Have you ever considered the type of experience your first-time visitors have and the impression it leaves of your ministry?  Have you ever wondered why you have so many visitors but so few of them ever become new members?  In this month’s newsletter I will recount my first-time-visitor experiences at several churches.  Visit our blog and let me know what you think my reaction was to each church (did my experience turn me away or motivate me to come back?).

Whenever I visit a church, whether for business or pleasure, I pay close attention to the guest experience. I find myself saying, “That’s an awesome first impression!” or “Wow, that’ll turn ‘em away!”  In recent months I have visited churches with varying demographics in several states, ranging in size from 45 attendees to over 20,000.  During each visit I followed any instructions given to visitors; I completed any visitor card provided and also completed the offering envelope.  In this newsletter I will describe my experiences, then next month I’ll share what worked, what didn’t and why.  My hope is that you will compare the “first impressions” I received at these churches with those your visitors experience.  Note:  Before I attended any of these churches I first researched them on the Internet – more on that next month as well…

Church # 1 .

  • I was warmly greeted at the door. There were no ushers to direct me so I found a seat.  After a few minutes a woman came to where I was sitting and asked, “Is this your first visit?”  When I answered in the affirmative she quickly brought me some material.  It included a pamphlet about one of the pastor’s books, a welcome letter and a card for me to fill out.
  • The people were very friendly and introduced themselves as they found their seats.
  • Praise and worship was painful – no  one was on key and the drums overpowered everyone – and lasted 45 minutes.  The lyrics were shown on a small screen.  Several typographical and grammatical errors were noted.
  • I saw no sign of children’s services or anyone to ask.
  • The pastor wore a suit and attendees were in typical Sunday attire.
  • Visitors were acknowledged from the pulpit; they were not asked to stand.
  • The message was excellent; however, the pastor was interrupted several times for various announcements.  Things seemed disorganized, which made the service very long.  There was no call for salvation. There was an altar call for those who needed healing.

Follow-up:  Received a welcome letter almost two months after I attended.

Church # 2

  • As I entered the parking lot a sign said “Preschool drop-off.” I saw no other directions so I followed the sign.  A parking lot attendant directed me to a parking space and I inquired, “Is this for the sanctuary?”  He responded “uhh, yeah” with a sarcastic tone.  I responded, “This is my first time here so I wanted to be sure this wasn’t for pre-school.”  He then apologized and welcomed me to the service.
  • Inside, I was greeted at the entry door and followed the signs to the auditorium.  There were great wall murals for the kids and it seemed like a very kid-friendly place.  The auditorium was pitch black; I had to grope to find my way until my eyes adjusted to the darkness.
  • There were no ushers so I seated myself.
  • The music was pretty good, though no one in the audience participated.  They stood emotionless and watched the praise team.  Praise and worship lasted for about 15 minutes, people were told to greet those around them and then service began.
  • Visitors were directed to complete a “communication card”.
  • The pastor wore jeans and attendees were in very casual attire.  He taught for about 30 minutes (excellent message), they took the offering, made a few announcements and it was over.  From start to finish the entire service lasted one hour.
  • There was no call for salvation; people were invited to come speak to the pastor as he stood down front.

Follow-up:  Within two days I received a phone call from the pastor’s wife thanking me for worshipping with them. It was not a pre-recorded call.  A few days after that I received a welcome letter.  Since my visit I have received multiple communications from the church via mail and email.

Church # 3

  • As soon as I turned into the parking lot, there was a sign that said, “If this is your first visit, turn on your headlights,” which I did.  I was then directed to a special parking area.  The attendant welcomed me and walked me to the door where I was greeted again.
  • The person introduced herself to me (first name) walked me to the auditorium and gave me a tour along the way.
  • Praise and worship was great; the audience joined in and praised God.  The people were invited to greet their neighbors.
  • The pastor wore jeans and the attendees wore a mixture of casual and Sunday attire.  He spoke for about 45 minutes (excellent message) then invited the visitors to meet him outside the auditorium at the end of service.
  • There was a table in the lobby where I was asked to fill out a card and then was given a gift bag (the kind with tissue paper, not a plastic bag).  The bag contained a message CD, some delicious cookies, a pad and a pen (all branded with the ministry name and logo).  I was greeted and welcomed by the pastor.
  • There was no call for salvation.

Follow-up:  None.

Church # 4

  • No one was at the outer doors to greet me.  I followed the signage to the auditorium.
  • Greeters gave me a program at the door and I seated myself.
  • Because I didn’t see any sign of children, I inquired about the children’s services and was directed to the information desk.  The gentleman at the desk was very friendly but could not answer my question.  A woman overheard our conversation and came over to talk with me.  She asked if this was my first time and when I said it was, she had the gentleman hand me a plastic visitor’s bag.  The bag contained a welcome letter, a coupon for a free chicken sandwich at a local fast-food restaurant and a coupon for free coffee and a donut in the church’s Café at my next visit.
  • This was Youth Sunday so the young people handled the music and the youth pastor spoke.
  • Good music, but again the audience did not take part.  Like the folks at church #2, they just stood and watched the praise team.  The audience was asked to greet their neighbors.
  • The pastor wore jeans and the attendees were in casual attire.  The message was very good and lasted about 45 minutes.
  • Visitors were not acknowledged.
  • There was no call for salvation.

Follow-up:  None

Church # 5

  • Signage directed me to the sanctuary parking lots (there were several).
  • Greeters stood at the outer doors and ushers stood at the doors to the sanctuary.
  • Praise and worship was great, with active audience participation.
  • The pastor invited visitors to stand as he welcomed them.  Ushers gave us a sealed package.  A few of the people seated around me welcomed me to the service.
  • The message was excellent and lasted about 45 minutes.
  • I did not open the package until I arrived home (there were no instructions given as to what to do with the materials when they were given to us) and in it I found a card to complete.  However, the card did not have a return address on it so I could do nothing with it.
  • There was a call for salvation and to join the church.

Follow-up:  None

Good Word was taught at all the churches: which church do you think I’d be most likely to attend again?  Which would I never return to?  Tune in next month to see which churches turned me away (though they did not do so intentionally), which received multiple visits and why.

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