Responding to First-Time Visitors

John P. Marcum and Cynthia A. Woolever, Research Services Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Louisville, Kentucky

Most of us like to think our own congregation is one of the friendliest around. But what if we asked our visitors? How would they describe the welcome we provide?

In a recent study of members who joined Presbyterian churches during 1995 and 1996, we found that new members experienced a variety of welcoming gestures from the congregation during their initial visit to the church. Most were asked to sign a visitor card or pew pad (reported by 83 percent) and were greeted by other worshipers (77 percent). Fewer visitors were greeted by the pastor or other worship leaders during the service (only 46 percent reported this type of recognition), were invited to a fellowship time after the service (42 percent), or were asked to wear a special visitor identification tag (17 percent).

After the first-time visitor left the church and headed home, what happened next? Common sense tells us that follow-up contact with visitors is a good idea and probably helps encourage them to consider joining the church. Our survey results, however, suggest that this good idea can be overstated. We found that the majority of new members (76 percent) were contacted after their first visit, some in more than one way. But, one in four new members do not recall any sort of post-visit contact from the church--no card, no letter, no visit, no phone call. And yet, they joined the congregation. Furthermore, only about half of those who were contacted report that such contacts were at all important in their decision "to visit for a second time" (see table). As the table shows, only a small percentage of new members report that a particular type of contact was "most important" in their decision to revisit the congregation.

Importance of Follow-up Contacts in the Decision to Make a Second Visit

	% of total sample who experienced this contact	% of those who experienced this contact who felt it was "most important" in decision to make a second visit
Form of Contact
pastor called me	24%	25%
pastor visited me	22%	41%
members called me	28%	25%
members visited me	9%	22%
received letter/postcard	37%	14%
received package of materials	15%	12%
received welcome gift	10%	16%
other (specify)	4%	26%

Should your congregation continue to make some type of follow- up contact with first-time visitors? Of course! These contacts clearly play a role in helping people decide to visit the church a second time. Our findings suggest that almost any type of follow-up contact made by the congregation (e.g., letter, phone call, visit) was important as potential new members considered the commitment of church membership. The findings indicate, however, that a visit from the pastor was more effective than other types of contact--41 percent of new members who were visited by the pastor indicated that that visit was the most important factor in their decision to return to the church for a second time. Since many believe a visit from a church member is "just as good" as a visit from the pastor, this is a surprising finding. It seems that a visit from the pastor makes an impression on potential new members that is unmatched by a visit from anyone else.

This essay is the second in a series summarizing the findings of two national surveys one of adult new members and one of confirmands--stemming from a partnership effort by Research Services and Evangelism. You'll hear more about what we learned from new members in upcoming essays, but if you want more details now, a five-page summary of results is available. Send a $3 check (payable to, and in care of) "Research Services, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)" at the 100 Witherspoon address in Louisville.

Email the author: Jack Marcum