Writing a follow-up letter or Church welcome letter to a guest can be frustrating and time-consuming. You want them to come back to your church again and you want them to know they are cared for. But, you don’t want them to think you are overbearing and pushy.
So, where’s the middle ground?

Well, we think we’ve found it.

Put the ball in their court.

Start with an email welcome letter and gauge their interest in connecting by simply asking a question.

We put together a script that does just that… and the best part? Thousands of churches are using this exact script (in fact, it’s one of our 16 Follow-up Templates ) and are getting amazing results!

Hello James,

Thanks so much for joining us! We hope to be a place where folks feel connected. We’d love for you to learn more about us at our website: Textinchurch.com. From our website, you can connect with us on Facebook or listen to our podcast.

We would love to send you a gift, what is the best address?

If you have any questions or would like to talk more, please let me know. I’d love to hear from you!

Jason Jones
City Church
866-256-2480

Use the person’s first name and avoid a long-form newsletter so they will actually read it. You want to make them feel important and that there’s a person behind the message that spent time to send it just to them.

If someone hasn’t been to church in years, they might feel overwhelmed by “spiritual talk” right out of the gate. The goal here is to start up a conversation and help them feel comfortable enough to connect with you and your church.

Providing your website and social platforms allows them to immerse themselves in your church culture without even being there for very long. Giving them an opportunity to learn about your church while online can be very powerful and maybe the preferred method for some people.

Help them know that you care that their experience was a good one and your desire for them to get connected. It’s an incredible way of making them feel important, valued and a part of what you are doing at your church.

Giving your phone number and email address along with an open invitation to contact you makes it easy for them to reach out if they have any questions. If you have other ministry area leaders, you may want to include their contact info as well.

Ending with a question allows them to take control of their experience at your church. By their response, you will get a better sense of whether or not they are eager for more of connection or to find out what is most important to them.

But Wait, It Gets Even Better…

People may prefer to connect or engage through one form of communication more than another. It’s just plain smart to use all 5 of the most effective guest follow-up tools to cover all your bases. Follow up your email with a text message or how about sending a handwritten note?

Not only are thousands of churches using the welcome email template above from our 16 Guest Follow-up Templates , but they’re also sending a handwritten note in the mail later that week! We have learned a lot about the value of hand-written mail and how to use it, and we think there’s still something to be said for it!

Want to know the best part?

We’re giving the exact script to you for free below…

Hey there James!

Thanks for joining us on Sunday. We hope to see you this weekend, and want you to know we are here for you if you have any questions or things we can pray for you about.

Jason Jones
City Church
866-256-2480

• Keep It Short – Don’t lose them in 17 paragraphs of fluffy language. Be concise, considerate, and conversational. We know you have lots of things you want to tell them about your church. So, share a link to your Facebook page or website and let them learn more on their time.
• Put The Ball In Their Court – End with a question so the lines of communication are open to them. The question should be simple and should encourage more than a “yes” or “no” response. And, make sure they have a couple of ways to reach you so they can use the method they’re most comfortable with. (For example, here are some ways to best connect with young people) or (If they prefer text messaging, for example, include your cell phone number. Sending simple text messages can help you connect with millennials and young families)
• Be Genuine – Type and write like you talk. A good exercise is to pick out one person from your congregation or a family member and write your message to them. Make them feel like you are talking directly to them and that they matter to you.

P.S. If you are looking for help to start or greatly improve your guest follow-up plan, we offer a FREE webinar training called the 3 Step Follow-Up Formula . Tyler Smith, our CEO, will share how to systematically transition first-time guests into active members. You’ll discover key mistakes to avoid, how long to follow-up with guests, and how to give the perfect church welcome speech to ensure guests provide you with their contact information. He also gives away our 6 week done-for-you guest follow-up system!

P.P.S. Does your church currently send out a church welcome letter or email to every new guest? If so, are people responding well to it? If not, what’s keeping you from following up with them?

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