The ideas in this post can be a game changer for your church. The level of love and care a church shows for guests largely determines whether the church is going to grow, or going to die. These ideas are simple. Anyone can do them, even your church. These ideas don’t cost money, so you don’t have an excuse not to put them into practice. To implement these ideas and make a great impression, all your church needs is a willingness to put forth the effort to share Jesus’s love with those in your community. Surely, we can all do that.

The Five Ideas

1. Expect guests to show up every week. Even if they don’t, you still start by creating the expectation. If you’re not expecting them, you won’t be ready when they show up. You’re praying for guests to show up, right? So, expect God to answer those prayers and be ready. Every volunteer in your church should be ready for new guests each week.
2. Welcome guests with a smile. Go out of your way to greet people you don’t know. Offer a handshake and introduce yourself. I’m an introvert at heart, but I quickly realized that at church I have to go out of my way to meet people. Those first connections people make have a huge impact on whether they will come back.
3. Get to know them. Greeting guests is a great first step, but you really gain traction with people when you take it a step further and get to know them. Find out their names. Do they have children? How did they hear about the church? The more you know about them, the better you’ll be able to serve them. Keep in mind, not everyone is going to be comfortable giving you their life story from the start, so learn how to read people and don’t come off as pushy.

4. Surprise them. If you can just exceed one expectation they may have had, you’ll leave a positive impression on them. This often is as easy as remembering their name. There’s something about remembering a name that just creates a connection with a lot of people. So, whenever I meet someone new at my church, I type their name into my phone. It helps me remember. You can do the same thing with a notebook; just don’t let them see you doing it. You can also surprise guests by giving them a gift, writing them a letter, or sending them a message on Facebook. These little touches can create a big wow factor.

5. Don’t forget to say goodbye and invite them back. This is the finishing touch of a great first impression. If you’ve met someone new before service, try your best to track them down after service and invite them back. This will often send the message that you really do care about them.

That’s it. It’s that simple, and yet so many churches do a terrible job at creating good first impressions. It doesn’t have to be that way. You can change the culture, and when you do, you’ll see how big of a difference it really makes.

Is there anything you would add to this list? Let us know by leaving a comment below. And if I can ever help you in this area or any other please send me an email or check out my coaching page for more options. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog to get tips on church growth, leadership, and more each week.