Attraction Or Retention Pt. 2

Let’s look at the retention problem today.

1. Your weekend services need to be great! THE WEEKEND IS KEY TO ATTRACTING AND RETAINING THOSE WHO ARE GUESTS AT YOUR CHURCH! If the weekend services are horrible, you don't have to worry about retaining because people won't be visiting your church or at least they won't be coming back a second time.

2. The first 5 minutes of the arrival onto your church campus is crucial. At People's Church, we always say the sermon starts in the parking lot. Many people make up their minds to come back to our churches within the first 5 to 10 minutes of their arrival. If your parking lot attendants and your greeters were jerks, your worship or message probably won't undo how they were treated when they first arrived. We have to work at creating a friendly and inviting environment for our guests!

3. I'm a big believer in following up with everybody who is a first, second or third time guest. If they fill out a communication card, they will be contacted by People's Church. I used to call every first time guest myself. I did this until we were around 800 people in attendance. I spent an hour to two hours a week making phone calls to EVERY first time guest. I THINK THIS WAS VERY HELPFUL FOR OUR CHURCH AND ITS GROWTH. If your church is under 500 people, I would encourage you to call every first time guest. Now we have 3 or 4 of our pastors make the phone calls every Monday. I will never delegate this outside of the People's Church office. We simply can't afford to drop the ball in this area. We also send a hand written note to every first, second and third time guest. They also receive a letter from me or from one of the staff members. Every first time guest receives an email first thing Monday morning thanking them for coming and asking them to fill out a very short form online about their experience. The information they send back to us is anonymous, so it allows the guest to be candid about their experience at People's Church. We also call every second & third time guest. AS I SAID, I'M A BIG BELIEVER IN FOLLOW UP!

4. Small groups are a major key to retaining those who come to your church. Everybody needs friends in the church. Everybody needs relationships. Everybody needs to grow spiritually. Everybody needs to be cared for. YOU MUST HAVE A STRATEGY AND SYSTEM TO GET PEOPLE CONNECTED INTO A SMALL GROUP SETTING!

5. We allow people easy access into certain ministries. You don't have to be able to quote the 66 books of the Bible to be a greeter at People's Church. We try to get people connected into a ministry as soon as possible because it allows them to take ownership of the church and build relationships with the people they serve with.

6. Pray and allow God to give you some ideas that will work in your community to retain those who come to your church. PEOPLE MATTER TO GOD, SO YOU NEED A STRATEGY TO GET PEOPLE CONNECTED TO THE LOCAL CHURCH AND GROWING IN CHRIST!