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Making a Follow-Up Visit

June 1, 2016
Making a Follow-Up Visit

With Vacation Bible School and other special events, summer is a great time to connect with guests and those who might be new to your community. Follow up does not usually happen by accident. We need to be purposeful about it.

When a guest attends your church service or event, an opportunity to make a “connection” occurs.  In a time of busy schedules, for both the church and the guest, a plan for timely follow-up visits, “bridge building”, must be in place.  This visit is a part of that good “first impression” we all want to make.

 The most obvious person to make the follow-up visit is the person who had contact with the guest at church.  The greeter, usher, or member who sat near the guest in the worship service, the Sunday School teacher, the Vacation Bible School department director or teacher would be a likely choice.  The visit is not designed to be a long visit and could be made at the door of the guest’s home.  Remember, we are building a bridge.

 An example of a follow-up visit by a Vacation Bible School teacher may sound like this: “Mrs. Jones, I am Mary Smith.  Harold is in my 4-year old department in Vacation Bible School at Calvary Baptist Church.  He loves to play with blocks and talk about his puppy.  Thank you for bringing him.  Does Harold attend Bible study regularly? If the answer is “yes”, commend the parent, thanking them again for Harold’s involvement in Vacation Bible School.  If the answer is “no”, say: “We have Bible study, much like Vacation Bible School, at our church each Sunday.  There is a place for Harold and each member of the family.”  Offer to meet them at church on Sunday.

If your church has an ongoing ministry to guests and prospects, have a system for communicating between this group and those who connect with guests at events. A simple “follow up card” with the guests’ names, contact information, and connection details (other family members, interests like mentioned about Harold) helps build bridges between the family and ministries of the church.

If you would like more ideas on follow up, here is the link to part one of a series by Jerry Wooley (the LifeWay VBS Guy) on continuing connections through VBS. The principles shared can easily be used for any event.  From part one you can continue the series. https://vbs.lifeway.com/2016/01/07/connection-points-starts-with-intentionality/