by William Cowles
You may have met many
visitors at your church over the years and never had one ask you a single
question. Not surprised. It takes courage to ask personal questions of complete
strangers, and church searchers already are under the pressure of being new
people in new places. But, even though they don’t ask, rest assured they have
some serious information needs.
Ministry leaders,
hospitality team members, and members need to be on the lookout (or is that
“listen-out?”) for visitor questions asked and unasked. Churches that provide answers
to questions before they have to be asked demonstrate a high level of
hospitality and welcome. They quickly put strangers at ease and open up a great
opportunity for positive connection.
From our experience being
church searchers and interviewing church searchers, there are 20 key bits of
information that test whether or not church searchers perceive their visits as possible,
positive, and potentially leading to more visits.
Answering the following key
visitor questions lets your guests know that you’re thinking about their visit
as much as they are.
Basic Hospitality…
Put your visitors at ease
with good information and good directions. It’s as simple as answering these
questions:
1.
What should I wear?
2.
Where should I park?
3.
What door should I
enter?
4.
Where do I get
information?
5.
Where should I sit?
Personal Stress Factors…
No one comes to a church
looking for rejection, but we naturally guard against it when meeting new
people. Consider how you communicate the answers to these questions to reduce
the anxiety that comes with new people and places:
6.
Will they accept me
as I am – even if I’m different?
7.
Will they judge me –
blame me, shun me – for my past or present circumstances?
8.
Can I ask questions
and express doubts without being rejected?
9.
Do I have to know
what’s in the Bible?
10.
What if I don’t know
how to pray?
11.
Will I be asked to
stand up and identify myself as a visitor – or wear a special nametag?
12.
Am I expected to
give money?
“What’s Next?” Questions…
Visitors want to know your
church – your hopes, your dreams, your values, and your faith. They also want
to know if these are compatible with their own hopes, dreams, values, and faith
desires. Like any healthy, thriving
relationship, a firm foundation of trust is a must. So answer these questions
for them right from the start:
13.
What is the church’s
purpose?
14.
What makes this one
different from other churches?
15.
What is their vision
for the future?
16.
Do they believe what
I believe?
17.
Do they have a way
for me to connect with other people?
18.
How do they help me
learn about God and Jesus?
19.
Are they well-managed
or in financial trouble?
20. Where did the pastor come from – what qualifies him/her?
So, how do you deliver all
of the information visitors are seeking about your church without inundating
them with volumes of material? In next week’s blog, we’ll answer this question with
some practical tips on how to use seven key church communication tools.
Now, how about you? From your experience, what other
questions are important to a church searcher?
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