A Handwritten Postcard.
The day after that, no joke, I got a handwritten postcard in the mail, again, thanking me for visiting, inviting me back to visit, and letting me know that they were praying for me. More bonus points for the personalization. That’s huge.
A Letter From the Pastor.
Then, seriously not joking, the day after that, I got an official welcome letter from Pastor Steven in the mail. It was more like a form letter, but after the mix of personalized touch points, it was totally fine that he didn’t personally sit down and write me a letter. He’s kind of a big deal and a busy guy anyway. But again, it was just an incredible continued way of keeping me in the loop.
Some Thoughts
While it may not be feasible for every church to provide the rock star VIP treatment that Elevation does for their guests, I do believe that every church should take some notes from my experience there. I can tell you that I’ve been in many other great churches in the last few years where my presence as a visitor was hardly acknowledged.
Every time someone visits a church, they are taking a risk. Everyone has their reasons for NOT going to church, and people have reasons for making the choice to go to a church. They are searching for something and a need to feel loved and embraced by the church. The church is a family, and we need to make people feel like they are coming home when they come to visit.
It’s been said that people will make up their minds about their experience at a church in the first five minutes of being there. If their experience from the parking lot to the sanctuary isn’t positive, it doesn’t even really matter what happens in the service. You’ve got to go out of your way from the moment they arrive at the door to roll out the red carpet.
