9 Creative Ways to Turn Visitors Into Members at Your Church
“Quick Summary” We all know that church is a safe space, and believers attend it to pray, seek guidance & inspiration, embrace a new beginning, and unite as ‘one’ with the almighty. However, often, devotees don’t come back for the services.
According to a statistic by Church Trac, churches typically witness a 10 to 15% decline in members every year. While numerous factors contribute to this attrition, two of the most common reasons are that followers may lack a sense of belonging or are pursuing an alternative avenue beyond the conventional church setting for spiritual fulfillment and to perform sacred practices.
Under such scenarios, introducing and incorporating unique methods can be an excellent way to engage the visitors and get them on board. If you are a pastor, sister, priest, or church administrator stuck in a similar dilemma, give your head a rest and embark with us on a path of enlightenment where you will discover the answers to all your uncertainties and questions.
Let’s walk, shall we?
Turn Visitors into Valued Members:
Personalized Greetings
Starting from the top, personalized greetings are known to be one of the most efficient church growth strategies. While visiting a church is the road to self-discovery and building a profound relationship with Christ, first-timers or someone who is unfamiliar with the customs and rituals might hesitate to take the first step in the place of worship.
To reassure the believers that it is a secure and empowering heaven, creating a warm, non-judgmental, and inclusive environment is a must, and a fantastic way to do so is by offering personalized greetings. Position a priest or sister at the front door to greet and encourage visitors to extend the openness and acceptance of your church. You can also invite them with a personalized token, which could be a handwritten welcome letter, a brochure, a souvenir such as a diary & pen, a keychain, a fridge magnet, a bible or devotional book, or a prayer card.
Handing out a meaningful gift not only makes them feel valued but also evokes a sense of communalism and liberates them from enduring uncertainties.
Buddy System
In the most remarkable words of George Clooney, “Life’s better with company. Everybody needs a co-pilot,” and we couldn’t agree more. Much like we have a better half to support our endeavors and partake in the adventures, assign a clergy member or a ‘church buddy,’ who can give them a walkthrough of the grounds and introduce them to the other members & pastors.
Make them feel at ease by answering their questions, connecting with them as a friend, and sharing a brief about the history of the establishment, present goals, and initiatives. Utilizing the church buddy system also increases the chances of retaining a visitor and converting them into a loyal member.
History & Vision
Venturing out without a purpose is akin to a journey without a map — perplexing and overwhelming, and as a church, you don’t want your visitors and members to experience that. Therefore, march them through the church’s history, and talk about the hardships you overcame and the milestones you achieved.
Speak about your long-standing commitment & identity, believe in unanimity, and the steps you are undertaking to make your vision true. Express your heartfelt gratitude for the ones who stuck through thick & thin and motivate the visitors to be a part of your mission and forthcoming goals.
Do not waver or shadow the past and shortcomings with falsehood. Be open & authentic, and follow the route to righteousness, as this will kindle the fire of trust among the visitors, inspiring them to come again and giving them the confidence to move forward to the aspirations of the church.
Visitor Follow Up
Retaining visitors is not limited to church; you need to go the extra mile to accomplish your target. Ensure to take a follow-up after a day or two of your potential members' visits. You can ring a bell on their number, draft a heartwarming and gratifying email, or pen down your words in a letter & send it via post, reflecting your love and urge to see them again.
Besides building an association with them, follow-ups are also essential for fostering meaningful and lasting relationships, demonstrating hospitality, and nurturing spirituality. Overall, pursuing them equates to making hay while the sun shines.
Churches with frequent visitors or having to send multiple welcome emails can leverage the power of church management software, which allows you to store a full-fledged database of their potential and existing followers, including names, phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, and similar details.
It also enables them to create and send emails to their contacts regarding their weekly worship services, holiday celebrations, baptisms, guest speakers, community outreach events, mission trips, potluck dinners, game & movie nights, fundraisers, building renovations, and so much more.
Interactive Classes
During the follow-up or on their first day of visit, you can also invite the visitors to the interactive classes. This is one of the most reliable church growth strategies, where prospective members can get an in-depth understanding of your church, including the belief system and how they can extend their hand in your mission, special appeals, and seasonal campaigns while gaining first-hand experience in acts of service that spur the progress of society.
This is also one of the fantastic church donation solutions, especially when a visitor is enthusiastic to pitch in for your upcoming activity. Remember, asking for donations should be thoughtful & tactful, and depending on their level of involvement with the church.
Adding a question-and-answer session during the class is also a wonderful way to quench their curiosity regarding your church and the nuances of religious practices.
Membership Benefits
Every church has benefits, and so does yours. Among the apparent ones, such as access to a pool of resources and unlocking the doors to spirituality, you need to highlight your distinctive points to retain visitors and prompt them to actively participate in your approach to making a difference.
Ensure the benefits you exhibit are favorable to the church as well as the members. They should emphasize strengthening their faith, building a strong & dependable community, underscoring and seamlessly solving their challenges, enriching their knowledge, and paving the way for future leaders within the church.
Newcomer Events
Organizing and hosting events for newbies is another sure-shot idea for turning visitors into members and mingling with new & fellow members. You can plan a barbeque party, a picnic amidst nature, a game or movie night with dinner, or a brunch on Sunday.
Set up the event far away from the hustle and bustle, as this opens up the possibility of socializing with other individuals and getting to know them better in the utmost peace.
Digital Promotion
From eCommerce to food & beverages to the healthcare industry, everyone harnesses digital mediums to leave their online footprint, recognize their efforts, introduce their offerings, and showcase their benefits while attracting a broad range of visitors.
Similar to other sectors, your church can, too, utilize online platforms such as websites, social media channels, and advertisements to draw worshipers and cast the faith of the lord in the most innovative ways.
Get an intuitive, agile, and appealing website with comprehensive and structured content and striking visuals. You can create captivating posts, carousels, and videos promoting your church & its offerings, asking for donations, and similar content ideas.
Further, live streaming services and podcasts can also be used to amplify your reach on the internet. Additionally, running paid ads is proven to be one of the most effective marketing strategies for yielding instant results or attaining a pre-determined goal.
Feedback System
Be it a business or service, sustainability, and prosperity highly rely on feedback and reviews. Negative feedback can not only minimize the chances of acquiring new visitors but also maximize the likelihood of missing out on existing ones. Hence, it becomes imperative to establish a feedback mechanism where visitors and members can drop their thoughts and opinions about their experience at your church.
While the positive ones can help you recognize that your efforts are not in vain, on the other hand, negative feedback can showcase the areas for improvement. Address the difficulties your visitors and members might be facing and strive hard to resolve them.
Sometimes, finding a solution to the issue may take longer than expected; in such a case, be transparent and assure the concerned individuals with kind words that their issues are being taken seriously and will be settled in no time.
Proactive actions and clear communication will give your visitors and members peace of mind while making them notice that their feedback is valued and that you have been sincerely dedicated to their well-being.
Final Thoughts
We hope this comprehensive write-up serves as a guiding light in increasing the number of church visitors and expanding its scope to the fullest. Be sure to use these pointers and focus on providing hospitality, prioritizing communication, building long-term relationships, enhancing engagement, and, most importantly, experimentation.
Don’t be afraid, and try unique ways to see what works for your church. Initially, it may seem daunting, but it also shows your church is adaptive to diverse dynamics and fuels your end goal.
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