6 Front Doors of the Church

1. Members

As simple as it sounds, the people who already attend your church are probably your biggest billboard.  The way they build relationships, share, communicate, and treat people is a direct advertisement for your church.

Preaching, Teaching, and Training Matters.

The Culture of your church Matters.

Because members & attendees are continuous examples of their church to their families, friends, and everyone else they interact with.

As people have life-giving interactions with members of your church, there’s a MUCH greater chance they’ll eventually show up at your church.

2. Groups

Groups are simply smaller gatherings of the people within your church.  There are lots of different models of groups.  Many churches use free-market, semester-based groups as a way to enlist leaders to host groups in their homes, at coffee shops, restaurants, etc.

And while these groups are hosted by people in your church, they should welcome others.  Many churches are seeing an increased number of people from outside their church who attend a group before they ever visit the actual church property.

For people who are highly “relational”, coming to a GROUP is an easy step for them, especially when there’s a direct invitation from somebody who has already become their friend.  Groups are a great entryway for new people to meet people, develop relationships, and start hearing what your church is about.

At this point, most of us realize that our church website is a HUGE “front door” to our church.

Here are some stats regarding your church website:

• Over 80% of new visitors head to a church’s website before stepping into its building.
• 46% of people say a website’s design is their #1 criteria for determining the credibility of an organization.
• 52% of Sunday morning church website viewers are first-time visitors to the site.

People want to get a glimpse of your church before they just show up.  They may have questions about what you have for their kids, what your church believes, etc.

Needless to say, your church website matters.  A lot.

4. Online Experience

This is different than your website.  It can be included on your website, but it’s different.

The most current trend is that people want to experience a full worship service before they attend in person.

Right Now, THIS is the #1 method people prefer when they are considering a church.

While it’s not exactly like being there in person, they can see what it feels like, what the music is like, what the preaching is like, and more.

Use your church website and your social media channels to lead people to an opportunity to see a full service in action, whether it’s through Live Streaming, Service Archives, a YouTube Channel, etc.

5. Social Media

Simply said, people live on social media.  Not everybody, but close.

Your church presence on social media is incredibly important.  It’s a clear opportunity for you to share pictures, videos, encouragement, information about upcoming events, and a lot more.

More and more, churches are seeing the value in this as a “front door”, and assigning a staff member or volunteer team to focus more and more attention toward social media to connect with people where they are, and introduce them to the church.

If you’re not sure where to start, or you just want to get more intentional about your reach on social media, Click Here to read “A Simple Game Plan for your Church Social Media”

6. Community Serving

If your church has some kind of regular community serving opportunity, you may have only viewed this as a way for your members to serve, but it’s also a great opportunity to introduce new people to your church by inviting them to be a part of serving as well.

Example: At my church, we have a monthly food give-away.  Hundreds of families show up on the Second Saturday of the month, and we’re able to serve them by giving them food boxes.  Lots of people outside the church are passionate about making a difference in the community, so we invite them to be a part.  It takes a large team of people to organize, pack boxes, register people, and load cars – and we get to work alongside people outside the church to make it happen.

When people serve in a Community Outreach, they get to connect with some of your members, and see the heart of your church.

ONE BIG NOTE ABOUT ALL OF THESE:

No matter how people find your church, make sure you have a Clear and Effective Guest Follow-Up Strategy in place.
If you need some help, CLICK HERE to get our Free Guest Follow-up Cheat Sheet.

The Great Commission is still GREAT.

Jesus Christ is STILL the Hope that people need.

As you read through the list above, simply work on making these “front doors” better and better, preparing your church to impact your city.

Brian Davis

FaithTeams.com
Church of the Crossroads

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