Invite New Guests
How Churches Are Reaching More People with Text In Church
Why Inviting New Guests Matters
Inviting new guests to church isn’t just about filling seats—it’s about extending a genuine welcome to people in your community. Intentional invitations can turn a simple outreach into lasting relationships. These real stories from Text In Church members highlight how thoughtful communication strategies can effectively reach new guests and encourage them to engage with church life.
Community Events That Lead to Connection – Angela Smith’s Story
Problem
Angela’s church wanted to increase attendance at community events like blood drives and youth nights but found that traditional methods—flyers, emails, and announcements—weren’t getting the desired reach.
Solution
Using Text In Church, they sent timely text invitations to both their congregation and wider community. They also incorporated keywords and signage at events to capture guest contact information for future invites.
Result
Event attendance grew noticeably, and guests expressed appreciation for the personal invites and reminders. During Hurricane Helene recovery efforts, Text In Church played a crucial role in coordinating over 200 volunteers to distribute supplies and offer support to the community.
We traded out our previous Plan A Visit form for Text In Church’s digital connect card. Amazing! Our guests using this system automatically get a text from me asking which service they would like to plan a visit, a detailed email from me, and then a text telling them I can’t wait to see them. 67% of guest families that go through this process are taking next steps and becoming regular attenders.
Inviting Through Outreach – John Tyler’s Experience
Problem
John Tyler’s church sought ways to connect with people beyond regular Sunday services, especially at large community events where face-to-face follow-up was challenging.
Solution
They leveraged Text In Church’s QR code feature, placing codes on flyers and outreach materials for events like Halloween festivals and the Calgary Stampede. When scanned, guests instantly received event details and future invitations.
Result
Engagement improved significantly, with many first-time guests mentioning the convenience of receiving texts and feeling welcomed before even attending.
Engaging Families with Creative Invites – Laura Simone & Chris Staffin’s Approach
Problem
Laura and Chris’s church wanted to engage families in their community but struggled to collect contact information and follow up after events like Vacation Bible School (VBS) and family nights.
Solution
They introduced a basket raffle with text-based entries during community events. Attendees could text a keyword to enter, automatically adding their contact information into Text In Church. This allowed the team to follow up with personalized invites to future events.
Result
In the first year, they collected 90 new contacts, followed by 61 the next year. One family who entered the raffle not only attended subsequent events but also enrolled their children in Sunday school and became active members of the church.
Since starting with them I now have better guest connections through their pre set up first-time guest follow-up and the Plan A Visit tab on my website.
Problem
Although word-of-mouth was effective, Donna’s church wasn’t consistently seeing new guests from personal invites. Many community members didn’t know they were welcome or how to connect.
Solution
Text In Church made personal invitations easier. Church members received pre-written text templates they could send to friends and neighbors. This lowered the barrier for members to invite others directly.
Result
The church experienced a 28.5 percent increase in first-time guest attendance, with many visitors citing personal text invites as the reason they came.
Key Takeaways
Personal, direct invitations via text increase guest engagement more effectively than flyers or mass emails.
Incorporating QR codes and keywords at events helps capture contact information and streamline follow-up.
Timely reminders sent a day or two before events significantly boost attendance.
Providing members with easy-to-use text templates empowers them to extend invitations more confidently.
Creative strategies, like raffles or community partnerships, can turn outreach events into opportunities for long-term connection.
Try Text In Church for 14 Days
Ready to re-engage your community and welcome people back? Start your 14-day free trial today. Try Text In Church now.
