better together

by Eddie Moody, Executive Secretary, National Association of Free Will Baptists

Do We Welcome People to Church?

In an increasingly post-Christian culture, people no longer attend church just because they are “supposed to.”[1] In this environment, it is critical to be an inviting, welcoming church, so we have the opportunity to expose people to the gospel. Here are a few suggestions for drawing visitors to our churches (and bringing them back):

Use Directional Signs. Make it easy for people to find your church. Even if every person in your community knows where your church is located, a directional sign says to everyone who see it, “Visitors are welcome!”

Use a Website and Facebook. A website or Facebook site with accurate information about your services and activities, as well as your physical address, sends a message that visitors are welcome and expected. Today, most people look online to determine if they will give your church a try. Let them know what to expect. At the church I pastored over the last two decades, the nursery director recorded a video to demonstrate nursery check-in procedures and to show the nursery to prospective visitors. Potential visitors are asking, “Will my child be safe at this church?” Use your website and Facebook site to answer a confident yes! Put people at ease about visiting your church for the first time.

Be Ready for Visitors. Surprisingly, more visitors are repelled by our sloppiness than our message (controversial to the secular mind). When we don’t do things well, people question whether we really believe the message. For example, if our message is true, Easter Services should have the excitement and preparation like an athlete has for the Super Bowl. If we are late to staff a nursery or unprepared to sing or preach, it detracts from our message.

Act like you have visitors in your service, even when you don’t. Consider whether your activities are inviting or off-putting. As you share announcements, think how they sound to visitors. Do you use “inside language?” Do you communicate well-organized, exciting events? Understand your congregation is also listening. Do they wonder, “Could I bring my friend to this service?” They have to feel comfortable enough to invite their friends and relatives.

Seize Opportunities. Identify every activity that draws a large number of visitors (Christmas Eve, Easter, VBS). Then consider three suggestions: first, during these events, don’t overemphasize the number of visitors. Sometimes, we make it sound as though most people attending are visitors.

Second, use these events as promotional launchpads. Promote an upcoming sermon series, Bible study on apologetics, or any other exciting church activity. Use a program, bulletin, or announcement slideshow before and after the service to draw people back to your activities. Offer something for kids, ladies, men—as many groups as you can. You want visitors to think, “I want to come back for that.”

Being a welcoming church helps us fulfill the charge given to us in the Parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14:23) to fill the Lord’s house. Let us do all we can to welcome those who need to know Him.

About the columnist: Better Together is a regular feature of ONE Magazine. Written by Eddie Moody, executive secretary of the National Association of Free Will Baptists, the column explores life and ministry. Have a suggested topic or question? Contact Eddie: emoody@nafwb.org.

1 The Great Decline: 60 years of religion in one graph. Accessed at https://religionnews.com/2014/01/27/great-decline-religion-united-states-one-graph/ on January 10, 2020.