http://www.evangelismcoach.org provides another webinar on church hospitality issues, this one focusing on the three biggest challenges of the webinar registrants: vision, training, and assimilation

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Rev. Christopher Walker
www.EvangelismCoach.org
Welcoming
Church Visitors

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Agenda
• Introduction
– Who is Chris Walker?
– What is EvangelismCoach.org?
• Evangelism and Hospitality
• Casting Vision
• Training Teams
• Assimilation Processes

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Who is Chris Walker?
• Ordained Presbyterian (USA) Pastor
– Associate Pastor (7 years)
– Youth Ministry (15 years)
– Church planter (5 years)
• Master of Divinity
• Master of Theology
• Evangelism Training since 1997
• 9 countries

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What Is EvangelismCoach.org?
• Website Resource
– Personal
Evangelism
– Church Growth
– Book Reviews
– Free Downloads
– Monthly Newsletter
– Loyal Readers

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EvangelismCoach.org
• Evangelism Training
– Distance 1-1 Coaching and
Mentoring
– Live Events
– Alaska to Chile
Related Sites
• ChurchHospitalityTraining.com
• ChurchGreeterTraining.com
• WelcomeChurchVisitors.com

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Focus on Your Biggest Challenges
• Casting Vision for Hospitality
– Recruiting
– Church’s ownership
– Church Culture
– The why
• Training Hospitality Ministry Teams
– The How to and the what to do
• Assimilation Processes
– First Impressions
– Get Contact information
– Get a return visit (2nd
, 3rd
, etc)

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Context of Your Church
• No two places are alike.
• Context, Context.
• Know your community.
• Know your church.
• Fit was is appropriate for your context.

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Hospitality is not Evangelism

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Evangelism
• Joyfully sharing the good news of the
sovereign love of God, and
• calling people
– to repentance
– to personal faith in Jesus Christ as Savoir
and Lord
– to active membership in the church, and
– to obedient service in the world.
Definition adopted by the 202nd General Assembly, 1990

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Hospitality
• Entire Industries
– Hotels
– Cruise Ships
– Restaurants
– Big Box Retail
• Goal:
– For Repeat Connection

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Evangelism Hospitality
• Conversion
• Proclamation
• Information
• Salvation
• Faith
• Life Change
• Repeat visit
• Connection
• Experience
• Interaction
• Fellowship
• First Impressions
Rick Warren says, “Relationships are the glue that keep the faithful coming.”

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My Definition of Hospitality
Taking the initiative
to welcome others
And
inviting others
to share in our community
life.

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The Problem --

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What Church Consumers Want
• “Friendliness to Visitors” is
– Extremely important: 71%
– Somewhat important: 21%
• Add that up and for 9 out of 10 visitors,
the friendliness of your congregation is
important.
• Based on a national telephone survey
of 1,015 people 18 or older;
sampling error of plus/minus 3 percent.
Citation: Moody (Jan/ Feb 2002);

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“We are a friendly Church”
• All churches think they are friendly
• Google Search
– 127,000 results “friendly church”
– 1,900 exact match on Google
• Review of Church Info Forms
– Presbyterian System

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Personal Experiences
• Talk around me.
• No one said hello.
• No acknowledgement.
• Talk among themselves
• Church Business
• Secret Dress Code
• CLIQUES

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A Vision For Hospitality
Ministries

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Bible Studies on Hospitality
• Bible studies on Hospitality
– Leviticus 19:33-34
• ‘When an alien lives with you in your land,
do not mistreat him. The alien living with
you must be treated as one of your native-
born. Love him as yourself, for you were
aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’
– They were not to oppress the alien
because they knew how it felt when they
were in Egypt (Exodus 23:9)

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You Were the Visitor Once
• Visit other churches as a 1st
time guest
• Invite a friend to experience your church
• Learn from recent newcomers

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Relate Hospitality to Evangelism
• Not Evangelism
• Supports the work of evangelism
• Goal is relationships where people can
safely grow or explore their faith.

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Casting Vision
• Pastor’s Role
– Sermons
– Newsletters
• Regular Greeter Training
• Celebrating Newcomers

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Recruiting Greeters / Ushers
• More than a warm body.
• People invest time and gifts where they
see the benefit
• What benefit does the person receive for
serving?
• Ask, ask, ask.
• Use what you learn to help refine.

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Related Product
• EvangelismCoach.org/Store
– Cast the Vision Mp3 Download

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Training Hospitality Teams

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What Teams do you need
• Door Greeters
• Welcome Center Greeters
• Ushers
• Parking Lot
• Campus Guides
• Children’s Wing
• Security

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Recruiting your teams
• Team leader
• Provide occasional training
• Keep casting vision
• Phone work
• Matching gifts and passions

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Training Your Teams
• What works for your context
• Broad strokes, not a 99 page how to
manual.
• Train the Heart
– Principles
– Values
• Details come later.
• Ongoing training == consistency.

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Sample Training Ideas
• Personal visits to other churches
• First Impressions Experiences
• Remember what it’s like to be a guest
• How to read body language
• What to say

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Tips for Ushers and Greeters
• Smile.
• Fresh Breath
• Make eye contact
• Take initiative and greet.
• Don’t say “Are you new?”
• Avoid: “First time here?”
• Say “I’ve not met you yet.”
• No Hugs to strangers.

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Debriefing you teams
• Thoughtful appreciation gifts / actions
• Debriefing (to learn new things)
• Develop a FAQ

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Do you have usher/greeter
training materials?
• Feel free to share them with me
• Pastor_chris@evangelismcoach.org

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Related Product
• www.ChurchGreeterTraining.com
– Free Videos
• Ebook
– Church Greeters 101

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Follow-up Processes

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Caveats
• Technique is not relationship
• Vision helps relationship
• Techniques lower friction

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The Visitor Flow
• Attract the Guest Visitor
• 1st
Visit
• 2nd
Visit
• 3rd
Visit
• Regular Attender / Membership

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First Impressions
• http://www.WelcomeChurchVisitors.com

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Last Impressions
• Fresh Coffee
• Fresh Finger Food
• Healthy Options
• Napkins
• Trash cans

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Last Impressions
• Take the initiative
– To notice visitors
– To engage in conversation
– “I’ve not met you yet.”
• Offer to pray if appropriate
• Not the time for church business.
• Introduce visitors to the preaching pastor.

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Get Contact Information
• Pew Register
• Contact Card
• Welcome Center
• Visitor Packet Incentive
• Tear off slips on the bulletin
• Prayer Request or Sermon
Response Card

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Contact Information
• Name
• Address
• Email
• Telephone
• Don’t need marital status, name and age
of children, or 20 questions about
doctrine.

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Give incentive for contact info
• Free Gifts
– Mugs
– Downloads
– Journal
– Book

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After the service
• Response varies to Visit #.
• Example (Journey Church)
– First Visit
• 36 hour email.
• 96 hour snail mail.
• 1 month for non-returners
– Second Visit
• 36 hour email (different one)
• 96 hour snail mail (different one)

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Goal: Stickyness
• Small Groups
• Relationship Building Events
• Service Teams

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Free Newsletter
• Free article download on hospitality
• Series of emails over the month
introducing you to the website.
• Settle down to monthly and webinar
announcements.

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EvangelismCoach.org/Store

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Contact information
Rev. Christopher Walker
www.EvangelismCoach.org
804/335-1445
Skype: WalkmanPTY