First Time Guest?

All of us have been a church visitor from one time or another.  A few months ago, I had the opportunity to visit a church out of state.  Overall, it was a GREAT experience. 

Since I’m a melancholic personality, my wheels were turning the entire time.  I was being observant of everything that was taking place…from the parking lot, the hallways, the signage, the atmosphere, the lighting, the sound, the congregation, the volunteers, the order of service, the videos, the printed material…you name it…I was checking it out! 

Here’s some of the things I jotted down…

• Pulled in the parking lot and it was clean and had good directional signage.
• There was a welcome banner near the entrance that seemed inviting.
• The sidewalk had several damaged places in it.
•  People were mingling outside near some benches.  (No one said hello)
• A gentlemen opened the door and greeted me with a smile.
• A few steps further I was greeted by the official “Bulletin Distributor.” Again…a big smile.
• I navigated my way to the Sanctuary…a little uncertain of where I was going…since the Sanctuary was adjacent to another hallway.
• I loved the décor of this church!  Very modern and inviting!
• As I entered the Sanctuary, no one was there to greet me and make me feel comfortable.  So, I found the back row and made myself comfortable.  (After all, I’m a professional church attendee!)
• A young man, who I later discovered was an usher, walked by and welcomed me with a big smile and a handshake.  He also introduced himself to me…which made me feel welcome.
• I then met a few more of the members, who also introduced themselves and made me feel welcome.  (Terry, Debra, Rose & Connie) – they appeared to be full of joy and happy to be at church that morning.  (I appreciated the smiles, the handshakes and the friendliness…it made me feel comfortable in my new environment.)
• Connie proceeded to say, “you have to come back to hear our Pastor…he’s not here today…but when he preaches, God JUMPS out of him!  You’re going to love our Youth Pastor, he’s a good preacher too!” (She spoke highly of her leaders and I appreciated hearing someone speak positive…she represented the heartbeat of her leaders and her church!)
• The countdown video came to an end and the worship team took off!
• The worship was upbeat and passionate.  The congregation entered in and there were some real “God” moments where I had to reach for a tissue as the tears came rolling.  (Of course, there weren't any tissues in sight…so I did what anyone else would do.) 
• As I scanned the crowd, I observed that the congregation appeared to be about 95% Caucasian. (Just an observation from someone who is used to seeing diversity)
• At one point during the worship time, it was announced for the “healing team” to come forward.  As a Pastor, I knew they were getting ready to pray for the sick and anyone in need.  However, as a first time guest, It felt a little awkward because we weren't given clear instructions on what to do from the person who was leading the service.  Eventually, people started walking forward and receiving prayer on their own.
• It caused me to think about how we expect everyone who attends our services to somehow FIGURE OUT on their own what our church practices and procedures are.  (We need to do better in communicating.)
• The Youth Pastor preached a great message!  He spoke very well of the Senior Pastor and was very honoring.  I jotted down…GOOD WORD! GOOD SPIRIT!  GOOD DELIVERY!
• As honoring as he was to his Pastor, the only thing I wish he would have said is WHERE the Pastor was.  As a first time guest, it would have been informational for me to hear from the pulpit that the Pastor was simply preaching at another church that morning and would be back the following Sunday.  I think first time guests appreciate knowing when things are different and what they can expect when or if they return.

I made a few more notes…

• If you ask me to fill out a guest card…then please give me something to write with too. 
• If you shake my hand…please introduce yourself. 
• Please don’t save seats with Bibles and purses.  It’s embarrassing to get to a row only to find out it’s already saved.  Can you imagine the embarrassment a guest feels when they are half way down the aisle because every row has saved seats?...they have to turn around and walk back with their head down, knowing that everyone in the church is looking at them. 
• Please limit your intake of Gatorade and Pepsi while sitting in the Sanctuary.  At one point during my visit, I noticed there was a whole lot of Gatorade guzzling going on.  In fact, in my row, the two students who sat to my right, they were using their empty bottles as drum sticks. The worst part was that they were doing that while the Youth Pastor was preaching.  I kept thinking, “imagine if I was a person off the street who had no church understanding…what a hindrance that would be.”  (I’m all for wetting your whistle…but come on…all that slurping, chugging and cap twisting…was a bit much for even a professional church attendee…like myself!) 
• Also, if you have to get up and go to the restroom…surely the whole row don’t have to go with you???  Perhaps, a gentle statement like “THANK YOU FOR BEING COURTEOUS TO THOSE AROUND YOU” would be a nice way of encouraging etiquette.  (This would apply to parents who also insist on sitting in the front with screaming babies that they have to keep getting up to go to the nursery with.) 

Although I did observe the good and the “could be better”…overall it was a great service and I was glad I was there!  I was helped and I felt God in the house!

Can we all do better?  Sure we can.  It just takes preparation and being intentional on our part.

I read something the other day that I wanted to pass on…

9  Statements Church Visitors Never Want to Hear

1. Our pastor isn't normally this_________.

• Insert whatever you want in this blank: loud, obnoxious, offensive, long-winded. If you have to explain part of your pastor’s style because you know that outsiders won’t like it or understand, you've got a problem. Talk to God about it…but most definitely don’t talk to other people about it.  Here’s a good idea…talk to your pastor.

2. We’re full. Sorry. 

• Always have a backup plan. Always. If someone sees that your service is full once, they’ll deal with it. But they probably won’t come back if they don’t see a plan you have in place.

3. What are YOU doing here?

• Never say this. Never. Your shocked, open mouth reveals your judgmental spirit…at least in the eyes of visitors. When you say this, all they can think is, “God couldn't really love someone like you.”

4. You can’t serve now… you've got to be a member first.

• Why would someone want to become a member if they've never had the chance to serve?

5. What’s your address? I didn't catch it on the first 6 forms I had you fill out.

• Try to streamline the “first time visitors check-in process.” Nobody likes to feel like they’re visiting HR on their first church visit.

6. You want to join a new class or small group? You’ll have to wait until next Fall.

• If you ask people to wait more than a month to join community, they’ll often look elsewhere.

7. Here we just care about the Truth. If you don’t like it, you can leave.

• I get it. You love the Bible. You love preaching the Truth. But don’t love that more than you love people.

8. Here are the 38 things we do each week as a church.

• Simplifying is the key, otherwise you’ll give people decision paralysis.

9. Next time, could you make sure to wear _____.

• Fill that in with “something nicer,” “something more relaxed,” or “something that’s clean,” and you've offended someone unnecessarily. Creating a “come as you are” culture should be our aim, not creating a “come as I am” culture.  Everything in balance.

They are not visitors...they are GUESTS!

It is a privilege to have guests visit our church.  We are honored every time a guest makes a decision to walk onto our campus and attend a service.  We have a small window of opportunity to make sure we're connecting with each guest in a positive way.


Every person who attends our church has the responsibility of making sure each guest is made to feel welcome and to experience a sense of belonging.


We have no less than 2 types of guests:

1. External guests - people who visit our website in search of information about our church.
2. Internal guests - people who show up and take the risk of getting to know us by walking through the door.

Bottom line:  Show me a church that doesn't have first time guests or returning guests and I'll show you a church that is soon to fail in fulfilling Jesus' command of Matthew 28:19-20.

Churches have to be CREATIVE in their efforts to get people to walk through their doors.  Honestly, the very thought of having to MARKET the Gospel message to get people to do what they should already be doing is work! (it is worth every effort) I don't mind being creative to reach the LOST...but it's a sad day when we have to do multi-media campaigns to SELL THE SAINTS - just to get them to do what they should already be doing.  (Sad day...I tell you!)

If we have to CONVINCE the ALREADY CONVINCED - then their passion for JESUS is not near where it should be...and quite honestly, they need to fall on their face in the altar and cry out to God for MERCY! 

How do we get GUESTS to stay and keep coming?

1. Make them our biggest fan!  This should be the goal from the time they walk through the door till the time they pull out of the parking lot.  We have to create guest relationships that make them want to immediately "shout it from the mountaintop" or in today's terms...post it on facebook or twitter about how great our church is!
2. Give them multiple ways to connect with us.  Communication is vital - especially within the first 48 hours.  Our goal is that every guest should be able to reach us by phone, email, social media, etc.
3. Fix what needs fixed...ASAP!  When a guest notifies of us an issue we have to get the right people involved immediately to deal with the issue...whether it's an issue in the parking lot, the restroom, the church nursery, etc.  There's no need to have an internal meeting at a later time...just get the right people involved and come up with a WIN-WIN solution. 
4. Provide alternative solutions.  Our guest's perceptions are our reality.  Whether they are right or wrong, whatever they think is the reality we have to work with. Take the time to listen to what guests are saying and read between the lines.
5. Don't assume they read the bulletin. We can put information in the bulletin 10 weeks in a row and I guarantee you that someone will not get the memo!  In spite of that, we must be willing to refresh their memory on the happenings of the church and decisions that will affect them. 
6. We don't know more than everyone else!  The second we assume we know more than everyone else, everything changes:  our tone, our patience, our propensity to ask questions and our openness to new ideas.  Being a "know it all" is a sure turn off for guests!
7. Look for ways to improve.  Even if things seem like they might be going well, they might not be.  What we don't do in a guest relationship defines us just as much as what we do.  Our guests have more to do than simply tell us when we are not doing well or when we are not meeting their expectations.  For this matter, asking for evaluations will ensure we are meeting their needs. 
8. Say THANK YOU often.  I think we should surprise our guests with gratitude!  Every time we send an email, deliver a loaf of bread, make a visit or hit a milestone together, we have an opportunity to say thank you!
9. Don't over commit.  Only make promises we can keep.  Although it's sometimes hard to do this, set expectations low but always exceed them.  Deliver on what we say we will do, and we will build trust with guests.  Fail to deliver, and compound that failure with excuses, and the trust our guests have in us will evaporate. 
10. Bend the rules when you have to.  We set guidelines in our church for the purpose of order and smooth sailing...however, our established ways of dealing with problems are rarely customized for a particular guest's situation. Be willing to adjust when needed.  Guests don't know what the rules are...learn to make exceptions to the rules when the situation calls for it.
11. Don't assume the question is the question.  In other words, sometimes the question being asked has another layer beneath it (the root).  Listen to what the question is and then listen to see if there's something else underlying that's not being said.  We must listen more than we talk.  Doing this will help us to know our guests better, and help us recommend alternative or complimentary solutions.