Some churches hand out homemade gifts for church visitors. While that is awesome, something a bit more practical—like a guest packet—might be a more welcome surprise.
But what goes in church welcome folders? Do you tell them everything there is to know about your church? Or is it all denominational materials?
What goes in depends on what you want your guests to get out of their visit.
Here are some ways you can use welcome folders to engage church guests.
Include something for the kids
Taking kids to a new place can be a gamble. Why not provide something in visitor packets to help parents amuse and entertain their kids?
For young kids, include a few crayons and a coloring book. You could also include stickers!
Want something a little less messy? Some churches build activity kits for young visitors. These bags stay at the church, but are full of age-specific activities. These could include puzzles, art supplies, small books, blocks, or even dolls or action figures.
Why kid packs work: If the kids are entertained or otherwise preoccupied, this gives parents the chance to meet people, read the welcome packet, or sit and reflect.
Encourage Hashtags
Are your church and members are active on social media? If so, include a note in the welcome pack telling visitors how they can connect with you on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Include a hashtag so they can tag a photo on their preferred channel.
If they use the hashtag, be sure to leave a comment! It’s important visitors know you’re paying attention to them—and not just using the hashtag as a marketing tactic.
Encourage your members to use this hashtag, as well. Either put it in the weekly bulletin or shown on your projector screens.
Why hashtags work: Connecting with visitors on social media gives them another way to talk to you and learn about your church… outside of the church.
Videos help visitors relive the experience—and learn more about you
While it’s helpful to give visitors plenty of different materials to read, let them know about any videos you might have online. Let them know where they can watch or listen to previous services or messages. Direct them to your website or YouTube channel.
Help guests learn even more about your church by having at least one video for each of your ministry groups or clubs.
Why videos work: People of all ages watch a lot of videos online. Videos for your church are perfect for not only sharing previous services or messages, but also to show off the behind-the-scenes activities: mission work, youth group activities, or even prepping for coffee and cookies after the service.
Include a first impressions survey
A first impressions survey gives visitors the chance to explain how they felt being a guest at your church, but it also provides you with some practical feedback from a fresh set of eyes, ears, and heart.
Your survey can either be included as a sheet in your welcome packet, you can provide a URL to direct visitors to fill out a form online, or you can send the survey out in the mail a day or two after their visit.
There are the benefits of each; it’s up to you to decide which one works best for your church—and which one your visitors might prefer.
Include the survey in a welcome packet
The benefit of this is that it’s with all the other materials you want visitors to have, so the chance of the survey being lost is minimal. Having a form in the welcome pack might encourage visitors to fill out the survey shortly after attending the service, when the message and experience is still fresh in their mind.
Put the impressions survey online
Doing this saves some paper, and it makes it a little easier to collect responses, since the answers would be emailed to you direct. The downside of this is that fewer people are likely to take the time to go back to your website just to fill out the survey, If you choose to have your survey online, make it visible for all website visitors to see.
Mail the survey after the service
This is a great option because visitors should receive the survey 2–3 days after visiting your church. They’ve had enough time to reflect on their experience, but it’s still fresh in their mind.
Let’s make that welcome packet work.
While you’re the one putting the welcome experience together for church visitors, we can help you out with the pocket folders. Our talented design team has created both traditional and contemporary church welcome folders that are used by churches big and small. Check out our welcome folders for church visitors or give us a call at (800) 346-3063.