Effective Guest Follow Up

1. Effective Guest Follow Up Chip Arn seminar, Getting People to Come Back April 2002 Chandler@vbmb.org

2. 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

3. Percentage of Visitors Who Become Active Within a Year

4. 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.

5. Two reasons visitors return: • Based on “friendliness” of the church • Basis: their perception, not ours, of friendliness • Basis: did anyone talk to us? • Quantity, not quality • Before they leave the first time

6. 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

7. Visitor Phobias • Being singled out • Being asked to speak

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. Where are your hosts? • After-service hosts • “waving” hosts! • Parking hosts • 1st ten minutes are the 2nd most important! • Lobby hosts

13. Where are your hosts? • Worship hosts • Class hosts • i.e. Sunday School • Coffee hosts • Before, after, or between services

14. What do Guests Look For? Bob Bast, Attracting New Members, Church Growth, Inc. Monrovia, CA • The friendliness and warmth of the church • The character of the worship service • Clear and uplifting experience of Gods’ presence • A place for their children • The adult program • The church facilities • Don’t cause church to grow but can prevent it • Goal: for facilities to “feel like” where people live

15. 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)

16. Two discussion questions • What are the first impressions guests have of our church? • We can’t say • What are our intentional guest-welcome strategies?

17. Five Principles for Effective Guest Follow Up • 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!

18. 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

19. Five Principles for Effective Guest Follow Up • 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

20. Five Principles for Effective Guest Follow Up • The Entry Pathprinciple • Create windows of opportunities for newcomers to get involved • The more side doors for newcomer involvement (beyond worship service), the better

21. Five Principles for Effective Guest Follow Up 5. The small group principle • The more small groups you provide, the more newcomers will get involved

22. 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

23. Effective Guest Follow Up Dr. John P. Chandler Courageous Churches Virginia Baptist Mission Board Chandler@vbmb.org Copy right John P. Chandler, 2002