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Are Church Welcome Packets a good idea?

SummerWallpaper-The fall ministry season is approaching in the US.

Perhaps it’s time to review the materials in your church welcome folder.

If you do not have a visitor packet ready, you are missing out a great opportunity to help newcomers find their way into your church family.

You can check out this list of 15 things to put in your folder, as well as some more ideas for visitor welcome packets.

Are visitor packets worldly?

Perhaps you’ve encountered an objection like this:

I think a folder like this or little marketing gifts is a bribe we are offering for people to come back.  I feel like we don’t need to bribe people. Why do we feel the need to resort to the world’s tactics to bribe and entice people to embrace God?

1.  Visitor Welcome Packets are not Bribes

They are a communication piece.

Your visitor folder shares information about your church, and perhaps includes a small token of appreciation for making the effort to come and visit.

If I visit a church, I’d like to know more information about it. I will not learn everything in my first visit.

This packet allows the church to communicate aspects of its program, how you can grow closer to Christ, how you can serve Jesus with us in the community, etc. . .

2.  Welcome Folders a Useful Tool for your Visitor.

Just because similar ideas are used in business seminars does not mean we must dismiss it as a worldly tactic.

Speakers speak at business seminars too, so I’m not dismissing my preacher as a worldly tactic.

Rather, these folders become a useful tool for communicating important information about your church to people who are considering  their involvement in the life of your church.

Think about your first time visitor for a moment:

  1. No friends in your church yet (except maybe people who invited them to church).
  2. No connection to any ministry or programming you may have.
  3. Not aware of the good your church does in the neighborhood.
  4. They may consider joining a new network of people they don’t know.
  5. They may consider where they will give of their volunteer time.
  6. They may consider where and how they can receive ministry and give ministry.
  7. They might want to know more about the Jesus who was heard about in the sermon.
  8. They might be looking for a new community.
  9. They may not know what simple next steps they can take to join your community.

Your welcome packet has the potential to answer those questions and in a way that a single Sunday morning service cannot.

These are packets that can be taken home and reviewed in the quietness of a morning, or in a family discussion over lunch.

The Purpose of the Visitor Packet

The primary purpose of the church welcome folder is to communicate information about your church to the first time visitor.

This visitor may have never attended church before.

Your visitor may have been shopping for churches for the last 5 weeks prior to coming to yours.

It is simply a tool to help them in their decision making process, with the caveat that the Spirit of God can work in a person’s life no matter what you put in your visitor folder.

Your Turn

What about church visitor folders?  Are they a useful tool?

Did you receive one that was helpful to you?  What made it helpful?

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How to Follow Up on the Anonymous Church Visitor

How to follow up on the Anonymous Church Visitor

If your church visitor doesn’t fill out a connection card, how can you follow up with them?

They have chosen not to fill your:

  • connection card,
  • friendship pad,
  • pew register,
  • guest book
  • pew welcome card.

They have signaled that they wish to remain anonymous.

Depending on the size of your church, you might not even know they have come.

If you don’t get their contact information, you can’t

  • send them a follow up letter,
  • send them literature about your church,
  • make a home visit,
  • carry cookies to their house, or
  • invite them to come to the next service.

How can you follow up with them if you have no record of their presence?

Give them a church visitor welcome packet before they leave.

A church visitor welcome packet gives your guest something to review when they get home after their first visit.

It provides a way for your anonymous first time visitor to learn something about your church after they have experienced your worship service for the first time.

The packet can help anonymous church visitors become a little more familiar with your church structure, background, worship practices, and beliefs.

It also provides a way to share low commitment next steps towards becoming a regular attender, if they choose to come back.

Hopefully, your awesome church hospitality will help them decide to come back, but your church visitor folder can give them information to consider once they get home.

How to follow up on the Anonymous Church Visitor

What do you put in your Church Visitor Welcome Packet?

14 Different Ideas of what can be in a Church Welcome PacketI’ve written about this before, so see:

Five more ministry leaders have chimed in on the discussion:

David – Our guests get a box that folds to look like a very small gift. Inside is info on all major ministries, easy ways to get connected to serving and groups, a welcome note from lead pastor, and a memory stick with a couple high energy videos about the church and multiple links to our website. Goal is to move them toward connecting and be memorable…thus the gift box look.

Ron – We offer a stainless steel travel coffee mug filled with candy to new guests. This works well in getting them to fill out a card with contact information (95% effective rate). We also give a small group directory, welcome letter, CD recording of the service message, and offer free bibles, post dates for upcoming water baptisms, baby dedications, Discover Membership luncheons, an tri-fold color brochures of various ministries in the church. We have coffee, water, lemonade, bagels and sour cream, donuts etc specifically for Guests. The Congregation had other refreshment areas. We send a letter from the Pastor and call them within 24 hrs.

Leslie – We include a coffee cup, a flash drive with a video about the congregation and it beliefs and activities. We include a brochure of activities and the schedule. We invite them to a six session introduction to the congregation at the end of which they can decide to become as a member or not.

Jennie – Our visitors packet contains a contact card, brochures about our various activities, a coupon for our bookstore, a free snack coupon for our cafe, and a flower. The flower is easy to find and our congregants make a point to greet people when they see this flower. We don’t make people stand up, just raise their hand, and we applaud them for taking time to visit. Our visitors’ table in the back of the sanctuary is a place to meet the pastor after the service and get plugged in right away. We always are in gratitude for our visitors and conscious of their experience. As a follow-up, our pastor calls each visitor a couple days after their visit.

Jeanne – Our packet has a sheet welcoming them & tells about our church and what we believe. It also contains our vision and mission statement. It includes a worship CD, a teaching CD & our 10 year DVD. We have home bible studies we call Community Groups. The brochure listing the latest homes is included.It contains a church business card and info on our radio station. The service times, etc are also on the business card. We have a separate New Believer Pack with lots of info on how to receive Christ. Our church has free bibles in the chair seat backs for people to take & are encouraged to do so if they want/need one.

Don’t forget these items:

You’ll want to make sure some of the basic information about your church is available somewhere in the packet:

I found this sample church visitor packet on line (a download PDF) and like how it is laid out.

Under the Radar Image credit: 72soul / 123RF Stock Photo

Let me ask you this?

Please share your ideas on what you put in your church visitor welcome packet in the comment field below.

Improve Your Church Hospitality

Do you want more first time church visitors to come back a second time?  Taking care of your hospitality systems can help you keep more of your visitors.  I’ve put an ebook together to help you review your hospitality systems.

Read more on How To Welcome Church Visitors

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Are Unbelievers Present at Church – Part 4

Invited to ChurchShould we invite non-believers to our church services?

So far through the three parts of rereading the book of Acts (part 1 covers Acts 1-5, part 2 covers Acts 6-9, part 3 covers Acts 10-11), I don’t see a clear answer to the question.

As I have looked at the gatherings of the disciples so far, what is clear so far there is no pattern of inclusion or exclusion, or if it is even possible to make a conclusion.

Particularly starting in this next section, it starts to get confusing to say “that’s a church meeting” and “that is not a church meeting.”

They are gatherings where the word of God is proclaimed, gifts of the Spirit are manifested, and elders are set apart with fasting and prayer.  The only hints of locations are a few references to the synagogue.

In today’s section, I’ll continue in Acts as I watch the church develop in various cities as the gospel goes forth.

Acts 12:1-5, 12

It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them . . . . So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. . . . . he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark,where many people had gathered and were praying.

Luke uses the word church to identify the disciples, not to speak of a specific gathering for worship.  The use in verse 5 may refer to a specific meeting in the house of Mary that is described in verse 12.

It is likely that this gathering for a prayer meeting was made up only of known disciples, but that is a a likely inference rather than a clear statement.

It doesn’t address the question about inviting the unsaved to our church meetings to hear the proclamation of the word of God.

Acts 13:1-3

Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul.  While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”  So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

Luke’s use of the word church refers to disciples in Antioch.  Was it the one church meeting (specific event), or a general description of the church as disciples with various meetings in various parts of the city?  Verse 2 moves us to a specific meeting for the setting apart of Barnabas and Paul.

This passage shows only believers (prophets and teachers) by name.

But this verse doesn’t address the question – are unbelievers present or excluded?  It’s not Luke’s point.

Acts 13:42-44, 48-49

As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath.   When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.   On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. . . .  When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. . . The word of the Lord spread through the whole region.

Paul had been teaching in the synagogue in Psidian Antioch.  He preached a simple message and people believed.  He was invited to return and it is said almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.

I think it is very likely that unbelievers and believers were in this mix.  They had come to hear the word of God.  Some believed after hearing.

What is clear is that this is a gathering of people.  If one holds that unbelievers are not to be invited to church, then this meeting must not be church.

Acts 14:1-7

No specific gathering is mentioned, other than Paul teaching in the synagogue.  A great number of Jews and Greeks believed.  Verse 3 adds:

So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.

There is no mention of a place where this occurs other than the synagogue.

I would imagine that the believers and non-believers continued to mix at gatherings to hear the word of God taught during that considerable time there.  Luke doesn’t record any kind of division or separation into “believer only group” and mixed group.

Acts 14:21-28

They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.   Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.  After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia, and when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.  From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.  On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.

Luke gives generalized statements about people coming to faith in various cities, the appointment of elders, prayer and fasting.

There are no details here to suggest a “believers only” worship gathering, except maybe in the final sentence.

“they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.”

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4 Tips to Start a Door To Door Outreach

4 Tips for your next Door to Door Evangelism Campaign

A staple of church community evangelism has been the door to door outreach campaign.

If you want to start  door to door outreach in your community, I want to provide you with some starting points for your team to consider.

1.  Define your purpose

Your purpose will determine the training you will need to give your volunteers.

  • Are you seeking to learn community needs?
  • Are you inviting people to a particular outreach event or new sermon series?
  • Are you desiring to share the gospel with each person who opens the door?
  • Are you looking for prayer needs?
  • Are you doing a servant evangelism type outreach, like giving food to every household?
  • Are you expecting to visit with people, or simply leave literature like a door hanger advertisement or gospel tract?

One of my friends wanted simply to pass out tracts to every household in the community and listen for prayer needs.  He and his team knocked on every door, gave some literature, and offered to pray with people for particular needs.

2.  Define your area

What is the geographical area that you will canvas?  Define the limits of where you want to go.

If you are including apartment complexes or condos, you many need to secure permission from the property management to avoid problems.   While I do believe in free speech, I also desire to obey private property rights that some complexes choose to have.

You will want to keep your area to a size that will allow you to make repeat visits during the course of the year.

In one of our door to door campaigns a few years ago, we visited every home in managed housing complex.  We secured permission from the apartment manager, who was genuinely surprised that anyone would even care to visit every household in that complex.  It gave us a chance to witness to her as well as we talked about why we were doing this.

What we failed to do however was make a repeat visit within 4 months.  We never did that outreach again.

4 Tips to Start a Door To Door Evangelism Outreach

3.  Recruit and Train your volunteers

Depending on the purpose of your door to door campaign, you’ll recruit and train according to that purpose.

During your training meeting, be clear to define “What done looks like?”

Your purpose will define the content of your training meeting.

4.  Pray, Pray, and Pray

Spend time praying for the community before you go.

I would even encourage your team to spend at least a month or two praying before taking the first step to the first door.

You may even want to prayer walk your community for a month before you go.

One of my pastor friends chose this as their option.  They spent two months prayerwalking their community for 2 hours a day before they started their door to door outreach.

Possible Door to Door Training Resource

While there are many gospel presentations (I call them gospel scripts) that one could memorize for door to door evangelism campaigns, I teach an evangelism method can help you at each door you visit during your evangelism campaign.

  • Watch for the working of the Holy Spirit
  • Listen for spiritual thirst
  • Discern your place in their journey
  • Suggest possible next steps towards Jesus.

If part of your purpose is evangelism, consider using the Effective Conversations DVD for door to door training.

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Are Unbelievers Present in the Assemblies in Acts? Part 3

church inviteI invite my unsaved friends to church.

I invite them to

  • hear the proclamation of the word of God,
  • to learn about a Christian community,
  • and to explore for themselves who Jesus is.

While they cannot become members until they place their faith in Christ and can confess that they believe Jesus Christ is Savior and Lord, they are invited to attend our weekly gatherings, get involved in home based small groups, and even volunteer in the community outreach programs to serve along side with us.

In essence, we give non-believers the space and time to explore who we are as Christians, get to know us as the body of Christ, and examine for themselves the claims that following Jesus would place upon their life.

Do we see this pattern in the book of Acts?

  • Is it permissible?
  • Is it prohibited?
  • Is it even possible to draw a conclusion one way or another?

In this series (part 1 covers Acts 1-5, part 2 covers Acts 6-9) I’m reading through Acts to see if there is a pattern of inclusion or exclusion, or if it is even possible to make a conclusion.

Acts 9:31

Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers

Luke uses the word “church” not as a particular meeting of people.  I see this use as an identifier of a group, not as a gathering of believers for a meeting to hear the word, worship, or pray.

Acts 10:23-24

The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers from Joppa went along.  The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.

This gathering is not called a church meeting. It is a mixed gathering of believers and non-believers.  Peter and six disciples (11:12) met with Cornelius who had gathered many of his family together to listen to Peter share about the good news of Jesus.  Peter preached, the Holy Spirit fell on them, they received baptism.

Acts 11:1-18

Peter meets the the disciples in Jerusalem.  He had been criticized for mixing with uncircumcised people.  Peter shared the story of what happened and persuaded them that the Holy Spirit had come upon the Gentiles.

This gathering of believers is to deal with the issue of the expansion of the gospel.  It reflects the tension that is growing over the issue of circumcision.  It begins to reveal how the disciples dealt with old barriers that the gospel was crossing.

It is a gathering of leaders in the church who are debating and discerning what God is doing, much like a church leadership board would meet today to discern what God is doing in the local church.  This gathering in this passage doesn’t address the question I’m asking.

Acts 11:26

So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

Luke uses the term church as an identifier for the believers or disciples.  For the whole year, they met with the church in Anticoh.  Was it one gathering of all the disciples in one place, or where there multiple meeting points throughout the city where individual church gatherings were happening?  There is no hint here.  Luke simply gives a summary statement of what happened that year.

This verse doesn’t answer the question I’m asking.   It simply reveals the pattern of gathering regularly to receive teaching from Barnabas and Paul.

Acts 11:27-30

Luke gives us a specific event that provokes the gathering of offerings.  A prophet named Agabus prophesies a famine.   The disciples decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea, each according to his own ability. (v. 29)

One can assume that the disciples were meeting together as was their custom when Agabus shared that prophesy.

This passage shows the believers meeting together, but doesn’t address the question of the presence of invited non-believers.  That’s not the point or pertinent detail for Luke’s story telling.  Luke’s desire is to show how the Antioch Christians obeyed the prompting of the Holy Spirit to provide for the believers in Jerusalem.

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Are Unbelievers Present at Assemblies in Acts? – Part 2

Should we invite non-believers to church? A look at the biblical evidenceAs I continue to look in Acts, I want to see what I can find that can help me answer the question:

Should we invite the unsaved to church?

Since I practice church invitations as a tool in my personal evangelism habits to help people discover the grace of Christ, I want to examine the biblical evidence in support or rejection of this practice.

My point in this series is to look at the gatherings of the early church in the book of Acts to see if there is any clear evidence one way or the other.  Knowing that Acts is not written to answer my question, I have to draw conclusions from interpretations.  Part 1 of this list is here.  All Scriptures cited are from the NIV.

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