Names of Visitors

[Mike Schutz]

How does your church collect the names and addresses of visitors to your worship services?

[Joanne Vergin]

We secretly attach a GPS system.




No, we just ask them to fill out a card.

[Wilson L. Deaton]

How does your church collect the names and addresses of visitors to your worship services?

When I first get up to welcome everyone we pass out registration cards and ask that someone in each family present to fill one out while we make a few announcements. We tell them to set them aside but keep them close and we'll collect them with our offering later. I'm guessing we get over 95% of our visitors responding.

When I used to ask only the visitors to fill out cards our response was very low, certainly less than half.

(We use a custom card that we print on cardstock and cut ourselves.)

Wilson

[Kevin Bowser]

The ubiquitous tear-off portion of the worship folder.

[Alisa Stoll]

We have roughly 5x7 black folders that get passed out just before offering (one for each section and row so if 2 setions and 10 rows then 20 folders). Inside is a pencil and sheet that has the date in the upper corner. Then it has lines for name and address or prayer request. It has a place for checking if you are a first time vistor, returning visitor, regular attender, request a pastor call. The pastor asks everyone to fill out the book as it gets passed down the row and then send it back so you can learn the names of those who are seated in your row.

We use this as part of our attendance information - it get entered into a database so that our staff knows when someone hasn't been to service in a while. Not sure how many of our regulars know that but as the board secretary, I do. It is a handy way to get prayer requests. It is also where we get our information on visitors. Since everyone fills it out, it works pretty well.

Alisa

[Gary Swartzlander]

We also use a multi-purpose insert in the worship folder.

It allows for visitors to give us information they wish to give us, they can be used for prayer requests, and giving other information people want to get to the church office or staff. They are collected in the offering or can be dropped off at the welcome center in the commons.

[Barb Bouldrey]

Our ushers are instructed to give every visiting family a Welcome folder that has information about our church and the Church of the Nazarene, a pen, and a visitor's card. They are allowed to keep the pen that has our church name and address and phone number on it.

At Kansas City First they have a clipboard with form on it at the end of each pew. During some part of the service the clipboard is passed down the length of the pew. Regular attenders just sign their name. Visitors can fill out their address and check if they would like the pastor to call them.

At Richmond VA Southside there is a notecard on each chair asking name, address, regular attender or visitor and reason for visiting, etc. On the screen and verbally, they invite all visitors to come to a greeting room at the end of the service so that the pastor and staff may meet them and give them a gift to welcome them. There are refreshments available, also.

When we visited Richmond Southside we did not go to the visitors welcoming room since we were just there to welcome our son home from Iraq at Fort Lee, near Richmond.

At Knoxville First, in 1998, a man greeted us on the sidewalk byu the visitor's parking and walked with us to the door of the church. He introduced us to the man at the door who walked us to the offical greeters, who introduced themselves, had us sign a guest book and then walked us to meet the pastor.

Let me tell you, we were very impressed with Knoxville First! If we had just moved there and were looking for a church home, we would have been hooked the first time. They treated us like someone special.

John tries to meet and greet all visitors before the worship service and welcome them publicly from the pulpit. We also have a greeting time where others know to go welcome them.

Barb

[Kevin Rector]

Our church is pretty small so it is very obvious to me when we have visitors and I simply go and talk to them for a while. Then after I sense they are comfortable with me I hand them a card and ask them to fill it out. So far no one has refused or given fake info.

Later that week I try to take them some sort of baked good from my wife. to make contact again.

[Meghan Schoonover]

We use the black "friendship folders" that a previous poster mentioned.