{"id":760042,"date":"2021-10-22T05:00:30","date_gmt":"2021-10-22T10:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/?p=760042"},"modified":"2021-10-20T06:02:13","modified_gmt":"2021-10-20T11:02:13","slug":"make-the-connection-keep-the-connection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/blog\/make-the-connection-keep-the-connection\/","title":{"rendered":"Make the Connection, Keep the Connection"},"content":{"rendered":"

In our weekend worship services, <\/span>a first-time guest is a fragile guest. <\/b>They are on high alert for anything that pushes them out of their<\/span> comfort zone<\/span><\/a>, and constantly looking for anything that feels familiar and safe. That’s why <\/span>making a connection with a first-time guest is crucial<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

To paraphrase Jerry Seinfeld, it’s not enough to <\/span>make<\/i><\/b> the connection. You also have to <\/span>keep <\/i><\/b>the connection. And one of the best ways to keep it is to utilize the volunteer who made the connection in the first place.<\/span><\/p>\n

Years ago, I read a study that said <\/span>if a first-time guest doesn’t have at least <\/b>seven meaningful relationships within the first year<\/i><\/b> at a church, they won’t stick around for a second year<\/b>. That means we must help facilitate those meaningful relationships, and the entry-point volunteer can be the best one to do so.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are a few simple ideas, but <\/span>stick around for some very important rules of engagement<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

7 Simple Ways to Keep the Connection<\/b><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Remember their name after the service. <\/b>This is an easy win. <\/span>If a volunteer meets a guest before the service, that same volunteer should make a point to “seek and speak” after the service.<\/span> (“Tasha! How was the service? Hope to see you next week!”)\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Drop a postcard in the mail. <\/b>Keep a stack of church-branded cards in your <\/span>First-Time Guest tent<\/span><\/a> or <\/span>Volunteer Headquarters<\/span><\/a>. During the service, vols can jot a quick note to guests they interacted with. Then they leave the postcards to be mailed by the church on Monday.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Send an email. <\/b>Use a generic email address (guestservices@firstbaptist.org, for example) with staff- and volunteer-only access to touch base immediately following the service. This can get tricky with replies, so make sure a staffer is monitoring during the week.<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Involve the volunteer in follow up. <\/b>In our context our staff does all of the guest follow up, but consider having that same volunteer make a call later in the week.<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Schedule a check in at one, three, and six months. <\/b>Bring your vols into the assimilation process, and have them contact the guest at specific intervals during their first year.<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Offer to pay for lunch or coffee. <\/b>If your budget allows it, provide a small stipend or offer to reimburse a volunteer who treats a guest to a meal within the first two weeks of their visit.<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. Invite them to small group. <\/b>I have a Guest Services volunteer who is also a small group leader, and the number of women in her group who <\/span>began<\/span><\/i> as a meeting at the First-Time Guest tent…well, that’s a number no one can calculate. She’s a connection <\/span>machine<\/span><\/i>. Rather than trying to get them in a group, why not just encourage the vol to invite them to theirs?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The rules of engagement<\/b><\/p>\n

    The volunteer connector should know their role and agree to their role.<\/b> If the volunteer is the one person who is following up with a particular guest, they should know that and feel the weight of that. It’s not as simple as leaving out a “finishing touch,” it’s leaving out the touch, period.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Your volunteers should know the role they play in the bigger picture. <\/b>They should know how their position (parking, seating, First-Time Guest tent, etc.) connects to other positions, and where their tasks land in the overall First-Time Guest process.<\/span><\/p>\n

    And if you’re moving to a <\/span>make<\/span><\/i> vs. <\/span>keep<\/span><\/i> model, <\/span>the volunteer should agree to the new expectations<\/b>. What you’re asking them to do will go beyond the original ask. <\/span>[related post:<\/i><\/b> I Didn’t Sign Up For This<\/i><\/b><\/a>]<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

    And in some situations, <\/span>there can be privacy \/ safety \/ boundary concerns<\/b> that you and the volunteer should keep top-of-mind. Don’t put a volunteer in a situation they are not ready for or shouldn’t be in. Use wisdom and caution when asking a vol to follow up with a guest using any of the means above. Don’t put a 19 year old college volunteer in a position where you’re asking her to make regular calls to a 45 year old single man. (And remember that these concerns go both ways. Guest information should <\/span>never<\/span><\/i> be distributed carelessly.)<\/span><\/p>\n

    How do you involve volunteers in keeping the connection?<\/b><\/p>\n

    This post originally appeared on <\/span><\/i>dfranks.com<\/span><\/i><\/a>. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In our weekend worship services, a first-time guest is a fragile guest. They are on high alert for anything that pushes them out of their comfort zone, and constantly looking for anything that feels familiar and safe. That’s why making a connection with a first-time guest is crucial. 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