As we head into the Christmas season, your church has a unique opportunity to reach people and engage them in the life of your church.
Statistics tell us that 60 percent of Americans typically attend church at Christmas.
But what about the following week? Will they return? For the most part, it depends on their experience during their Christmas visit.
This blog post explores five reasons Christmas guests don’t come back and what you can do to change that.
1. Ignore Them
You can’t expect your guests to return if you didn’t behave like you wanted them there. Decades ago, many churches would ask guests to stand up and introduce themselves. Most churches realize this is counterproductive today. Most guests don’t appreciate being put on the spot in a room full of strangers.
But the opposite is just as off-putting. Your guests want to know you see them, care about them, and want them to return.
Ensure the first people your guests see as they come onto your campus this Christmas have smiles on their faces and warm greetings on their lips. Have greeters stationed at every entrance, trained to welcome your guests as they arrive. Station a team of people at the exits to shake hands as your guests leave.
But don’t quit as your guests leave your campus after Christmas services. Have a plan in place to follow-up with your guests. Thank your guests for attending, invite them to return, and let them know about other activities at the church.
2. Overwhelm Them
Much like the guy who shows up on a first date with three dozen roses and a mariachi band, the “too much, too soon” church tends to scare guests away. They’re so excited to have visitors on their campus that they pack their service to the brim, overloading their guests with dozens of announcements and an overly packed bulletin.
Your Christmas services are likely some of your biggest of the year. Instead of adding more to the service to impress your guests, consider doing less.
Focus on what matters most on Christmas. It’s not the glitz. It’s not the flash. Even non-believers recognize that they’re coming to your church to find out more about the baby in the manger and less about everything else that typically crowds out that important message.
Limit your announcements. Simplify your bulletin. Let your guests see how much you love them and how much you love Jesus. That will bring them back!
3. Make Them Feel Like Outsiders
Nothing says you don’t care about your guests like treating them like second-class citizens. It’s easier to do this than you think. Most of us like to believe our churches are welcoming. But that’s often because we’re not seeing our churches like guests do.
When you speak using insider language, when signage is unclear, and when traditions go unexplained, you make people think your church only cares about your regular attendees.
Be mindful of your language. Avoid jargon, whether internal to your church or your broader church tradition. Explain any practices that might be unfamiliar.
Make sure people know how to get onto your campus, into your building, to your children’s ministry, to your sanctuary, and to restrooms with minimal confusion.
In other words, be a good host. Good hosts get return visits.
4. Don’t Offer Them The Next Steps
If you don’t give your guests a reason to return, guess what? They won’t. When your guests sit through your Christmas worship services, they’re looking for a reason to come back. You don’t want to overload your guests with next-step options (see point number three). But you want to give people a few meaningful options for how they can engage with your church after the holidays.
That might mean:
- You tell them about your church’s next worship service or sermon series. (Even better, gear those services around the specific needs of your Christmas guests.)
- You invite them to one of your church’s small groups or Sunday School classes.
- You let them know about upcoming service opportunities in the community.
- You share with them about your church’s upcoming membership class.
Think through the specific needs of your most likely guests and the specific values and mission of your church. That’ll likely help you determine the right next steps for those visiting during Christmas.
5. Deliver A Sub-Par Experience
Most of your guests aren’t coming to your worship services expecting a show, but they are expecting a worship service that looks like you’ve taken seriously the sacred message of Christmas.
Guests will notice if your service feels poorly prepared or disjointed. When your music seems unrehearsed, your sermon seems rushed and unfocused, and technology malfunctions, they can distract from the message you’re hoping your guests hear.
This doesn’t mean a flawless, high-production service, but it means you should aim for excellence. Guests want to feel as if their presence—and the message of Christmas—truly matters to your church. By showing you’ve put thought and care into the service, you show your respect for occasion and for those who have taken the time to join you for the service.
As you can see in each of these five guarantees of a bad guest experience, intentionality is the key. A good host is intentional.
But having your church’s best Christmas yet is about far more than just your Christmas worship services. That’s why our free guide, The Power of 12 Days: An Outreach Campaign to Share Christmas Hope, walks you through a simple 12-day outreach campaign for the days leading up to Christmas. It’s a great way to get your whole church together to engage your neighbors this holiday season. Get your free copy of the guide today!
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