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Kindle Notes & Highlights
by
Tyler Smith
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June 30 - July 21, 2023
turn outsiders into insiders at my church,
You see, most people, when they come to your church for the first time, are showing up for one of five reasons. This is known as the “5-D Theory”: Divorce Death in the family Displacement (a move) Disaster Development (for self, children, marriage, etc.)
The truth is, it’s more likely that they’re desperate. They’re lonely. Maybe they’re looking for some hope or just some direction as they navigate a new stage of life.
Make them feel loved.
It sounds like a lot, but it can be accomplished in just three steps: Gather Connect Build
But before we dive in, there is a specific posture that I think is critical. It has made the difference between churches spinning their wheels and overworking and churches implementing this plan with ease. That is: First-time guests need to be obsessed over. First-time guests need to walk through the doors of your church and think, They were hoping I would be here! They need to leave your service and think, They hope I come back. They need to be followed up with and left thinking, They care about me.
seventeen million people who are not regular churchgoers visit church websites each year.
Service Times and Location About Us Page Imagery Plan A Visit Feature (We’ll talk about this more in a separate chapter.)
ABOUT US PAGE When people click on your About Us page, what they really want to know is if they will fit in at your church and align with your beliefs.
The Plan a Visit model allows your website to interact with the user, to ask them for contact information, or to find out if they have kids who need childcare during the service.
Can you imagine? Right after someone fills out the Plan a Visit card on your website, they get a text that looks something like this: “Hey, Jenna! I’m Tyler, and I work at City Church! We are so excited to have you at City Church this weekend! Keep an eye out for an email from me with some details on parking and kids’ check-in. Can’t wait to meet you!”
Is there anywhere on your site that allows someone to engage with you or reach out?
Then, the pastor stood up to give the sermon. And who was the head pastor? That same kind, parking lot greeter.
Once they pull into your parking lot, there should be a trail of breadcrumbs showing them exactly where to go and what to do next.
They’ve done the hard part. They have broken their previous pattern of not going to church. They left the spilled breakfast, the piled laundry, the comfort of their own home. They showed up. And once they pull into the parking lot, it’s your turn to show up for them.
requiring guests to come forward and ask for help in that way can put them in a vulnerable position.
FIRST IMPRESSION CHECKLIST Website: Updated and Interactive Designated Parking for Guests Exterior Signs Greeters and a Culture of Hospitality Make Check-In Easy Have One Clear Next Step Cue Members to New People Interior Signs Make the Welcome Center Obvious and Accessible Consistent Messaging Throughout Entire Experience: I hope you come, I’m glad you came, and I hope you come back! Okay,
This is an important piece. You don’t want a first-time guest to have to ask that question. If they are left standing inside your building, wondering, Where do I go, and what do I do? you’re losing them. There are a couple of ways to avoid this.
How can your team work together to create a comprehensive “track” for guests to embark upon?
YOU NEVER KNOW THE STATE SOMEONE IS IN WHEN THEY WALK THOUGHT YOUR DOORS ON A SUNDAY MORNING THEY COULD BE LOOKING FOR ANSWERS AND LONGING FOR SOMEONE–ANYONE–TO THEM.
The Welcome Speech has a lot packed into it, so I’m going to break it down into three distinct parts: Welcome Connect Desire and Why
As I mentioned, my family and I have attended City Church for seven years. My wife and I get to serve as life group leaders as well as in the children’s ministry. We have loved how focused City Church is on serving our community. You can find all of our local service opportunities on the back of the bulletin. Again, if you’re new, I want to thank you for being here and give you a little bit of an idea of what this hour will look like. We like to start the service off with singing. People worship in a lot of different ways, so please don’t feel compelled to do anything specific. Then, we pray.
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One of the worst things that can happen after someone has attended your church for the first time is for them to be unsure of how to move forward.
Or if you have your phone with you, you can text “NEW” to 816-482-3337. This
THE WELCOME SPEECH SUMMARY
The churches we work with are asking people whenever they come to the Welcome Center if they feel comfortable leaving some contact information.
We also tell them, “stop by next week, and we have a T-shirt for you!”
She was excited about a couple of different groups but was always directed to the website to “sign up.” She had no opportunity to meet people before signing up for their group, which felt like a big jump—not to mention, risky and vulnerable. These are not things you want guests to feel at your church! We
“Hi James! We hope to see you tomorrow @ City Church! —Pastor Jason”
Hello, ! This is Tyler from City Church. I just wanted to call and thank you for joining us on Sunday! I wanted to see if you had any questions and invite you to join us again this coming weekend.
Happy Friday, James! I just wanted to send a quick invite to City Church this Sunday. We have many awesome ways to connect with others at City Church, and I’d love to help you get connected! You can find our Facebook page here: [FB PAGE] Hope to see you there! —Pastor Jason
Hi, James! Thank you for joining us on Sunday at City Church! We would love to see you again this weekend. Please let us know if you have any questions or anything we can pray for you about. Feel free to call me at my number below at any time. Have a great rest of your week! Jason Jones, City Church 866-256-2480
