Becoming a Welcoming Church Quotes

“Seven out of ten guests will go to a church website as a determinative factor in where they will choose to visit.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Becoming a Welcoming Church

“First, there are a lot of those children. The Millennial generation, those Americans born between 1980 and 2000, is the largest generation in America’s history. They are seventy-eight million strong. And though only about one out of four attend church with any degree of consistency, there are still almost twenty million or more who will show up at a church. And guess who is coming to church with the Millennials? Their kids. Some call them Gen Z, and others call them iGen. In Jean Twenge’s book, iGen, she describes this generation in this subtitle: “Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy—and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood.” Whew. While the author offers some fascinating insights to the kids of this generation, one thing about them is totally clear: Their parents want them safe and protected wherever they are, including church.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Becoming a Welcoming Church

“So if you really expect to see younger families visit your church, you absolutely must demonstrate that your church is safe, secure, and sanitary. In fact, I just spoke with a Millennial who told me she was not taking her kids back to a particular church because the toys were so unsanitary. “It was a literal breeding ground for germs and diseases,” she told me. “I will never return there.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Becoming a Welcoming Church

“What led you to visit our church? The question began as an innocent conversation starter. I ask guests questions about themselves and their families. I do my best to get to know them, and to make the conversation about them. But, at some point, my curiosity gets the best of me. Out of the dozens of churches near them, what was the main factor that prompted them to try our church? The answer still surprises me. “We visited the church’s website.” We now hear that response from approximately seven out of ten first-time guests. Guests use Google to search for local churches, and they look at different church websites. They see the church sign driving by, and decided to look up the website. They hear a conversation about the church, and check it out by visiting the website.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Becoming a Welcoming Church

“Good church signage is a statement of your church’s hospitality. It means you are expecting guests; and it means you desire for guests to come to your church.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Becoming a Welcoming Church

“Many guests really want to know, “What’s next?” Is your church ready to answer them?”
― Thom S. Rainer, Becoming a Welcoming Church

“About one out of seven guests told us, surprisingly, they did not return because the people were too friendly. Some noted that issue in the context of the stand-and-greet time, while others said it was an issue at all points in the church. “I came away worn out from the visit to the church,” Justin told us. “The people were all over us. My wife and I and our two kids were one of very few young families there, and they seemed desperate to get us. We left asking ourselves, ‘Who are these people?’ We had seen some of them in town, and they sure weren’t friendly there. But they put on a good show when we visited.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Becoming a Welcoming Church

“Indeed, as I interviewed all twenty-four of the guests, this issue and sound problems came up all but three times. Of this small sample, nearly nine out of ten of the first-time guests did not return because they struggled with either the sound or lighting in the worship service. As I conducted hundreds of consultations over the next three decades, I heard many first-time guests mention the issues of light and sound. And while it’s not a challenge in all churches, the issue was sufficiently pervasive to deem it important. Sound and lighting. Color me surprised. In the event you are wondering why guests are hesitant to mention their problems with sound and lighting, I asked them. And they told me clearly. There were two common responses. First, they felt petty by mentioning it. Here is my best recollection of the words from my first interview with Linda. “I hate even saying it,” she began. “But I just have trouble worshipping when it’s so dark I can’t even see my Bible.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Becoming a Welcoming Church

“This chapter is about surprises, things that church members may not consider about guests. One of those surprises was a figurative cry from church members: “Where’s the information?” Many guests want to get more information about the church they are visiting. While they may have gotten some information on the website, their visit indicates an even greater interest. They are looking for information. Can they find it at your church? Many of them told us they could not. So here is a simple solution for churches of all sizes. Have a centrally located place where there is an abundance of information about the church. Call it a welcome center or guest center or information center—just have something. Make it simple, but attractive. Have information available about the church. Have Bibles to give away.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Becoming a Welcoming Church

“Even in incredible churches, very few members make the effort to greet and speak to someone already seated before the service begins. And, frankly, most church members don’t ever go sit with guests. Guests are most often overlooked in the few minutes right before the worship services. No one speaks to them or sits with them.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Becoming a Welcoming Church

“I think the people were genuinely friendly,” Kathy added. “They had real smiles on their faces. They greeted us warmly in the parking lot and when we entered the building. And folks were really helpful getting our kids to their areas.” Kathy paused then added, “We really had an overall good experience. But, there was one part that just was not that good. It was the nine to ten minutes after we sat down in the worship center and before the services started. No one spoke to us. No one sat by us. No one even acknowledged us. It was really uncomfortable until the service began.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Becoming a Welcoming Church

“Therein lies the problem with most churches. Churches perceive they are a friendly church because the members are friendly to one another. But they don’t think about walking in the shoes of first-time guests. They don’t look at their facilities, their parking, their website, or their friendliness from a guest perspective.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Becoming a Welcoming Church

“In other words, if you aren’t focusing resources and time on your church website, you are thumbing your nose at the Great Commission. And that’s not an overstatement. A church with a lousy website is committing the sin of Great Commission negligence.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Becoming a Welcoming Church