Making a High Impact Welcome

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Making a High ImpactWelcome
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Making a High ImpactWelcome
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Questions

• Where have you experienced a good welcome?
• What made the welcome good?
• Have you visited somewhere you felt unwelcome?
• What made you feel unwelcome?

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• Next Sunday the Spirit of God will prompt
  millions of people around the world to visit a
  church for the first time. Each visitor is Gods
  gift to you. . .

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Biblical Hospitality

• Welcoming newcomers is a theological
  demonstration of Gods grace. . . .when we
  welcome newcomers to church, we are demonstrating
  the gracious love and care of God.

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Welcoming the guests who visit our churches is to
practice the art of hospitality.
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Definition of Christian Hospitality

• Taking the initiative to welcome others and
  inviting others to share in our community life

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Hebrews 131

• Let brotherly love continue. Do not forget to
  entertain strangers, for by so doing some have
  unwittingly entertained angels.

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Guests v Visitors

• Can you think of any possible differences between
  a Guest and a Visitor coming to your home?

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Did you know?

• Researchers say that church guests decide
  whether or not to return
• to the church they are visiting
• in the first ten to twelve minutes upon entering
  the church grounds.

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• So, what happens in the first ten to twelve
  minutes?
• They see your facilities
• They meet your people
• They decide whether or not you can meet their
  needs
• They decide whether or not to come back
• Before they have heard the music or sermon

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• External Issues
• Grounds should be
• ..well landscaped
• .. clean, and well maintained
• ... inviting cosmetically

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The Building

• Is the building well maintained?
• Is the decoration fresh and inviting?
• Is there directional signage for parking areas?
• Is there signage helping people know where to go?

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Insights from the formerly unchurched
The facilities of those churches that are
reaching the formerly unchurched are generally
characterized as clean and attractive with
excellent, up-to-date facilities for children
good signage well-maintained grounds and
friendliness everywhere.
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The People

• Help to make the experience of the guest as
  fulfilling and memorable as possible.

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The Value of a Smile

• Holiday Inn interviewed 5,000 people to fill
  500 positions that were needed to open a new
  facility. When the hotel managers interviewed
  these candidates, they excluded anybody who
  smiled fewer than four times during the course of
  their interview. This standard was applied to
  every available job and to every prospective
  employee.
• How many of your church members would qualify
  for a job at Holiday Inn?

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Pre-Service

• Greeted Welcomed with a smile and a handshake
• Treated Shown respect
• Directed Simply and politely shown to where
  they need to go
• Seated Led to appropriate seats.

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• Guests are people in an unfamiliar place and the
  role of the host is to answer questions before
  they are asked

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• According to a Barna Research survey of people
  looking for a church,
• Friendliness to Visitors is
• Extremely important 71
• Somewhat important 21

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During the Service
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How to make your guests feel valued

• Include do not exclude. Act like every person
  is a first time guest.
• Everyone who gives an announcement, sings,
  speaks, etc. must be introduced or introduce
  themselves.
• When you acknowledge your guests, allow them some
  anonymity.
• Teach your people to value their guests.
• Provide an opportunity for guests following the
  service so they can personally meet the minister.

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Needs of People Today

• a place to belong
• a sense of balance
• authentic relationships
• spiritual answers
• help through transitions

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Community

• Taking the initiative to welcome others and
  inviting others to share in our community life

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In church research it has been observed
that The typical active member made an average
of 7 new friends in the church. The typical
drop-out made an average of 2 new friends in
the church.
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Following Up

• Herb Miller gives the following statistics for
  following up
• 85 of guests return if visited in 36 hours
• 60 of guests return if visited in 72 hours
• 15 of guests return if visited in 7 days.
• If the minister makes the first visit instead of
  a lay person the percentage is cut in half.

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Resources
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