Below is a base level version of the follow-up procedures that we successfully used as pastors to drive growth.
What this training doesn’t discuss is collecting information AND what to do with the information that is collected. But properly collecting and using people’s/visitor's information is an ABSOLUTE KEY to long term and sustained church growth.
Visitor Follow-up (Basic)
First Visit – Handwritten post card from the follow-up team.
Second Visit – Call from one of the follow-up team. This person needs to take GREAT notes on this call and share them with all staff. Best practice is that this person tells person/family to meet them at the welcome booth on Sunday, for a gift and to connect more in person.
Third Visit – Call from the Pastor and scheduling a time to take the person/family to lunch after a service. (If growth is heavy, lunch can be with a staff member or even a board member if need be.)
Past the third visit, the person/family should be helped to get involved in various additional areas of the church/ministry, including discipleship. If the person/family begins regular attendance, then they should be moved onto the active roster.
Visitor follow-up is NOT in consecutive order… meaning, if the second visit comes weeks after the first, a phone call still goes out. After 3 - 4 months though without the person/family moving to the active roster, the “count” then starts over for them.
Missed Attendance Follow-up (All Attendees) – unplanned/unknown attendance misses only
First Miss - Handwritten post card from the follow-up team.
Second Miss (IN A ROW) – Call from one of the follow-up team. This person needs to take GREAT notes on this call and share them with all staff.
Third Visit (IN A ROW) – Call from the Pastor and scheduling a time to meet with the person/people who missed. That meeting can be a meal. (If growth is heavy, the meeting can be with a staff member or even a board member if need be.) If they do not return the following week, they are removed from the active roster to the inactive roster. Both rosters should be utilized in full for advertising special events/outreaches.
Missed attendance follow-up IS done in consecutive order only. If the person misses one week, attends the next, and misses the following – they again get a handwritten post card.
All attendees qualify for the Missed Attendance Follow-up, including those who have only visited one time. This is a key function of capturing initial visitors.