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When I worked at my church, our guest follow-up strategy looked something like this. Our pastor would walk up and down the pews on Monday mornings looking for connection cards. (They never seemed to be in the connect card box.) If he could find some, he would put them on the desk in the front office.

From there, information would be recorded, the card would be passed on to our connections pastor, and then he would make a call during the week. Well, most weeks. That is if the card made it to him and didn’t get lost, misfiled, or thrown away, and if he could read the phone number on the card.

Does this sound familiar? We hear similar stories all the time when talking to church leaders. Pastors are overworked and have responsibilities pulling them in many different directions. Coming up with an effective guest follow-up plan is often just another task added to their to-do list and it tends to get pushed to the bottom.

We get it, but it no longer has to be this way. Guest follow-up doesn’t have to be a never-ending task that takes hours a week. With Text In Church, effective guest follow-up can be completed in less than 45 seconds per guest. You read that right… under one minute per guest! Churches all across the country are leveraging technology to do it every week. And it’s saving them time AND keeping them from making one, if not all of these three huge mistakes when it comes to following up with church guests. Continue reading to make sure you aren’t making these same mistakes and letting guests fall through the cracks.

One of the biggest mistakes churches make when it comes to guest follow-up is inconsistency. But in order for guest follow-up to be effective, it has to be consistent, even when you are busy.

Why is this so important?

Because people decide to visit a church for one of five reasons:

• Death
• Divorce
• Disaster
• Displacement
• Development

People are looking for community and connection; they are looking for a friend. It’s no longer good enough to be a friendly church. We must live into a new radical hospitality that seeks to build true relationships. When we’re inconsistent with our follow-up… we let them down. Even when we are busy, we must commit to consistently reaching out to each and every first time guest.

Start the conversation with guests with our done-for-you text message and email templates you can copy and paste. Download this free resource to start using today!

Many churches use the same method of communication they’ve always used to connect with their guests - a letter that shares information about the church. Others simply make a phone call (and leave a message because not many people answer their phones anymore!)

When following up with a first time guest, we need to communicate with people as if we were one of their friends. When was the last time you scheduled a lunch with a friend by sending a letter? NEVER! Then why would we use that as our only means of connecting with a guest?

Our guests want a friend and if we want to step into that role for them, we need to communicate with them like we would our friends!

It also matters when you contact folks. Connect with people using a variety of methods, but also make sure you're connecting at a time that is relevant for them. As you are thinking about your guest follow-up schedule, be intentional with varying times you send emails and texts, make phone calls and invite them to meet for coffee.

Does the idea of scheduling out everything stress you out? Don’t fret! We have that all laid out for you. With our years of experience with thousands of church leaders, we have developed a proven 6 week follow up strategy that has all of the follow-up messages scheduled in a way that connects with people where they are at times that are relevant to them.

Learn about the 6 powerful communication tools your church needs to connect with guests over 6 weeks in our free Guest Follow Up Masterclass. Register to watch this on-demand masterclass now!

Far too often guest follow-up is just plain insufficient. We can’t expect one email or phone call to break a person’s lifelong habit of not coming to church. We are competing with weekend plans, kids who are throwing temper tantrums and don’t want to go, and people who just don’t have a routine of getting up and out on Sunday mornings. Habits are formed over time. And… habits are broken over time.

So, your follow-up must be sustained for at least 6 weeks. This means that each weekend for 6 weeks you must reach out to ensure your church is front of mind and helping your guests understand that they are known, noticed, and loved.

Still think six weeks sounds like a lot? We get it, but six weeks of follow up doesn’t mean that you are texting or emailing them every day for those six weeks! The time gives you an opportunity to connect with your guests regularly, maybe twice a week, to invite them into conversation, connection, and community. It allows you to explore the natural rhythms of relationship-building.

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And that’s really the whole point, isn’t it? Relationship. By addressing these three guest follow-up mistakes, you’re doing more than just inviting them back to church week after week. You are inviting them into a relationship with you and the people of your church and hopefully that leads to a deeper relationship with Christ.

If you are ready to improve your guest follow-up process, keep these three things in mind:

Be Consistent - Don’t let guests question whether or not you care about them; consistent follow up communicates a clear message.

Be Relevant - Help bridge the gap between the church and the guests by communicating with them in a way that is familiar and easy!

Be Sufficient - this isn’t a one-and-done approach.  Follow our proven, 6 week follow-up plan to help create a new habit of attending church!

These three things will help your guests keep coming back, but that’s really just the beginning. Once your guests start becoming regular attenders, think about all of the ways that can help your ministry and outreach efforts in your community!

Ready to save time and build meaningful relationships with your first time church guests? Find out how easy it is by starting a free trial of Text In Church - the trusted texting and email software for churches.

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