Author: theministrymama

12 Things Church Visitors Wish You Knew

2 Comments

First-time church visitors have feelings about their visit to your church – here are twelve things that they wish you knew! Check and see as you read through the list if there are things that you or your church could work on to help guests to feel more welcome in your church services.

12 Things Church Visitors Wish You Knew

1. “We’ve already checked you out on your church website.” Your church website says a lot about your church and can also help visitors find vital information about how to get to your location, the service times, etc. If your church has sermons online people will use them as a way to decide whether they would like to visit your church. If you need help building your website or updating it, invest some time and money into making it a great tool for helping guests feel welcome before they arrive.

2. “Introduce yourself with your name, not just a handshake.” Tell someone your name, don’t just ask for theirs. This makes them feel like they are connecting. Make it a point to remember their name, write it down if you have to and keep it on a piece of paper in your Bible so that when they return you can recall their name and make them feel welcome again.

3. “We have no idea where we’re going, we need someone friendly to show us around.” Greeting people in your church (whether this is your “official” ministry in your church or not) and showing them the ropes gives them a sense of direction and safety. Wandering hallways and feeling lost is a difficult way to begin a visit to a church, so have people there with a smiling face to show people around.

4. “Don’t just get to know me and my wife, be interested in our children and their needs.”  Learn the names of the children and help them go to classes for their age or introduce them to a child/teen in their age group. Show the mother the nursery and/or cry room if she has a baby, etc. Sometimes the choice of whether a family chooses to visit a church again rests on whether the children felt welcome.

5. “We’re looking at the relationships and interactions among other church members with each other.” Guests expect that you will be friendly to them but they are also looking for the positive and negative interactions between church members. Keep those relationships right between you and others! It is a genuine sign of love to see church members be a blessing to each other and could be the draw that has guests keep coming back!

6. “We want people to be interested in our life by asking us questions, but we don’t want to be interrogated.” 20 questions is a fun game to play… just not with guests. You never know the story or background behind why a new family is coming to your church. Each guest has a different reason for attending (reasons can be good or bad).  Be friendly and interested without delving into the deep questions of life on their first Sunday(s) to your church.

7. “Include us! We don’t like to feel isolated by not knowing what’s going on, we want to begin to have a feeling of connection.” Explain the “inside information” that your church is talking about from announcements, prayer requests, etc. so that your guests feel included. Your inclusion can make all the difference.

8. “We’re watching for professionalism from the platform without an obvious attempt at showmanship.” Both pride and unprofessionalism are a turn-off to people who are looking for quality in the church worship service. People know the difference between genuine servants of God and phoneys. Be real. Be professional even if it takes practice beforehand. Be humble. This should be for everyone that approaches or steps onto the platform – staff, singers, and the pastor, etc.

9. “We want to leave the worship service feeling like we were a participator, not just a spectator.” Three things can help you in this area: First, Sunday morning songs and hymns should be familiar because this is when most guests will attend your services. Second, give background information in the sermon if you are in a series so they can be up to speed on where you have been and where you are going. Finally, direct people to what you want them to do at the end of the service, if it’s an invitation tell them how to do it. If it’s a quick dismissal, make them aware so they are taken by surprise by an abrupt change. People are more inclined to take part if there is good communication explaining how to participate.

10. “Make accommodations not to single us out in an awkward way in the service.” If at all possible have specified seating for church guests at the back of your auditorium. Wandering church guests who try to find places to sit filled with Bibles and purses will not feel welcome. Consider having a personal worker approach them with a guest information card personally and not having them raise their hand or stand in front of everyone in the middle of the church service. Embarrassment is an unwelcome feeling.

11. “Invite me back to another church service. Don’t make me commit to coming back again.” Invite guests back by saying something like, “We’re so glad you came today, we want to invite you back to our services tonight,” or “We would love for you to join us again next Sunday.” Let the visitors tell you if they are coming back, because some people may not have enjoyed the services. They do not want to be compelled to lie and tell you they are coming back when they really will not. Invitations will leave the door open for them to return if they would like.

12. “We don’t mind a follow-up visit or call but we don’t want to be overloaded with being contacted after visiting your church.”  Visitors like to be recognized for their visit to your church, it lets them know their presence was acknowledged and you care about them. Just don’t overload them with follow-up calls, visits, letters, or mail-outs. (Hint: It can make you seem too desperate to gain church members which can be a turn-off.) Keep it limited to two contacts at the most in a week following a first-time or subsequent visit.

Did you notice anything in this list that you need to work on? Could you train people in your church to do some of the things that would make a visitor welcome in your church? Take an active approach in making your church more friendly to those first-time guests. You never know if their life might be changed by Christ by implementing a few new ideas into your welcome!

How God Has Provided: Finances for Our Family

Almost eight weeks ago we stepped out in faith to follow my husband’s calling to preach and it has amazed us to watch how God has provided finances for our family now we are completely dependent upon Him.

Our situation reminds me of the Biblical account of Elijah, when there was a famine in the land God directed Elijah to a specific place where God Himself would be his sole provider.

And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying,  Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.  And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.  So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.  And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. I Kings 17:2-6

The Lord has decided not to provide for us using ravens to bring us bread and meat but He is providing faithfully each day in other ways.

Love Offerings

  • When we left our church we received a check from our church as well as a love offering from both the members and the choir that served beside my husband for the past five years.
  • My husband has preached so far in 5 different churches and all of them has provided him with a love offering to cover our expenses for our travels there. One church even generously gave us $1,000 to be a blessing to a young preacher and his family, we were humbled by their generosity and kindness.

From Individuals

  • Before our last service at our church a couple approached my husband about helping us take care of some repairs that our van needed since they knew we would be on the road. They gave us $1,200 toward our repairs and the rest of the money that we needed was the exact amount that our church members gave us in their love offering. We spent 6 weeks on the road in a van that was fixed and back to its best self, until we backed into a dumpster and broke a tail light! Whoops!
  • Another very humbling gift was from a couple that gave my husband a handful of cash who we had never met before. Later we were able to pull all the connections together and find out that this couple had buried their 2-year-old son who had died from cancer only one week before. Their gift was precious to us.
  • Friends of our on a fixed income gave us a check from their family business, not once but twice. We know they probably could have used it for themselves, but they gave.
  • Three different family members provided us with checks that covered our expenses for one month.
  • We made a stop to see family friends and they also gave us a check to be a blessing.
  • We not only received monetary gifts, God provided us with many paid meals as well as accommodations in each place we visited to take care of us as we stayed overnight. Although they are not cash in hand, they are financial needs met.

Through eBay, Amazon, and Curriculum Sales

Early in the spring we made a choice to begin experimenting with buying items in lots and reselling them. We bought a 16-tub lot of vintage toys from the ’90’s and early ’00’s, books from library book sales, and a very large homeschool curriculum bundle. Although we have been selling throughout the year, our sales have been thorough and steady enough to provide what we need to be able to save for any upcoming needs, like our baby due in September!

This has also kept us busy in what might normally be considered a downtime between ministries. We have needed to be busy since we do not know the will of the Lord for our lives yet, it gives us purpose to be able to provide for our family with the work of our own hands. When we have not been on the road we have been busy taking pictures, listing and shipping items and then waiting for the Lord to sell them for us. And really with some of the random items that we have, it has had to be the Lord selling them for us!

Finances for our FamilyTo sum it all up –

God was showing us some things in our previous ministry that were telling us it was time for us to truly take a step of faith and leave what we were doing and we did it. When we made the choice we knew that it would end my husband’s income, our housing allowance, and other expenses like car insurance that his job provided. God is showing Himself faithful. We have heard many stories in our travels of God taking care of families for up to 7 months or more when they took their own step of faith to wait on knowing where the Lord would direct them next and trust He will do the same for us if that is what He desires.

Not only did he provide for us monetarily, as we traveled in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas and spent time with our family and ministry friends which has been as much of a blessing as any monetary gift we have received. We needed time to get away and fill our cups with the ones we love. We’ve needed to sit under preaching without ministering and let our kids build relationships with their cousins and other ministry kids.

Not all of our needs have been financial but I can testify that if the Lord calls you to follow Him, then He will give to you along the way. It may not be everything you want, but it will be everything you need! And for us, when the brook dries up and these things no longer provide for us, then we know the Lord will lead us on to the next place of His provision.

Seeking a New Ministry the Right Way

There are right and wrong ways to seek a new ministry if you believe that God is leading you to a new place of service. This article is mostly written for someone who serves on church staff under the direction of a pastor.

Seek with pastoral approval and loyalty.  Know the heart and preference of your pastor. You may have a pastor that would like all contacts about asking you to move to a new ministry to go to him first. Please refer anyone that is interested in hiring  you to contact him and then if the door opens talk to them. Other pastors are more lenient and will not mind if you are approached and then come to him to talk about the new ministry possibility.

As a church staff member you are an employee to the pastor or a person who has placed themselves under his leadership as an employee (when you might work in a church but have a secular job). Seek advice from your pastor, his experience, and leadership. It does not mean that you will necessarily always do what he may suggest, but it does allow you to hear his advice and thoughts on the matter. Keep the lines of communication open between you.

Do not do things behind your pastor’s back. Your deeds should be in the light if you truly want to find a new ministry the right way. We heard a story one time about a man who went on “vacation” only a few miles away to candidate for a church in a neighboring community. This caused major problems between him and the pastor and the life of the church. Seeking a new ministry in the right way means that you leave the church you are working in, in a right way.

Seeking a New MinistryIncrease your personal Bible reading and prayer time. You’ve heard the saying “A man is only as good as his word,” let’s change it up a little and say, “A man is only as good as he is reading God’s Word.” You can expect the Lord to clearly guide you if you are reading God’s Word and spending time in prayer.

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:11

“Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.” Psalm 5:8

Attend church services and listen to preaching regularly. If you are a person heavily involved in ministry there may not be a lot of services that you actually attend where you are truly sitting and listening to the preaching of God’s Word. If you believe that God is leading you to a new ministry, this is the best time to stop and make it a priority to be in the church services to hear the Word.

If this is not a possibility listen to sermons in your free time while you are riding in the car, when you are working on projects, or when it is convenient for you. The preaching and teaching of the Word of God will provide the power needed to guide you into the things He is leading you to do next.

I Corinthians 1:18 “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”

Pray together as a family. Making the matter of moving to a new ministry a matter of prayer with your family. When the Lord leads you to the next place it will make it an answered family prayer. This allows children to see God leading the family as a whole, not just their parents. When you include your children in the process it gives them security in knowing that they can follow the Lord in faith even though they may not understand why God is leading you away from a place they may already love and cherish.  Just like your pastor does not want to be left in the dark, your family does not either.

Get your name out there. “God will bring you to the place you are supposed to be through the people who you know,” a friend of ours told us. The family of God has all types of connections and one of them will potentially be what brings you to your next place of service. Not every person believes in this because they believe God will direct you solely without the help and guide of others. If you make this choice, keep praying and seeking God’s face and He will bring you an answer in His way and timing.

Lord willing, the next article will be about Getting Your Name Out There the Right Way. This will give you some ideas that will help you do just that and do it in a right way.

~A Word to Ministry Mamas~

I write this mainly from what we have learned in our recent experiences of my husband stepping out by faith and following God’s call on his life to preach. This subject has been on our hearts and minds for the past few months as we have also had to face these situations as we wait for God’s leading. This article can help you to understand how to do this in a right way with your husband.

Your main responsibility as a wife is to support your husband and to follow his leadership, and the best way that you can do that is by helping him do the things mentioned in this article. YOU can play a pivotal role of support by, allowing the Lord to work through your husband’s leadership to guide your family to your next place of service. This should be a matter of prayer between you two alone as much as it is as a family collectively, so that you might be able to have unity between each other and peace when the time comes to move.

Please keep your heart and your mind pure to staying in God’s timing instead of deciding to orchestrate plans of your own – we saw how that worked with Sarai and her servant Hagar in Genesis, so be wise and wait on both your husband and your Lord. There is a place of service for you, designed for the both of you to serve together, just wait!

You may be interested in the first article in this series: How to Tell When God is Moving You to a New Ministry.