Effective Guest Follow Up

Chip Arn seminar, Getting People to Come Back April 2002

Chandler@vbmb.org

The Goal of All Follow Up

– Getting people to return one more time!

– The odds of a person connecting with a church increase exponentially with each additional visit

Percentage of Visitors Who Become Active Within a Year

1st time visitors

2nd time visitors

Non Growing

9%

17%

Growing Churches

21%

35%

3rd time visitors 31% 57%

Assumptions about Visitors

• No one joins a church without first visiting

• Visitors won’t tell you what they really think about your church

• You don’t have a second chance for a good first impression.

Two reasons visitors return:

1. Based on “friendliness” of the church

• Basis: their perception, not ours, of

friendliness• Basis: did anyone talk to us?

– Quantity, not quality

2. Before they leave the first time

When do Visitors determine the “friendliness” of the church?

• Based on the first ten minutes after the end of the service!

– Application idea:• After-service hosts

Visitor Phobias

• Being singled out

• Being asked to speak

What do you call them?

• “A person who resides temporarily”

• “one who goes or comes to inspect”

• “one who makes a short stay at a place for a particular purpose”

• Term: visitor

A better term …

• “A person welcomed into one’s house”

• “A person to whom hospitality is extended”

• A person who is due special courtesies”

• Term: Guest

What do you call yourself?

• “One who meets or extends welcome in a specified manner”

• “One who gives a formal salutation at a meeting”

• Term: Greeter

A better term …

• “One who receives or entertains socially”

• “One who opens the home for a special event”

• “One who takes particular care and concern that guests are well accommodated”

• Term: host

Where are your hosts?

1. After-service hosts• “waving” hosts!

2. Parking hosts• 1st ten minutes are the

2nd most important!

3. Lobby hosts

Where are your hosts?

4. Worship hosts

5. Class hosts• i.e. Sunday School

6. Coffee hosts• Before, after, or

between services

What do Guests Look For? Bob Bast, Attracting New Members, Church Growth, Inc. Monrovia, CA

1. The friendliness and warmth of the church

2. The character of the worship service• Clear and uplifting experience of Gods’ presence

3. A place for their children

4. The adult program

5. The church facilities• Don’t cause church to grow but can prevent it• Goal: for facilities to “feel like” where people live

A few random ideas …• Celebration balloons

• Piped-out music

• Direction signs

• Guest info tape/packet

• Pastor’s welcome

• Church tour

• “3 Minute Rule” – (no talking to friends for first 3 minutes after service)

Two discussion questions

1. What are the first impressions guests have of our church?• We can’t say

2. What are our intentional guest-welcome strategies?

Five Principles for Effective Guest Follow Up

1. The Time principle

– Contact guests within 48 hours of their visit

– Sunday-Tuesday is best return rate

– If you wait till Wednesday, you’re too late!

Five Principles for Effective Guest Follow Up

2. The Purpose principle

– The goal of the follow up contact is simply to see guests return, rather than a high-push evangelistic aim

Five Principles for Effective Guest Follow Up

3. The Personnel principle

– Laity, not staff, should make the follow up contacts• Phone call often better than visit• Also easier to recruit church callers

– Over twice the effectiveness in return rate when unpaid servants do the calling

– Believability factor

Five Principles for Effective Guest Follow Up

4. The Entry Path principle

– Create windows of opportunities for newcomers to get involved

– The more side doors for newcomer involvement (beyond worship service), the better

Five Principles for Effective Guest Follow Up

5. The small group principle

– The more small groups you provide, the more newcomers will get involved

Conclusions

• “You’ve got to catch ‘em before you clean ‘em!”

• Warm, quick, lay-led follow up is “catching”

• Churches who practice hospitality see a higher growth rate

Effective Guest Follow Up

Dr. John P. Chandler

Courageous Churches

Virginia Baptist Mission Board

Chandler@vbmb.orgCopy right John P. Chandler, 2002