It was Easter Sunday. We attended a traditional church in a mainline tradition. It was the traditional service, one of 3 main services on a Sunday morning. Full robes were worn by the hand bell team and the full choir. The pastor wore a suit and tie. We sang the awesome hymns of Easter accompanied …
We were prepared to be the first time church visitor in our new home town of Port St. Lucie Florida. The church planting team we are a part of has taken a holiday break, so our family was free on a Sunday morning to be that first time visitor and experience once again the challenge of …
In our family’s current journey of looking for a church, we empathize anew with Christian families that are new movers and have to find a new church on their own. I am re-discovering is the value of small talk when engaging your first time visitor. (Read these 20 Crazy Church Greeter Comments). Our church visit …
We found our way to the church parking lot, in a round about way. We drove past the one driveway and found the second driveway was roped off. We drove around the city block to once again approach the one and only OPEN driveway. As our family makes a trek to the third church …
In the summer of 2014, our family moved to central Florida due to an expansion of our ministry’s vision and reach. We are new movers into the community. We have no friends yet. We are a blank slate looking for a church. We are the first time visitor. We are the church shopper. I wrote up …
Once again, my family got to be the first time church visitors this past weekend. We chose a church that had 3 Sunday services, and an approximate weekend attendance of 1500 people. They have much of the hospitality systems in place, but it may be time for a hospitality training refresher for their volunteers.
My family and I attended a church service in a Christian faith tradition completely different than what we are used to.
We learned 3 important lessons for hospitality committees at churches.
In 2012, our family was once again out of town for Christmas, visiting family. For the last 5 years, we have not had a Christmas Eve service in our own church, but near where my parents reside. We’ve had a few rough first time Christmas Eve church visits, but this year was different. Through a …
In the summer of 2012, I played the mystery visitor at the request of the pastor of a church not to far from where we were living. I stepped into two awkward moments. He gave me liberty to pick any Sunday I chose. Furthermore, I was not to let anyone know of my visit ahead …
Our family has experienced a temporary life transition that had us move to another state in the US for a period of four months, away from our church, away from our social networks, and away from our friends. Four months not enough time to visit many churches to look for a church home. to build …
Your Christmas Eve church hospitality can make a big difference in a visitor’s decision to come back. Your Christmas Eve Outreach is a wonderful opportunity to invite first time church visitors! Your members can invite their friends as well as strangers they meet out in public. Visitors come through your doors. Some will be out of …
I visited a church that I hadn’t been to in a while. It was packed full of people, many of whom I had never seen before during prior visits. To many people that morning, I was a first time church visitor. When the service was over, I was speaking to a church member, whom I …
I’ve taken up a pattern of walking most mornings to help clear my head and gather my thoughts during this season of the year. I’ve subscribed to the podcast from Church Talk Radio, and most segments are about 45 minutes to one hour. I’ve got it on my MP3 Player and while walking, I consume …
Our family visited another church for the first time. We showed up unannounced and uninvited. We had seen the sign on the street announcing service times and chose to attend. The experience was very different than the first time visitor story we shared in a prior posting. A Cross Cultural Church Visitor Experience This church …
This weekend, our family attended a church down the street. This church had all the right church hospitality techniques: Welcome Table Designated Visitor Parking Church Greeters Ushers Manicured building and grounds Adequate signage Free gifts of appreciation for church visitors. A partially functioning website that had the service times on the homepage. But they failed …
Many churches still use a bulletin or program to share the news of community life. Do you proofread your announcements? Is the font easy to read? Does the bulletin appear professional (not a 7th generation photocopy)? Are contact names and phone numbers included? If not, what central point can a person go to to get …
Imagine a church meet and greet where it’s a game: Who’s come the furthest to get here? First Presbyterian Church in Branson MO greeted their church visitors this way when I was there on a visit in 2007. Because its a tourist town, they have plenty of visitors to church who come for the one …
Most churches have an unofficial dress code that visitors do not know. When a visitor appears to break the dress code, how does your church react? Does your reaction help the church’s mission of evangelism, or does it create an environment that is hostile to evangelism? The ‘secret’ dress code One of our first time …
The art of welcoming the first time guests who visit your church is to practice the art of church hospitality. Church Hospitality is not evangelism as we define and use evangelism here. Rather, church hospitality helps to shape the environment for hearing the joyful sharing of the good news of the sovereign love of God. …
Over dinner this weekend, I heard this story first hand. I had only been a Christian for six months. Six years ago, we moved from Texas to Richmond and began to look for a Spanish language church. I didn’t find any for a few weeks, so my wife and I decided to attend an English …
