The Lent and Easter season brings new faces to church for so many different reasons. Some are there to refocus, some are new to faith, some show up for a feeling of obligation. No matter the reason, these faces are entering into your home, and hospitality is every member’s responsibility.
The problem is not that church members aren’t friendly. They ARE, in fact, quite friendly.
Long term, well-connected members or regular church attendees love reconnecting with those they worship with on a regular basis. This is actually the problem! Friendliness actually keeps new faces in the crowd from being attended to.
This time of the year, we need to encourage members to flip their switch – to reach out a hand or wave hello to the newcomers. It’s not enough to just toss out an all encompassing welcome to visitors. It needs to get personal. Lent may bring people to church, but a connection is going to keep them coming back.
Challenge your members this Easter season. Here are a few ideas:
- Find one new face each week and introduce yourself. It’s amazing how a short and friendly conversation with someone can make them feel welcome and at ease.
- Create a welcome committee. Take information from visitors and contact them by phone, email or by stopping by to thank them for visiting and encourage them to come back.
- Sit somewhere different. Most regular church attendees sit in a similar or same spot each week. Encourage people to break their norm, sit somewhere different, and change their perspective. By doing so, they might actually get the feeling of being visitors themselves, which will hopefully encourage them to reach out more.
These are simple ideas that can yield huge results. You don’t want your visitors to feel like they are just observing from the outside. Make them a part of worship and a part of your family the moment they step into your building.
When they feel your love, they will feel Christ’s love working in you. And there is no greater love than that.
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If you’d like to drill deeper into how church management software can help you establish effective visitor follow-up processes, please check out the recording of our recent webinar:
