FROM FIRST TIME TO SECOND TIME GUESTS – PART 3

Author: ​RICK RUST

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The last phase to prepare for is the:

Post- Service Responsibilities
 
1.   Gift

•  Offer every guest who puts a communication card to receive a gift available in the lobby.
• Have these gifts sitting out for guests to take.
• If your people are hovering, it will make them feel uncomfortable.
• The pastor may, however, want to walk over and talk to the family as they take their gift.
• If husband, wife, and kids take one that’s alright. This is a small investment in the lives of a family.

 2.   Information

• At a Guest Table, in the lobby, have Guest information books available along with other resources on baptism, membership, and church beliefs.

3.   Follow-Up

• It is imperative to follow-up on these guests right away.

Email

• Today the home is a very private place and people often don’t fill out cards because they don’t want a visitor from the church coming to their door. Also, we live in a tech-savvy world.
• Send an email within the first 48 hours thanking them for coming and asking them to return.

Personal Card

• Within 96 hours send a personal card. Do not send a form letter in a number 10 envelope. These kinds of letters are discarded most of the time.
• Use an Announcement size envelope like the ones used for wedding announcements. A Number A2 (4 3/8” X 5 3/4”)
• Handwrite the card and envelope. If you have terrible penmanship, have someone fill it out for you and sign your name.
• Use a 5.5”X8.5” paper and fold it in half. Again, handwrite the note.
• Also, place a small gift in the envelope as a thank you for visiting. Gifts could include a $5.00 coffee gift card. We use this because a husband and wife can get a coffee and a donut for that amount. Again, this is a small but important investment into a new family.

Visit in the home

• Pastor’s need to decide how quickly to visit guests in their home based on the culture of the area you serve. In some regions, showing up at someone’s house a few days after coming to church, would cause the guest never to return.
• If you get to talk to the guest after the service, try asking them to meet for coffee or invite them to visit you in your office for coffee. You should only do this if you make a connection with the guest while talking to him.

One Month Follow-Up

• One month after a guest visits, send them a letter from you again thanking them for coming and letting them know how they can get involved. Upcoming activities, special services, Adult Bible Fellowships geared to their age and fellowships are good ways to get people plugged in.

Data Entry

• It is important to have a system in place to track every guest.
• When a card is turned in, the information must be recorded for tracking.
• If the guest never returns you will have their information to invite them to special services down the road.