Christmas is the season churches see the most visitors. What can a church do to ensure the highest effectiveness from a holiday visit? Resolve to:
Be Clear About the Goal
Ready the church to participate in the goal or mission of the church. Pray specifically for the people who will be coming. Be clear about the church’s goal in the bulletin, in the announcements, in the sermon, and in the follow-up. Teach the mission statement of the church. Plus, know Matthew 28:19-20 and the mission of The United Methodist Church from The Book of Discipline, “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” The goal cannot ever be for increased attendance numbers; to get more money to pay the bills; to have their children enrolled to ensure the future of the church; to get the bishop of our backs; or to get people in so that we can use their expertise in one area or another (“oh, if we only had a lawyer in the congregation”).
Don’t Be a Martha (Luke 10:38-42)
The first moments are crucial to shaping the impression of visitors. Start the preparations for the worship service(s) earlier, so that the leaders have time to welcome instead of making last minute making preparations. Encourage leaders to set aside time dedicated to greeting visitors. Welcoming Strategies and Tips is a resource to help, especially pages 9-11.
Form Teams
Teams create positive momentum in creativity, speed, support, and accountability. Resolve to strategically build teams centering on the visitors. Prayer teams to pray before, during and after visitors come. Welcoming teams offer visitors a great first impression. Follow-up teams care beyond the first visit with phone calls, visits, prayers, and surveys. Invitational teams invite visitors to programs and activities that will nurture them into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. Get creative and form teams that will best meet the needs of your situation. (More resources: UMCOM Welcoming; Church Marketing Overview: Marketing Plan Team)
Commit To Collect More Than Contact Information
Develop relationships by finding out pertinent information. Get beyond, “Have any kids?” or “What do you do for a living?” Move beyond by sharing some of your faith story and inquiring about their spiritual journey. People come to church because of faith or an encounter with God, so ask them! Find out what they are looking for in a church. Be prepared for questions at Teaching the who, what and why of The UMC? Be prepared for different types of visitors at 5 types of church visitors: Are you ready for them?
Follow Through
A poorly executed plan can be the death blow to new relationship with our holiday visitors. A challenging plan is prayed through and crafted to accommodate the size and ability of the church. In Leading Beyond The Walls, Rev. Adam Hamilton shares some of Church of the Resurrection’s evangelistic ideas and how their implementation changed to accommodate their size. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 5:33-37 that when we say “yes” to something we follow through. So be resolved to create a challenging plan committed to nurturing the visitors this Christmas season that can be followed through on with the utmost excellence.
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