5 Ideas to Follow Up with Church Visitors

Every church has a desire to grow, and that growth comes from visitors who convert to faithful members. It’s important to not just get visitors in the door, but also make them feel welcome and entice them to come back. Here are a few ideas for your church to follow up with new visitors.

Greet Your Church Visitors

Anyone who has ever visited a new church understands the awkwardness of being in a new environment. At every service, take a moment to acknowledge and welcome any new visitors to your church. Be sensitive to the fact that they are assessing the environment, so allow your visitors some time before asking them to stand up or calling them in front of others.. Simply greeting them can go a long way in making them feel accepted.

Invite Your Visitors Back

Don’t just welcome your church visitors, invite them to come back. Ask visitors to visit for a few times so they have an opportunity to get to know people and experience the church more than once. It often takes more than one service for a newcomer to pursue membership to a church.

Have a Visitor Center

Your church should have a place for visitors to go and ask questions about the church. This space can be used to answer questions commonly asked by church visitors, such as what types of family and youth programs you offer, what the church believes, and what kind of spiritual development and volunteer opportunities are available.

The church lobby is a great place for your visitor center, as it’s easy for a newcomer to find when entering or leaving the church. Consider having a trained volunteer stationed nearby who can welcome the visitor, give them a tour of the church, and answer any questions they may have.

Use Church Welcome Cards

Welcome cards help make new attendees feel welcomed and become connected to the community. Your welcome cards can include service times, the current sermon series, upcoming events, and more.

Welcome cards are also a great opportunity to collect your guests’ information. Ask for their first and last name, email, phone number, ministry areas they want to learn more about, and prayer requests. Because your guests may not be ready to make a commitment after their first visit, you’ll want to avoid asking them whether they’ll become a permanent member or if they’re interested in volunteering.

Meet with Your Guests

It’s important to form relationships with your church members to show that you care about them. Using contact information from their welcome cards, consider having the pastor or a trained volunteer reach out to newcomers and find time to connect. Set up an informal meeting, like grabbing a cup of coffee, where you can get to know your guest, learn about what they believe, and help them determine if your church is right for them.

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Welcome cards are a great way to make new church visitors feel connected to the community and eventually become faithful givers. To learn how One Write can help your church contribution methods, contact One Write or request a quote today.