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Iām preparing to go to Church #1. The enemy harasses me. I donāt want to go. I now understand why the non-regular church attender can so easily stay home despite their best intentions. The living room recliner and television remote are much more inviting and much less threatening.
Welcoming visitors starts before they arrive. What can you do to make it easy for them to show up?
A personal invitation is the most effective way to encourage people to visit your church. What specific things can you do to invite people to visit?
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Church #1: A Friendly Place with a Homey Feel
This church has no online presence, as well as an uninviting exterior. But the people inside are friendly, and we feel at homeāmostly.
An unwieldy wheelchair ramp tacked onto the front of the building desperately needs painting. We bypass the ramp, but it remains our focal point and forms our first impression. What changes should you make to give your church better curb appeal and offer a better first impression?
A man lacking in social skills, with possible mental issues, corners us when we arrive. We canāt escape his plodding monologue. What can you do to protect visitors from regular attendees who may repel or scare them away?
There are only seventeen people present. With a smirk, the minister asks first-time visitors to raise their hands. I want to disappear. What practices should you stop so that people wonāt squirm?
After the service, everyone lingers to chat. Many thank us for visiting and invite us to come again, but they arenāt pushy. What can you do to help a personās first visit not be their last?
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Church #2: Growing Deeper, Not Wider
The church is three years old and meets in a strip mall. Their goal is to āgrow deeper, not wider.ā Everything about this church is the opposite of last week.
I park near the door. I later realize they leave the prime spaces for guests, with the regulars parking further away. When you arrive at church, where do you park and why?
Scores of people mill about, all engaged in conversation. We mosey in, giving time for someone to notice us. No one does. We sit and squirm in silence. Who do you talk to before church: friends, regulars you donāt know well, or visitors? Why? What needs to change?
Despite singing and hearing a message, most of the service relates to church business. How can you address church business and still make it meaningful for new people? Should Sunday mornings have an external focus, saving internal discussions for a different time?
Although they ignored us after we walked in, the overall atmosphere and service was much more welcoming than last week. I want to come back. What can you do to make it easy for people to engage in your service and want to return?
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Church #3: It Only Hurts When You Care
The third church is more established like Church #1 but more midsized like Church #2.
Many pages on their website are āunder constructionā or ācoming soon.ā The sections for members have information, while the pages for visitors are incomplete. What can you do to keep your websi...
