"A letter came in the mail the other day that I need to share with you folks," explained the Senior Minister of a congregation averaging nearly 550 at worship, 10 times what it had been when he arrived 20 years earlier. The occasion was the monthly meeting of the Evangelism Task Force.

"This letter came from a person who had worshiped with us for the first time the previous Sunday," continued the pastor. "She wrote to tell me that she and her family were new in this community, and they were looking for a new church home. By the time they came here, they already had visited six other churches. She wrote to tell me that ours not only was the coldest and least friendly of any of these seven, it also turned out to be the least welcoming of any church she had ever visited."

As he passed the letter around for the seven volunteers on the Evangelism Task Force to read, one asked him, "Now that you've had time to reflect on this letter, what's your reaction to it?"

What did this Senior Minister say? First, he waited until everyone had read the letter.

He also allowed time for everyone who wanted to comment on it to do so. At that point,
he explained, "The reason I wanted to share this letter with you is because it illustrates the learning curve I'm still climbing. My immediate response was denial. I do not believe we are a cold and unfriendly church! My important reaction, however, and the one we need to talk about tonight, came when I showed this letter to our Executive Pastor. Pat read it and immediately declared, 'They came to the wrong church! They're obviously looking for a small family-type congregation that attracts people who place a high value on intimacy, friendliness and the absence of complexity. We're not that kind of church. No one church can meet everyone's needs.' As soon as Pat told me that, I realized this is a problem I've been dealing with for years."

"What do you mean?" inquired one of the lay volunteers. "What's the problem?"

"The problem is I came here 20 years ago to what had been a small church ever since it was founded back in 1924," explained the Pastor. "I accepted the role as the pastor of a small congregation. By 1990, we had grown into a mid-sized church averaging slightly more than 150 at worship. Today, if you measure size by attendance, we rank among the largest five percent of all the congregations in American Protestantism. Our Executive Pastor, who joined our staff four years ago, after 12 years on the staff of a church twice our size, understands that and pointed out we should act our size, rather than pretend we're still a small church that places a high value on intimacy, spontaneity and the absence of complexity. Pat pointed out we can't compete and shouldn't try to compete with the small churches where a stranger is conspicuous and can be instantly identified as a first-time visitor by all the members."

Who Is Responsible?
That Executive Pastor had gone on to explain to the Senior Minister, "In a large congregation such as this one, you and I share the primary responsibility for making first-time visitors who are shopping for a new church home feel this is the place they've been looking to find. That doesn't apply to first-time visitors who are visiting kinfolk here and decide to come to church with them. First of all, you as the most highly visible and influential staff member, communicate to visitors this is a congregation that gathers to worship God in the English language. If they are shopping for a church that worships in Mandarin or German or Korean or Spanish, they probably won't leave convinced this is the place for them. Second, since the overwhelming majority of those who worship here arrive in their own motor vehicle, it is my responsibility to make sure there is an accessible, attractive, safe and vacant parking space when they arrive. Remember, it took me nearly a year to persuade our trustees that we needed at least a dozen vacant parking spaces at any time of the morning on those Sundays when we have our biggest crowds?

"One way to communicate to church shoppers they are neither expected nor needed is to make them drive away after failing to find a place to park. Another example came up two years ago when we changed our Sunday morning schedule. I was in the hospital at the time, and, for a week, the schedule on the bulletin board in front of the church carried an inaccurate message. Potential first-time visitors driving by on Thursday would have been a half hour late for church the following Sunday if they had read and heeded what was on our bulletin board."

The basic guideline is the larger the size of the congregation and/or the faster the rate of numerical growth and/or the larger the geographical area served and/or the greater the demographic diversity in the constituency, the more influential are the paid staff, the governing board and a few committees staffed by lay volunteers in shaping the impressions made on first-time visitors. Will that first-time visitor depart convinced, "This is the church I've been seeking"?  Or will those departing first-time visitors conclude, "We need to continue our search"?

What Does That Mean?
A dozen other examples will illustrate the influence of the paid staff.

First, how do we make it easier for people to identify and welcome first-time visitors? Visitors are not wearing a name tag. The most effective way to persuade members to wear name tags is for every paid staff member and every volunteer leader to model that is the correct behavior here by wearing a name tag.

Second, what is the message? With the possible exceptions of the sermon that carries the annual "State of Our Church " message and/or the one on a major anniversary, every sermon is designed to speak to the person who is on a self-identified spiritual pilgrimage. That eliminates sermons designed to reprimand the members or to promote denominational causes or to advocate the pastor's point of view on American foreign policy or to denounce the political position of the governor of that state. Those sermons may persuade the first-time visitor to decide, "I need to keep on looking."

Third, for many adults born before 1940 or after 1960, the choice of music may motivate a fair number of first-time visitors to conclude, "Yup! This is the place for me!" Concurrently others will decide, "I need to continue my search." Who chooses the music in the larger churches? The staff!

Fourth, if more than 90 percent of the seats are occupied, the first-time visitor may conclude, "They don't need me and they hope I won't return next week."

Fifth, back in the 1950s, the first criterion used by most newcomers to the community in shopping for a new church home was, "I want to continue with my current denominational affiliation." In recent years, the policies of several denominations have created waves of bad news in the national media. Should the denominational affiliation be given very high visibility or low visibility? In the large church, that usually is a decision made by the paid staff and/or the governing board.

Sixth, the most influential criterion for many church shoppers can be summarized in a few words. "What does this church offer for young children? Or for teenagers?" The paid staff are the people most likely to have designed the response to that question.

Seventh, how does the large congregation communicate that answer to church shoppers? One useful strategy consists of informed volunteers who wear a big button with the words ASK ME on it. That may be the back-up system to a table or kiosk near each entrance into the worship center that includes redundant signs describing the subjects the volunteer staff at those tables are prepared to discuss.

Eighth, that can be a part of a larger information channel based on the assumption that many church shoppers want to "check out" a potential new church home "at my own pace and on my own terms. I don't want to be the focal point of a sales campaign." The paid staff usually have a highly influential voice in deciding on the signage, both outside and inside the building, that will be designed to welcome first-time visitors.

Ninth, one of the most radical changes in the American culture since the 1950s has been the gradual recognition that visual imagery is more effective communication than printed words. One example is the first-grade Sunday school class meeting in a room in which the exterior wall around the entrance is covered with individual photographs of each first grader. A picture is taken of each first-time visitor and accompanied by the promise, "Come back next week and help us pick out the place where you want your picture displayed on the wall." The point is that you know you belong when your picture is on the wall. A variation of that is, "After the service we would like to take a picture of every first-time visitor today. A place in the narthex is reserved for that, and the parting promise is, "Come back next week and we'll give you an 8x10 copy." Next week, that person or family returns and not only is given a color photograph, but also individual nametags. In addition, they may find an insert in the bulletin with photographs of last week's visitors. That conveys the message to returning visitors, "We were expecting you to come back this week." It also may help members identify and welcome returning visitors.

Tenth, for many church shoppers, an influential criterion in choosing a new church home is a congregation's interest in missions. In the 1950s, that may have been communicated by a wall display that reported on the number of dollars and/or the total receipts that congregation allocated to missional causes. Later that was reinforced by one or more color photographs depicting the missionaries funded by this congregation. The basic generalization today is the larger the congregation and/or the greater the interest in world missions, the more likely that congregation will be sending both long-term and short-term volunteers for missions to other continents. One way to communicate that to first-time visitors is a wall display of color photographs. A more effective channel is the five-to-eight minute videotape projected on screens in the worship center before the call to worship at each service. That weekly news of the church often will include a 60-to-90 second report on either a recently completed trip by short-term volunteer missionaries or an invitation for people to sign up for the next trip.

Eleventh, one of the most effective components of a larger system designed to persuade first-time visitors, "Yes, we are the congregation you've been seeking," is the 50-to-60 minute "sermon feedback" discussion scheduled for a nearby room immediately following each worship service. One way to welcome strangers is to speak to them. A more effective way is to listen to them.

Finally, how do we renew an acquaintanceship with someone we have not seen for years? How do we introduce someone to a friend who we believe they would enjoy meeting and getting acquainted with in the near future? One common solution is the invitation, "Let's have lunch. I have a friend you should meet." The translation of that is every first-time visitor coming to the last worship service on Sunday morning, or coming earlier and staying for an adult discussion group, is urged to stay for lunch. That luncheon is staffed by the appropriate number of volunteers who host it as well as at least two or three paid staff members.

What's the Difference?
In the small lay-run congregation driven by local traditions and organized as a network of small and closely knit social networks, it may be appropriate to expect the members to carry the major responsibility for greeting first-time visitors.

In the larger staff-led congregation driven by a passion for evangelism, most of the responsibility for persuading church shoppers, "This is the congregation for you!" rests on the staff. The primary impact on visitors will be the product of inputs into the system by paid staff members!

For more than four decades, Lyle E. Schaller has served as a parish consultant to hundreds of congregations and scores of denominational agencies. His recent books include From Geography to Affinity and The Ice Cube Is Melting . The author's newest book, A Mainline Turnaround, will be published by Abingdon Press in May 2005.

Copyright © 2005 Lyle Schaller