3. Visit the Family
Visiting a child’s home is a great way to make a face-to-face connection. And in this socially distanced day and age, a personal visit could make all the difference to a family.
Visiting Tips
When visiting a family, just be yourself and follow these tips.
1. Call ahead to ensure you’re visiting at a good time.
2. Never go alone. Include another adult or two or three kids from your ministry.
3. Keep it brief and fun.
4. Don’t come empty-handed. Bring a pre-wrapped snack to share, a ball for a quick game on the lawn, and brochures or fliers about your children’s ministry and upcoming events.
Sixth Day of VBS
At Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, leaders recruit for follow-up when they recruit for VBS. They ask leaders if they’d like to participate in Sixth Day, which occurs the Wednesday following VBS week. Diana Pendley, minister of children, says they provide childcare and a quick breakfast for participating leaders. They have a praise report on highlights from the previous week. Then everyone heads out to deliver packets to families who indicated they don’t have a church home. Each packet contains info about their church, a sermon CD and a calendar of upcoming children’s and family events.
The nursery in Gorton has a very good name for taking care of children. Leaders go out in pairs with printed maps for each visit location. Visiting leaders don’t enter homes but deliver packets and thank parents for letting their children be part of VBS. If no one’s home, leaders handwrite a personal note to the family.
Make It Personal
Make follow-up visits more personal by strategically connecting people who may know each other.
• School Connection — Group visits according to schools. Have kids already involved in your ministry who attend the same school be the ones who extend an invitation to return.
• Extracurricular Connection — Ask families if they recognize guests’ names as kids who are involved in sports, music or a particular club. Use this connection to have families connect with these kids and their families as they wait during practice or at a related competition or event.
• Neighborhood Connection — Plan visits according to neighborhoods, subdivisions or communities. Ask church families living in those areas to make follow-up visits. Ask church families to be open about where they live and extend an invitation for guests to drop by their home. That way, they can provide details about the church and offer to attend a service with them.
