Quick Survey to Evaluate Your Church Guest Services
On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being “This needs definite work”… 5 being “We rock at this”) rate your church's greeting and guest services practices:
Your Turn: How to Identify Church Visitors in a Large Church
Five body language observations that can help your church greeters detect first-time church visitors
Church Dropouts — why people find it easy to leave
If it was easy for me to drop out the back door of the local church, what can you do to help close that door? Here are 4 simple strategy steps
Church Shopping Visit Number 6
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 …
Confessions of a Church Shopper – Can I make a friend?
We tried for 6 weeks to make friends at a church we thought we'd become a part of. Yet we could never seem to find how the way in.
What you can learn from our church shopping experience
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 …
Should unbelievers be invited to church?
A year ago, I posted this question to the EvangelismCoach.org Facebook page. “Should we invite unsaved friends to church?” Give a Yes or No, and then give a reason. The answers were pretty divided between Yes and No, with some strong opinions: Yes, the church is on an evangelistic mission. No, the church is for …
3 Ways Church Management Software Can Help Your Church Visitors Become Members
One consistent question on church hospitality processes that I receive is how to follow up on your first time church visitors. Questions like: What are good thank you gifts for church visitors? How often should we contact visitors after their first visit? How do we get church visitor contact information in order to follow up? …
Why your small church should have a reception after your service
Having Church Visitor Reception AFTER a service in a small church can make the difference between a visitor who returns, and one who doesn't.
This belongs in your church’s DNA
What do you want your church visitors to think when they experience your church? You’re crazy. God is in your midst. Last night, I taught in a church that is planting two more churches here in 2013. This is a young congregation, under 4 years old, already raising money and training leaders for future church …
Church Visit Case Study: A Christmas Eve Experience
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 …
Your Turn: What to say to latecomers to church
Recently, I was asked the following question via Ask The EvangelismCoach. I’ve posted this to the community Facebook Page, but wanted to give you all a chance to help pitch in. I hope to do this on a more regular basis. Ask EvangelismCoach Question from Ed: “How do we greet late comers? Do we need …
How to keep church visitors coming back after Christmas
Most churches experience an influx of church visitors at Christmas time. Some are out of town guests. Other church visitors seek out the Christmas traditions of their youth. Others are awakening to their spiritual thirst. Churches have special activities that are geared at increasing the number of personal invitations that members give. While your attendance …
Update your Church Website for Your Christmas Visitors
Many people check out a church’s website or Facebook page prior to visiting your church at Christmas. If you are having special events at Christmas to attract new church visitors, ask yourself these questions while at your church website: What time is your Christmas Eve Service? What should I expect on Christmas Eve? Is there …
7 Tips to Praying with Church Visitors (Without Being Rude or Embarrassing)
A church visitor expressed a personal worry to me in a conversation. It led to an opportunity to pray with her.
Here are some steps I follow before praying with a church visitor that I have not met before.
Reduce Friction on Your Church Website
Can potential first time church visitors find out the information they need on your church website landing page? What do you think are some of the most common questions of your website visitor? Here is what I think (though I don’t have data to prove it): Where is the church? What does the building look …
Why is it so hard to be a church visitor?
I read a newsletter some time ago (source lost) that described what it is like to be a church visitor: Why is it so difficult to walk into a new church? Even if you’ve been steeped in church culture for years, being in an unfamiliar environment is unsettling. If you get there a few minutes …
Guest Article: Seeing Your Church through the Eyes of a Church Visitor
Today’s guest article about being a church visitor comes from Fran, who is currently visiting churches after many years with one church of one brand. Here are her observations after visiting. Reposted with permission.
You Were a Church Visitor
You were a first-time church visitor.
What emotions do you recall?
Do you recall the disorientation of not knowing where things are? Maybe you recall wondering if you'd fit in? What other emotions are there?
Don't forget those feelings. Use them to help your church welcome.
When the shorts and skirts were too short
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 …
No one said Hello
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 …