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This is not a long, sit down visit. That may come later as people
become more familiar with the congregation and a visit can be prearranged.
The purpose of this initial visit is for someone to drop by, stay
on the porch and briefly say, "We are glad you chose to be with
us Sunday morning."
Forty-eight
Hours
When guests take that first step of visiting, they are extra sensitive
to the reception the congregation gives. This does not end when
they walk out the door at the end of the service.
For the next few days they are processing their experience with
your congregation. Their opinion of you is solidifying. During the
first few hours, they are deciding if they will visit again, if
their needs were met or if they will look elsewhere. Within two
days, those decisions are usually made.
It is in that first forty-eight hours that you have an opportunity
to influence your guests. For this reason, it is critical to visit
them as soon as possible. Sunday afternoon is by far the best, Sunday
evening is still good, Monday is the last opportunity to make full
impact upon your guests.
Later visits are still helpful and should be made, but much of
the impact is lost.
Drop
By
Call first or simply drop by?-a difficult question to resolve
in a traditional visitation program. Because REACH
OUT! is not a visitation program, the issues are slightly different.
The intent of this first visit is simply to say, "Thank you for
visiting with us."
To be effective, this visit should be very brief. It should be
conducted at the door, the church members should not
go into the house.
Calling first will cause people to feel obligated to ask you in,
tidy up their home and disrupt their schedule.
If those working with the REACH OUT!
Ministry insist on calling, be sure that they explain the parameters
of the visit to the guests and be sure they stick to them.
If no one is at home when you drop by, leave a church bulletin
or a brochure and write a personal note on it. Be sure to note the
day and time of the visit.
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Stay
on the Porch
Those receiving a visit will often invite church members in. These
invitations should be politely declined. If the guests really want
the church members to come in for a longer visit, they can set a
time later to do that. They must not do it at this visit.
Simply say something like, "I can't stay. I just want you to know
that we are happy you visited with us and want you to visit again
this coming Sunday."
If this guideline is not strictly followed the REACH
OUT! Ministry will turn into a different kind of ministry. Staying
at the door for a brief visit may be difficult because guests will
feel an obligation to be hospitable. It may be tempting to give
in to their insistence-don't!
15
Minutes or Less
When members go to the home of a guest it is important that the
visits be very brief. Most visits will be three to five minutes.
They should never last longer than fifteen minutes.
If the visit is going well and the guests seem to want to talk
more, use this opportunity to set a time for a longer visit. In
any case, do not stay longer than fifteen minutes.
Thank
You for Visiting
The brief visit at the door of your visitors will have only one
purpose. Thank the guest for visiting. Say something like, "I noticed
that you visited with us Sunday morning. I came to say thank you
for being with us."
Don't try to set up a Bible study at this time. Don't try to tell
them everything about your congregation. Simply say, "Thank you
for being with us."
In this ministry others will invite them back to services. Others
will try to get to know them better. Others will ask if they want
to study the Bible. This visit is simply to let them know that your
congregation is grateful for their visit.
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This
article is from
REACH OUT! Your Congregation's
Complete Guide for Turning Guests into Members
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