There are 7 Deadly Sins that 99.9% of churches and 90% of businesses commit.  Each of them was prevalent in my recent “first-time visitor” experiences (see last month’s blog).  Please note that while we are using churches as the foundation the EXACT same principles apply for businesses; with all things being equal (quality and price) consumers will judge their experience on how they “felt” doing business with you.  Substitute business for church and CEO for pastor and the challenges and recommendations are the same!

Sin #1:   Failing to realize that the visitor experience begins at the curb.

Your visitor’s experience does not begin with the welcome during service.  It begins at the curb.  Every person a visitor encounters is part of that experience and their actions and words must all say the same thing, “We’re glad you’re here.”   If the parking lot attendant is rude (as in Church #2) or the members are cold (as in Church 2 and 4) then your warm welcome will sound hollow and the phrase the “all Christians are hypocrites”  will be affirmed.  One of the reasons the number of “unchurched” is growing is because of the coldness and hypocrisy people see in the church.

Every person is an extension and reflection of you.  I could tell where the personality of the pastor was one of warmth and compassion vs. cold and aloof.  When a pastor is stand-offish, too often the members carry that same trait.  When the pastor is very down-to-earth, the people come across that way as well.  If by nature, you are not an extrovert, it becomes even more critical that you have people with the motive gifts* of Compassion and Server in the helps ministry.  You must also train your congregation on the importance of demonstrating love and compassion to the person next to them on the pew.

Church #3 absolutely excelled in this area.  Not only did they do all the right things, they did all the right things right.  Everyone’s welcome was genuine and authentic so by the time I met the pastor I was already sold.

Sin #2  Failing to make visitor acknowledgements an integral component of the service and not an afterthought.

It was amazing how many churches did not acknowledge visitors from the pulpit or if they did so it was obviously a perfunctory duty rather than an honor and privilege.  You never know if that person entered your sanctuary as a last effort to convince themselves that suicide isn’t the answer or to find sanctuary from a personal hell.  How dare we take them lightly!  Imagine if that individual on the verge of suicide had visited Church #2 where the coldness was palatable, how likely would that experience change their mind – or would they think “See, I knew I was worthless, even the people in church gave me a cold shoulder.”

Welcoming those God has sent to you is an honor and should not be taken lightly.  The pastor should personally welcome them to the service.  Change your routine and what you say when you welcome them, especially if you stream your services over the internet.  I know some pastors who do things from rote memory so that people can pray and welcome visitors along with them and not miss a syllable.  How do you welcome guests to your home?  Is it in exactly the same manner each time?  Why should these honored guests be any different?

Sin #3:   Failing to follow the Biblical principle of sowing.

Having visitors complete a welcome packet card or a “communication card” is nice but why should they?  What have you done for them?  You are asking a stranger to give to you but you offer nothing in return.  Where is the exchange?  Church #5 did this well, they gave each visitor a message on CD before asking the visitor for anything in return.  Only one church used the most effective method, giving visitors the opportunity to meet the pastor.

Church is built upon relationship – relationship with God first but on the human level, people need a relationship with the person to whom they are submitting their spiritual lives to.  Only Church #3 got this one right – they held a reception immediately after service.  I was given a gift bag, some refreshments, a CD and the opportunity to meet the pastor.  It doesn’t matter if you are pastor of a mega church, you can afford to spend 10 minutes after service meeting as many visitors as you can…in fact, you can’t afford not to.  Remember, if you give, it will be given unto you…

Sin #4:   Failing to have a visitor strategy in place

Each person who crosses the threshold of your sanctuary is an opportunity for you to minister to them.  They may relate with you as a potential member (if they are local) or a potential partner (if they are out-of-area) but it will be one less person who is “unchurched,” one less person left with no spiritual covering.  Because they came to you they would be considered “warm leads” in other words, you didn’t have to go to them to convince them to do something – they came to you which put the ball in your court.  Did Jesus ever pass up an opportunity to minister to someone who sought Him out of a crowd?  No, He always asked them what He could do for them.  We cannot afford to do any differently.

If you don’t have a follow-up strategy in place for visitors put one in place NOW!  This is one time an exception is in order because a clumsy attempt at follow-up is better than none at all.

Sin #5:   Failing to follow-up in a timely manner

The one thing Church #2 had going for it was the timely follow-up. Within 48 hours I received a phone call from the pastor’s wife.  It was not a pre-recorded call but a live call.  She was warm and genuine.  In fact, her call made me make a second visit to that church even though everything else was wrong.  I originally attended the first service so the second time I visited the second service in case the people who were more compassionate just preferred to sleep in.  I still found no warmth or compassion but that phone call made me give them a second look.  That’s how important timely follow-up can be to a person’s decision to give you a second chance.

Church #1 follow-up was a form letter sent several weeks later:  the length of time was unreasonable and the fact that it was easy to tell it was a form letter made it ineffective.    Church #4′s follow-up was a phone call and an email several weeks later; the timing was off but the personal touch was appropriate.

Sin #6 :  Failing to follow-up for the right reason

Each visitor must be seen as a gift God is sending to you because of the anointing He has placed on you and the spiritual need God knows that person has.  If the goal of your follow-up strategy is to increase your membership or your revenue, then save the time, effort and resources.  This is not about church growth; it’s about following the mandate in Acts 10:38.  Church growth will come organically if your motive is to touch more people with the gospel.  However, if your motive is to get more members or more money, then your follow-up strategy is no more than a form of manipulation.

Sin  #7 – Failing have a visitor centric mindset throughout the ministry

Often, when we think of visitors we think of those who sit in the sanctuary on Sunday morning.  However, if you have other ministries that a person may participate in even if they are not a member, you need a visitor strategy in place and that includes for children’s ministry, teen or youth ministry or singles ministry.  Wherever there is an opportunity for someone to experience your church for the first time, you owe it to the visitor and to your calling, to have a way to extend your relationship with them.  Think of the number of times a teen will invite a friend to a roller skating party; or a married couple will invite a friend to a ministry event; or a stranger attends your health fair – what do you have in place to follow-up with each of those situations?  You may need a different strategy for each of them but if the result is that a soul is saved it’s like the 99 sheep Jesus spoke about..that one that was lost was worth whatever it took to get it back!

By the way, here is the score card for those five churches:

Church Greeting

(Initial contact)

 Visitor Welcome

(Pulpit welcome)

 Friendliness

(Member welcome)

 Follow-up Probability of returning
1 A- B+ A D 80%
21 E/E D/D E/E- A 35%
3 A+ A A E 80%
42 D/A D/B+ B/A E/B 40%/90%
5 B A C E 60%

1I did return as a result of the excellent follow-up.  Regrettably, the second visit was a repeat of the first.

2Because it was Youth Sunday I did return to get a feel for the regular service. On the second visit they did much better; regrettably, if the first experience is poor, there usually is no second chance

*Motive Gift Assessment goes beyond the typical personality assessments.  It not only describes who you are but why and understanding the “why” makes all the difference in the world. Call us for more information.

In Summary

There are a plethora of strategies that will help you avoid committing these 7 Deadly Sins.   It is so vitally important that you find a strategy that is right for you.  Each congregation/organization is different, each pastor/CEO has a different vision and each demographic requires  a different touch.  All of those things must be aligned for a strategy to be successful. None of these 7 deadly sins are the unpardonable one but be sure to call us if you think you’ve been guilty of any of them.

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