Most churches understand the importance of warmly welcoming first-time visitors when they first walk through the church’s doors. However, don’t forget to extend that welcome by following up with church visitors. One way to do that is by making a follow-up phone call. Jonathan Malm elaborates on that point in Unwelcome: 50 Ways Churches Drive Away First-Time Visitors. Check it out in this quick video:
People are skeptical about random phone calls because they suspect you want something from them. They get excited when they aren’t asked for something.
When making follow up calls, genuinely express care and concern for your guests. Let them know just how much you enjoy having them.
Ask questions like,
- How are you doing?
- Is there anything we can do for you to make you feel more comfortable at our church?
- Is there anything we can pray about with you?
More:
- Watch the full hangout video with Jonathan Malm and Dave Shrein for more church visitor insights.
- Grab a copy of Unwelcome: 50 Ways Churches Drive Away First-Time Visitors.
- Learn more about how your church can welcome visitors.
Eric Dye
January 30, 2015
Love this guy!
Jim Thompson
February 16, 2015
Do you recommend a specific method to get contact information from new visitors? Sign in books or comment cards? Do you make them mandatory for people attending service or just hope that new visitors submit their contact info.
Thanks,
Jim Thompson
Crystal Kirkman
February 17, 2015
There isn’t one perfect method for obtaining contact information because every church is unique. Sign-in books might be effective with regular attenders, but not so much with first-time guests. We have tear-off guest cards in our bulletin and ask guests to take them to the Welcome Center to receive a $5 cafe gift card (our church has a full-service cafe). We find that many guests wait after a few visits before they are comfortable enough to give us their info, and that’s OK.
Jim Thompson
February 17, 2015
Feedback from the true “first-time guests” is what I am looking for.
I am doing some work for a very small non-denominational church that is trying to grow membership. They do get walk-ins, but don’t have a good way to engage these guests to find out why they aren’t coming back.
Its seems less challenging to get feedback from guests after multiple visits, but its the ones that don’t come back that will likely provide the most valuable feedback.
Aligning with some incentive seems like the best approach. I just need to find the right incentive for a tiny church without an in-house cafe!
Thanks again for your response! Great post!
Jim