Digital Evangelism Issues

Matt Neace writes, “I was at a conference a few years ago where they told the story of a church that looked as though they were really thriving: they had about 500 people attending, and had many outreach ministries reaching their community, and many people were coming to Christ and to church through their ministry. The problem was that the church was not growing in numbers – people were leaving as quickly as they were coming in.”
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The related question of how to turn first-time guests into long-term members of your church is addressed in two significant books.

Rev Chris Walker, of EvangelismCoach.org has produced an ebook:
How to Welcome Church Visitors
Create a good first impression

You can buy this 60-page PDF ebook from WelcomeChurchVisitors.com
Check also the blog pages of that site, as well as the separate Evangelism Coach blog.

A highly-recommended second book offering ideas for visitor retention:

Fusion
Turning First-Time Guests into Fully-Engaged Members of Your Church
Nelson Searcy with Jennifer Dykes Henson
Regal
ISBN-13: 978-0-8307-4531-9
ISBN-10: 0-8307-4531-9

This expands on Nelson’s well-known Assimilation Seminar. Some suggestions in the book may not be equally applicable to all cultures, or might only work if modified. Not all would be appropriate in UK, for instance. But the need to attract and then assimilate visitors is so vital, that it cannot be left to happen by itself. In fact, it is a major failing for many churches.

Check Chris Walker’s review of the Fusion book and his listing of other hospitality/assimilation books.

He also recomments Yvon Prehn’s ebook about how to use connection cards with new visitors.

Of course, an effective church website is one component of attracting visitors. Have you tested how easy your church site can be found online? Do you know how user-friendly the site is to outsiders? Test it here.

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