a theme logo, plus the branding of the church with its phone number, name, and website.  Sometimes they will use an image for a special event that week, like a Baptism, or communion.

3.  Distribution of name tags

Churches need to design a system that works for them.

Some will have a board of some kind near entrances where members can obtain their name badge and return it when the service is over.

Visitor centers or guest information booths will have greeters staffed to provide name tags for visitors.

4.  Recollecting name tags

Some may have one central area near the entrance, and make announcements in the bulletin about how to return the nametag.

Inevitably, some will get ripped, accidentally taken home and put through the wash, or just somehow lost.

Part of your ongoing maintenance of a name tag initiative is replacing lost ones, torn ones, or overly doodled nametags.

I’m familiar with churches where about every quarter, leadership reminds people of the reason behind the name tags and that begins a new wave of organizing, using, and distributing.

Let me ask you this?

• What style of nametag do you use that you have found effective?
• How do you distribute them?
• How do you recollect them?
• How do you maintain them?

Share your thoughts in the comment field below (Feed or email readers: click through to find the comment field).

See also

• Using Name Tags in Church
• Why Use Name Tags in Church

For more church hospitality tips on welcoming church visitors, buy your copy of How To Welcome Church Visitors.

Others have published their entry ahead of me (see below), and a few others will follow behind.

The Rabbit and the Elephant

A movement of house churches is reaching the tipping point in North America.  Some claim it’s a second Reformation.

How could we change the world if our Christian faith began multiplying at a rapid pace — through a way of life that is explosive and transformational?

We can grow, can we reproduce?

As Christians, we are the church—whether we meet in office buildings, college dorm rooms, coffee shops, factories, or homes—and the Holy Spirit uses us to expand that church to the far reaches of the globe.

By practicing “simple church,” we’ll find that a small gathering of friends loving Jesus together and reaching out to the community around them can help us to be the church, the way God intended.

The Rabbit and the Elephant Synopsis:

If you put two elephants in a room together and close the door, in 22 months you may get one baby elephant. But two rabbits together for the same amount of time will result in thousands of baby rabbits!

In The Rabbit and the Elephant, “micro church” planters Tony and Felicity Dale use the “rabbit” illustration to show the pace at which the Christian faith can (and should) be growing—through evangelism that is explosive and transformational. The Rabbit and the Elephant contains the key to 21^st century evangelism—taking the Gospel to where the pain and the people are.

My take on the Rabbit and the Elephant

If you are familiar with Neil Cole (Organic Church: Growing Faith Where Life Happens and Organic Leadership: Leading Naturally Right Where You Are) you are likely familiar with the simple church movement.

This book by Tony and Felicity Dale adds to the body of literature about the house church / simple church  movement.

The Rabbit and Elephant can serve as a great introductory book for Christians looking into this model of church planting.  The entire book is written so that one can grab a good introductory level concept of what a house church might look like, how it might multiply, and how a house church can rapidly do the work of personal evangelism.

Overall, I found it to be an easy read, easily digestible, and full of personal stories that model what a house church might do, including some of the messiness of spectacular failures.

Because every house church is unique, The Rabbit and Elephant can’t get into every single detail or challenge presented by one house church, so the authors have to stay at a generic overview level.

But they do provide enough information that one could follow a few practical steps and launch a house church in their own area.

Included are some sample meeting outlines, a FAQ appendix, and a good review of common pitfalls in a simple church.

Worldview

The writers are well seeped in a charismatic worldview, which believes in the ongoing operation of the spiritual gifts and the realty of spiritual warfare.  They firmly believe in God’s miraculous activity and the guidance of the Holy Spirit about how and where to share the gospel.

I share their worldview, so much of this text and examples were easily digestable.  For those that don’t share that worldview (such as dispensational cessationists, or people who aren’t even aware of their worldview), some of the stories and principles may be a stretch, a sticking point, or even heretical in your worldview.

Yet the Dales are clear to say that not all simple churches share their worldview with regards to the spiritual gifts and spiritual warfare.

As another part of their worldview, there is a nice mixing of relational evangelism, which means their church meetings might have more non-believers than believers in them.  If this makes one uncomfortable, then this model of doing church might not work for you.

The best chapter in the Rabbit and the Elephant

Chapter 13, called Luke 10 Principles, outlines their entire church planting methodology.  This chapter alone is worth the price of the book, whether you want to plant a church or simply learn about small group expansions through networks.  In my estimation this chapter is the crux of the entire book so let me give you the basic outline.

1.  Trust God to provide the strategy and workers (Luke 10:1-2)

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.

The disciples were sent out as “church planting” teams and directed where to go.  The job of the disciples were to obey His instructions, and go to places where He was to visit.

The root of this is prayer.  They recommend prayer walking (webinar, resources) where you sense Jesus is sending you.

2.  Trust in God’s protection (Luke 10:3)

Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves

As you go places you may very well confront demonic powers (which exposes a worldview claim in the text).  We are to bind the strong man (Luke 11:21-22) and cooperate with God’s rescue.  Ed Silvoso writes much more about this in That None Should Perish.

3.  Trust God to provide Resources (Luke 10:4)

Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road

4.  Trust God to lead you to the Person of Peace (Luke 10:5)

When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you.

This is the most crucial insight into the methodology.  Look for the person of peace who will invite you into their home to start a house church within their social network.

This is a person who has some kind of reputation (good or bad) and has a wide circle of influence.  The church is usually started in that person’s home (p. 105).

New Testament examples would be Cornelius (Acts 10), or Lydia (Acts 16), or perhaps the woman at the well (John 4).

5.  Enjoy the Hospitality that God provides (Luke 10:7-8)

Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you.

Don’t move from home to home, but stay in the home of the person of peace.  House churches celebrate meals together as part of their practice.  Eating with people creates relationship.  At this point, you’ve only become a friend.  There has been no proclamation to this point.

6.  Trust God to Answer Your Prayers (Luke 10:9)

Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’

Look for opportunities to pray with and for people.  You’re looking for opportunity to bring people face to face with God’s activity.  Once you identify needs you can put your faith on the line and pray.

Then watch God respond.  In their experience, this often happens in connection with one of the spiritual gifts, such as prophecy or word of knowledge, as a demonstration of the kingdom of God.  When people experience the power of God in this way, word of mouth causes more people to gather to start studying and learning from God.

The Rabbit and the Elephant For Legacy Churches

They use the term Legacy churches to speak of what most of us think as church:  a gathering of believers in a building, led by one or more pastors, with a worship service that follows some kind of liturgy.  Mainline denominations, evangelical denominations, all of these have what we would consider traditional churches.

For legacy churches thinking about migrating to simple church, this book hints at such a transition, but doesn’t serve as a how to manual to make that transition.  It also doesn’t get into helping one re-frame their current way of doing church into this model.  It doesn’t get into issues like 501c3 status, record keeping, membership, articles of organization, paying a full time pastor, and stuff like that.

It doesn’t deal with some of the confessional theology of legacy churches (such as what are the marks of the church, Westminster confession of faith, ch 25.4).  I think this direction is outside the scope of the book.

However, legacy churches that want to expand their small group structure, this book can have a lot to say in terms of launching new small groups, and empowering people to launch small groups in their areas of influence.  The Luke 10 principles above are, I think, equally applicable there as well.

I also commend the Dales for not ripping the legacy churches as they present an alternative model.

Order your copy of The Rabbit and Elephant from Amazon. (affiliate link)

Related Resources

• Note: There is a file embedded within this post, please visit this post to download the file.
• See Rabbit and Elephant Webinar Resource Page for resources and bibliography.

Other Reviews of The Rabbit and the Elephant

• http://voiceofthesheep.wordpress.com/2009/06/02/the-rabbit-and-the-elephant-book-review/
• http://www.morethancake.org/2009/06/rabbit-elephant.html
• http://revitalizeyourchurch.blogspot.com/2009/06/rabbit-and-elephant.html
• http://tallskinnykiwi.typepad.com/tallskinnykiwi/2009/06/new-house-church-book-the-rabbit-and-the-elephant.html
• http://rangescc.org/2009/06/02/the-rabbit-and-the-elephant-blog-tour/
• http://churchgrowthsoftwareconsulting.internetpastoronline.com/church-growth-consulting-presents-the-rabbit-and-the-elephant/
• http://christianbookclub.godsdaytimer.com/the-rabbit-and-the-elephant/

Why are church hospitality committees looking to improve their hospitality ministry in their church by buying my book?

• Fear that a visitor to their church will come a few times and still not feel welcome.
• Fear that a church visitor will be overlooked.
• Fear that a first time church visitors will not welcomed because of the actions of untrained church greeters.
• Fear that their church greeters will be too overzealous and drive visitors away.

Readers find that these fears are calmed somewhat by this practical “how to book.”

In it they find over 60 practical hospitality ideas for new church visitors and how to organize their church hospitality.

Results not guaranteed

You might be thinking – If I buy your book, will I see results?  Yes, but with qualification.

The risk is assuming that the church hospitality ideas found inside this book are a formula that will guarantee the results.

“If I perfect the system, I’ll get the results. .. ”

That’s flawed thinking.

This thinking might work for weight loss, making money on line or fixing your golf swing, but not building your church.

Church’s come in different sizes, shapes, local cultures, and different theological traditions.

Hospitality ideas in the church may works in one place, but the same church hospitality idea may not work in another context.

For example, a personal visit to the home of a first time visitor that Sunday afternoon, unannounced, may still work in some places, but would be considered intrusive in others.

Identifying visitors by making them stand up, wear a visitor badge, or sign a guest book might work in some places, but fail miserably in others.  (By the way, I don’t recommend any of these ideas).

The point is, technique doesn’t automatically build relationship.

The goal is relationship.

The goal of your church hospitality ministry is to facilitate emotional and relational connections with the church family.

The goal of your greeting ministry is to remove easy barriers to making that happen.

Hospitality ministries are one of many pieces – ministry events, small groups, etc — to help that process happen.

Techniques help, but if your congregation isn’t truly friendly to your guests, you still won’t get the result you are looking for — growth.

Think of the goal first.

Then work backwards and ask yourself –

• Does this hospitality practice help or hinder that goal?
• What additional practices can we do to facilitate relational connections with the congregation?

Order your copy of How to Welcome Church Visitors.

Yes, I’m serious.

Ever been blown over by that uniquely powerful smell?

You know what I mean.  What’s the first room you clean in your own home when

company is coming?

I rest my case. Is your church bathroom up to “company standards?”

Put some nice de-odorizers in there.

2. Greeters.

Remember your first day in a church?

Unless you were born into one, you were probably nervous your first day and filled with questions.

A common practice in US churches is greeters at the doors to at least give a hello and a friendly handshake.

Some churches have a few volunteers they call welcomers who are available to engage visitors in conversation after the door greeters say hello.

See also Church Greeter Training videos.

3. Real coffee, with real cream.

Most churches will offer some kind of reception after the service.

Use good coffee and provide some real cream.

That powdered milk substitute just doesn’t work.

See Tip #9 in 10 Practices to Welcome Church Visitors for more thoughts.

4. Cast a Vision for welcoming Visitors.

One killer to your hospitality ministry is when the congregation isn’t as friendly as your hospitality team.

I have experienced professional greeters at the door and welcome center that gave a great first impression, but chilly experiences from church members inside the sanctuary.

In other words, I was welcomed only by the “professionals.”

Pastors – Refresh a vision for welcoming visitors so that your congregation doesn’t create a cultural mis-match with your hospitality ministry.

5.  Clean up the junk room.

Most churches may have a “junk room” where stuff accumulates that doesn’t have a home.

That could be a coat closet, classroom, or even a corner in a public space.

Clean it up.

See Church Hospitality Survey Assessment to download an audit tool for free.

6.  “Visit” your own church.

Commission a few wise souls to observe your Sunday morning processes before Mother’s Day.

Examine the quality of greeting, the ways people’s faces look, the mood that seems present from the time the first worshipers arrive, and what your church probably feels like to a visitor.

Do a thorough inventory of how your church presents itself to a visitor.   A critical analysis and review will help your greeters and team get a good idea of what needs to be addressed.

7.  Website Page

Many people will use the Internet to find a church nearby or to find out about a church they have been invited to.  Does your home page announce your Mother’s Day services?  Does the home page of your site give clear directions? Does it provide easy to find contact information for staff and church leaders?  Does it show pictures of people, not just buildings?

See the website category for more ideas.

More ideas

For more ideas on preparing your church for mother’s day, buy a copy of How To Welcome Church Visitors.

Some links have since broken

Mother’s Day Outreach Ideas

Here are some Mother’s Day Outreach ideas from around the web (Ed Note: Links are slowing breaking, but the ideas are good)

• Mothers Day oil-change Outreach – free oil changes for moms in a neighborhood daycare.
• $1000 Room Mother’s Day Makeover lottery – raffle for a room makeover for two single mothers
• Mother’s Day Baby Supply Drive –  Gathering baby related supplies for a local women’s home and families in need.
• Mother’s Day Outreach for Refugees – Home visit with gift baskets to new immigrants / refugees in the neighborhood.
• Passing out Mother’s Day cards at local nursing home by youth group.
• Mother’s Day Brunches, banquets, and other celebrations around a meal.
• Mother’s Day Baby shower at the hospital for new infants born that day.

Church Marketing during Mother’s Day

From MediaOutreach.com

1. Attract those seeking to attend churches these days to come to your church

• Utilize print pieces – billboards, mail drops, and door hangers can all inform your community of your presence
• Involve members – give members invite cards and access to e-invite so they can invite family, friends, and coworkers
• Update your website – include an announcement right on the homepage that lets visitors to the site know what you are doing

2. Turn these occasional visitors into active members

• Prepare your leaders for the new comers – have people ready to greet new visitors, help them find a seat, answer questions, and show them love through caring for their needs
• Prepare your church facilities – make sure you have lots of designated parking for visitors, plenty of seats in the church and extra clean and tidy restrooms
• Prepare your children’s ministry – get extra volunteers to help with child care and Sunday school so that the parents can enjoy the service

As you do these things, you will attract this group of people into your church and help them feel welcomed so that they will return. . . .

As you move through this time, we encourage you to be aware of the potential and opportunity for changing lives. Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing more thoughts and ideas on preparing for. . .  .Mother’s Day. Please join us and let us know how things are going and what you see God do through you this . . . Mother’s Day season.

Let me ask you this?

Share with us some of your mother’s day outreach plans.  Use the comment form below.

Prepare your church for Mother’s Day

Church Hospitality Book Recommendations

How to Welcome Church Visitors, Chris Walker

A practical how to manual on first impressions with study questions.

Fusion: Turning First-Time Guests into Fully-Engaged Members of Your Church, Nelson Searcy

A book focused the mechanics of an effective assimilation process for his church.

Sticky Church (Leadership Network Innovation Series)

Strategy of sermon-based small groups to retain new people coming to your church.

First Impressions: Creating Wow Experiences In Your Church

A book focused on training welcoming teams in large campus churches.

Related Links on EvangelismCoach.org

• 15 Strategies to Increase Number of First Time Visitors
• What to say to A Church Visitor
• 10 Church Visitor Gift Ideas
• How to Make Church Visitor Welcome Packets
• 10 Tips for Church Greeters

The Actual Presentation

Download the PPT Welcoming Church Visitors April 2009

View more presentations from Chris Walker.

Note: Shameless self-promotion follows.

I’ve collected a few more stories of how people are using and finding my book How To Welcome Church Visitors.

We have been giving church hospitality workshops for over 15 years and of the 25 or more books we have used in the past, yours is by far the best contribution to the field with all it’s nuts and bolts practicality.

We’ve been photocopying the cover and telling our client churches that if they want to start improving their first impressions, they should start here with How To Welcome Church Visitors.

Bill and Gail Royster
Church Hospitality Trainers
The Welcome & Hospitality People
Houston, TX

One who claimed the bonus coaching session with me after purchase had this to say:

How To Welcome Church Visitors is a well-written, thought-provoking resource that is going to be a blessing to anyone who reads and applies it’s content to their church needs.

This book is especially important to me, as I serve on my church evangelism board and recently volunteered to manage our greeter program.

I measure the worth of a book by the number of ideas I’m able to apply to real needs. I found no fewer than 25 great ideas that I can apply immediately!  I recommend this book without reservation.

Chris Walker’s coaching ability is wonderful. He’s a clear thinker with a way of cutting through the clutter and confusion surrounding a problem.  He focuses on the most practical path to a resolution and effectively communicates how to reach the intended goal.

Les Dahlstedt
St. Matthew Lutheran Church
Rocklin, CA

The Rev. Paul Stokes has published a review for GEAR (the Group for Evangelism and Renewal in the United Reformed Church).

Ron Crandall, connected with Asbury seminary, wrote about his take on this book.

One Presbytery in the Presbyterian Church (USA) bought and gave away copies of How To Welcome Church Visitors to over 50 of their church congregations.

Free Webinar on First Impressions – April 28, 2009.

Register Online

Order your copy: How To Welcome Church Visitors

Charles Arn has surveyed thousands of people: (Source: 3 Questions for Charles Arn)

We also asked the focus groups when they decided that the church was friendly or not.

From the answers we got, there’s a ten-minute window that is pregnant with opportunities for a church to make a good impression. And it wasn’t the ten minutes I expected.

I thought they would say it was right after they got out of the car and walked into the building, but more than any other time, folks said,

“I decided this was a friendly church in the ten minutes following the conclusion of the service.”

Many feel that that is the first time people are free to be themselves.

Up until that point, you go through the routine and enter the sanctuary and follow the directions. But when the last song is sung and the last prayer is prayed, then it’s a free-for-all, and in the minds of the visitors, they’re asking, “Will these people really go out of their way to welcome newcomers like me?”

Reflects my experiences making visits

I found this surprising.  Marketing books on first impressions often stress the first 7 minutes of a visitor’s experience, but this surprise result indicates that the fellowship time afterwards is perhaps more important than even first impressions.

But when I reflect on my experiences as a first time church visitor, it makes perfect sense.

When I am a first time visitor I am focused on the mechanics of getting to the sanctuary, getting a seat, and getting oriented to my surroundings.  The services of greeters and location of signs are helpful in accomplishing that task.  A task oriented mentality narrows the focus to accomplishing the task, not to evaluating the friendliness of a congregation.  The more helpful the congregation is in getting that task done (greeters, ushers, signs) the easier I can get it checked off the list.

However, the 10 minutes after the service is where I am now relaxed, ready to engage people, having heard a message, prayed, sang some songs.  I grab a cup of coffee and am now ready to talk with people about what I just experienced.

This is where the level of friendliness comes to clear view:

Is any one approaching me as a the first time visitor?

Does any one want to talk with me?

Steps to improve your church hospitality after worship

In How to welcome Church Visitors, a whole chapter is devoted to these important ten minutes, including how to talk with visitors after the service.  It’s not the time to conduct church business with insiders.  It’s time to talk with visitors.

The research shows that those 10 minutes after the service are the perfect time to take initiative and talk with your guests.  You could:

• Introduce yourself: “I’ve not met you yet, I’m Chris . . .  . “
• Offer to pray with them right then if a need is shared.
• Offer to answer questions they might have about their experience.

It’s about them — not about you or your church.  It’s not about the quality of your coffee or the freshness of the pastries (though that is important).  It’s about intentionally making connections after the service.

You can read more at the book How to welcome Church Visitors