A plan-your-visit page on your website is a virtual welcome desk for potential visitors. In addition to providing information for the guest, it has the potential to collect names, contact information and other valuable data for you.
A successful plan-your-visit page will adequately inform, introduce and invite.
Inform
A plan-your-visit page should include:
- Service times.
- Location.
- Small-group information.
- Contact information.
- Follow-up options.
A good plan-your-visit page makes it easy for visitors to find this information by combining it in one location. Your objective should be to answer common questions a potential guest might have.
Enlist a friend who does not attend your church. Ask him or her to visit on a typical Sunday and to write down every question that comes up during the visit. Provide the answers to the questions on your plan-your-visit page.
Here are a few examples:
- Where is your church?
- What time does service start?
- What time does service end?
- What should I wear?
- Where do I park?
- Which entrance do I use?
- Where is the first place I should go?
- Where do my children go?
- Is there a nursery?
- Where are the bathrooms?
- Where do I sit?
- How do I know my children are safe?
- What if I want to keep my children with me?
- What if my child needs me during service?
- What should I do if I need to leave in the middle of the service?
- Will I be called out in any way?
- What kind of music can I expect?
- Are there any COVID-19 precautions or safety measures?
Specify if the information changes with various services. Include maps and photos to help visitors navigate parking, entrances and the building.
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Introduce
A plan-your-visit page introduces your church to a stranger and reduces the unknowns. Help visitors understand your church culture by including short videos that provide snippets of the service or staff introductions. Provide links to full-length sermons and more-detailed sections of your website.
Clearly and honestly word descriptions of the worship styles, dress and atmosphere of your church. Use terms that the average unchurched person understands.
For example, instead of “conservative worship,” you might say “We primarily sing hymns.” Instead of “contemporary,” you might say “Christian rock” or “modern worship music.”
If the majority of people in your church wear dresses or dress slacks, make that clear. Saying “casual dress” when most people wear “business attire” may sound inclusive, but a guest who attends in shorts and a T-shirt will likely feel out of place.
Invite
The key to a successful plan-your-visit page is to give visitors the opportunity to make choices. Human nature dictates that people generally enjoy making decisions for themselves.
Helping to plan an event may increase the chance of follow-through. Inviting guests to plan their trip to your church encourages them to take ownership for the commitment.
Use an online form to obtain names and contact information and collect the following information:
- The date, service and location to be attended.
- The number of people attending.
- Whether any children will be attending and their ages/grades.
- Any specific needs the guest may have or information the guest wants.
- The preferred method of contact for follow-up information.
Whenever possible, provide options.
- Please choose whether you will attend the 9 a.m. service or the 11 a.m. service.
- Would your children prefer to attend a small group, or will they attend the worship service with you?
- Are you more comfortable with floor seats, or would you rather be seated in the balcony?
- Would you prefer to receive (option A) or (option B) as a welcome gift?
- Which is the best way to contact you for a follow-up message: email, phone or text? (Be sure to include a field for them to type in their email or phone number.)
Encourage website visitors to complete the form and visit your in-person welcome desk upon arrival to retrieve a welcome gift.
On arrival day, be prepared for registered visitors. Give them their gifts. Usher them to their classes or seats. Provide them with any information or assistance they requested. In other words, treat them like the welcomed guests they are.
Tricia K. Brown is a Christian author and inspirational speaker. She shares stories of life, loss and laughter to encourage women to grow in their relationships with the Lord and each other. Her recent fiction release, “Seen, Heard, Beloved,” can be purchased on Amazon. For more information about her ministry and books, visit The Girls Get Together.