Church Guest Follow-Up Plan: Best Practices for Retaining First-Time Visitors
Discover proven guest follow-up strategies that help your church welcome visitors, build meaningful connections, and encourage them to return.
Why a Church Guest Follow-Up Plan Matters
When a first-time guest walks through your church doors, they’re doing more than visiting a building; they’re taking a step toward finding hope, community, and belonging. According to national data, only 10-20% of first-time guests return without intentional follow-up. That’s why an effective church guest follow-up plan isn’t optional; it’s essential.
That’s where Text In Church comes in. Our easy-to-use communication platform helps churches of all sizes automate their follow-up, send texts and emails at the right time, and make every guest feel known, noticed, and loved—without adding to your plate.
Let’s break down the strategies your church can use, with the help of Text In Church’s Messaging Tools and Plan A Visit feature, to boost retention and grow your community.
The 3 Big Mistakes Churches Make in Guest Follow-Up
Before we explore what works, let’s look at what doesn’t.
1. Inconsistency
Guests have busy lives. A single email or sporadic text gets lost in the noise. Consistent communication (over at least 6 weeks) shows guests you truly care.
Learn how our Automated Workflows solve this.
2. Irrelevance
Sending a singles event invite to a married couple? Following up only by phone when they prefer text? Irrelevant content or methods turn guests away. Our platform lets you personalize and segment communication for better impact.
3. Insufficiency
One or two generic messages won’t help someone build a new habit of attending church. A robust follow-up plan offers multiple touch points: text, email, phone, social, and even handwritten notes.
👉 Avoid these pitfalls with a proven, intentional system.
The Ultimate Church Guest Follow-Up Plan: 5 Powerful Tools
Text Messaging
- Send 1 friendly, personal text per week for 3 weeks.
- Example: Hey Ashley, thanks for visiting! We’d love to see you again this Sunday. - Pastor Chris
- Send 1-2 personal emails each week for 6 weeks.
- Early emails: thank them, invite them back. Later emails: share next steps (small groups, lunch, service opportunities).
- Keep emails simple, plain text, with a friendly tone.
Small Gift
- A coffee mug, local gift card, or handwritten card delivered or offered at your welcome center.
- Example text: We’d love to give you a small gift as a thank-you for joining us. Can we drop it off or have it ready Sunday?
👉 We share 3 gift ideas guests will actually like in this video
Phone Call
- Call once after the first visit; leave a warm voicemail if they don’t answer.
- Example: Hi Ashley, this is Chris from City Church. Just wanted to thank you for visiting and invite you back this Sunday. We’re here if you have any questions!
Handwritten Note
- Mail a simple, personal note within the first week.
- Example: We’re so glad you joined us on Sunday, Ashley! We hope to see you again soon!
A Proven Guest Follow-Up Timeline
Here’s a sample 6-week rhythm you can customize:
Week 1
- Sunday: Send a text + email 90 min / 3 hours after they visit thanking them
- Saturday: Send a service reminder text
Week 2
- Wednesday: Send a text + email (provide more info & details)
- Saturday: Service reminder text
Week 3
- Tuesday: Text asking for address for handwritten note
- Saturday: Service reminder text
Week 4
- Wednesday: Send a text inviting them to follow your church on social media
- Saturday: Service reminder text
Week 5
- Tuesday: Prayer request text
- Saturday: Service reminder text
Week 6
- Sunday: Encouragement text
👉 Learn about our Automated Workflows that can send these messages to the right person at the right time for you!
How to Set Up Your Guest Follow-Up System
Use a Tool Built for Churches
Manual follow-up takes tons of time. With Text In Church, you can:
- Automate texts and emails.
- Set reminders for calls, notes, and gifts.
- Keep all guest info organized in one place.
Start your free trial and see how easy it can be!
Leverage Your Website with Plan A Visit
- Add a Plan A Visit form so guests can connect before they arrive.
- Personalize their experience from day one.
RESOURCE: Get the Plan A Visit Blueprint
Why Guest Follow-Up Builds the Church
When you follow up with first-time guests, you’re doing more than improving retention metrics. You’re offering hope, community, and connection. You’re living out the Great Commission, one relationship at a time.
Thousands of churches have used this guest follow-up plan to move from struggling with retention to thriving in connection. And we’d love to help you do the same.
Ready to Build a Church Guest Follow-Up Plan That Works?
Let us help you create a system that saves time, builds connections, and grows your church.
👉 Start your free 14-day trial of Text In Church and see how easy it is to make guests feel known, noticed, and loved!
