Month 5
by
Dr. Owen Weston DMin, PhD
24 to Double Schedule of Monthly Training
1st Year: 1st Month
• What is the next big event on the calendar for
which we can challenge our congregation to bring
friends?
• Plan the event (when, what, how, who)
• How to bring the crowds (from the
congregation / marketing)
• Getting people involved
(in production, in preparation)
• Getting the program ready (who is in
charge and who is helping)
• Getting the people ready
(love the visitors)
Month 5: Team approach to Retention:
Pastor’s class, visitation, deacons, etc.
– Set up the Follow-up team
• First step in Follow-up is a Pastor's meal, We
covered this two meetings ago.
• The following is a job description for the
Follow-up and visitation team:
Vision for Team Two
Follow-up Ministry
• To provide the love, acceptance, friendliness
and compassion of Christ to the stranger
first and all those who come through the
doors of our church.
7 Leadership Positions
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Administrator
Secretary
Treasurer
Trainer/Teacher
Encourager/Group Leader
Fellowship Coordinator
Outreach Leader
Job Description:Visitor Follow-Up Ministry
• Principle Function: Show the love of Christ
to new visitors. Help the new visitors feel
accepted and appreciated by the church.
Answer any questions that the visitors may
have.
Job Description:Visitor Follow-Up Ministry
• Spiritual Gifts:
Encouragement, Evangelism, Helps
and Service
• Responsible To:
Team Two Administrator
Job Description:Visitor Follow-Up Ministry
• Estimated Time Commitment:
It normally takes four months to
train, however it could be less if
all agree. The first four months
are designed for you to be
training; the second four-month
period is for you to do the task
while seeking someone to be
trained so they can take over this
responsibility.
Job Description:Visitor Follow-Up Ministry
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Responsibilities:
When the church service is completed,
gather all the visitor forms and take them
to the office.
Job Description:Visitor Follow-Up Ministry
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Based on the location of the visitors,
distribute to the Visitor Team (By zip
code, neighborhood, etc.)
Job Description:Visitor Follow-Up Ministry
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Equip each Team with an
area map, name and
address of visitors, script for
the telecare and visitor
Team, Banana Nut Bread,
and appreciation card.
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The Visitor Team will visit
and call within 24 hours.
Job Description:Visitor Follow-Up Ministry
• If the visitor has any questions, the
visitor Team and telecare will advice
them that all questions be referred to
church staff to provide a correct
answer and someone will call them
within 24 hours.
• The Team will write the questions on
the visitor and telecare forms; these
questions will be called into the
ministry head. If immediate answers
are needed, contact the ministry
head immediately via cell phone.
Job Description:Visitor Follow-Up Ministry
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If the first time visitor is not at home, the
Telecare will leave a message stating how
we appreciated them visiting the church
and if there are any questions, they can
contact the church.
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If the first time visitor is not home, the
visitation Team will leave the appreciation
card with the Banana Nut Bread at the door
step and call to leave a message stating how
we appreciated them visiting the church and
we left a gift on the door step.
Job Description:Visitor Follow-Up Ministry
• Once the visit is completed,
please write any responses you
may have received from the
visitor, positive or negative, on
your report, and turn it in with
the yellow slip into the box
marked “Completed Visitor
Follow-up Forms” at the
information center by the next
service.
Job Description:Visitor Follow-Up Ministry
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Turn in copies of the reports to the
Administrative Department to be put into
the computer system so we can send the
first time visitor a letter of Appreciation.
Job Description:Visitor Follow-Up Ministry
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Hand out copies of the visitor’s name and
address to six or twelve trained volunteers
who will use their own money to write and
mail postcards to these visitors.
Job Description:Visitor Follow-Up Ministry
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Give a visitor’s list to the pastor so that he
can visit these visitors again within the next
two to three weeks.
Job Description:Visitor Follow-Up Ministry
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Give a visitor’s list to deacons
or staff person who will
telephone the visitor within
the next two months to see
how involved they have
become in the church and, if
they haven’t become
involved, to encourage them
to do so.
Use Deacons
• I urge pastors of churches which run around 70 or
more to assign deacons to take care of families in
areas of the city close to where the deacon lives.
• Pastor should go visiting with the deacon to the
families and new visitors in the deacons area on
Sunday or at the latest on Monday nights.
• Use Elders for boards and deacons
for service to families (ACTS 6)
Job Description:Visitor Follow-Up Ministry
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When all forms are turned in, all responses
will be put into a comment section under
the new visitor name in the computer
system.
WHY FOLLOW-UP?
The Importance of Assimilation
“Every day they continued to meet together in
the temple courts. They broke bread in their
homes and ate together with glad and sincere
hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of
all the people.”
Acts 2:46
• They ate together. There needs to be a lot of
eating at the church.
• Offer breakfast...stay away from high sugar
content, or offer lunch for visitors.
• Funnel the visitors into a weekly training if you
opt out of the Pastor’s Breakfast.
• Offer encouragement...do not allow
negative environment. Church meetings or
small groups must be the high point in the
week in a family’s life
“The best way to close the back
door is to take good care of the
newcomers at the front door.”
Robert Logan
Assimilation Is:
Helping newcomers become active, ongoing
participants in the life of the church.
A Fully Assimilated Member is One Who:
• Attends worship regularly
• Participates in a meaningful group
• Has an identifiable role/task
A Fully Assimilated Member is One Who:
• Consistent percentage giving (6 months
behind attendance)
• Calls the church “my church”
• Has made several friends
HOW TO CALCULATE VISITOR RETENTION
e.g. In a 100 Member Church
• If the Visitor Percentage Ratio is 5:100, then 5
visitors are in church the first Sunday.
• If the Visitor Retention Ratio is 1:4, then 1 will
become part of the church.
In a 100 Member Church
• If this pattern continues for a year, then 52
people will be added throughout the year.
• If the Annual Loss Factor is 6%-10%, then 142
members will remain (42% AGR).
In a 100 Member Church
• If the Role/Task Ratio was 60:100, then 25
new roles were created (over 2/ month).
• If the Small Group Ratio was 7:100, then 3
new groups were added
(1 every 4 months).
In a 100 Member Church
• If the Staff Ratio was 1:150, then 1
full or part time staff member was
added.
• If the Attendance Ratio is 80:100
and the sanctuary seats 200, then
6 months is all you have to expand,
move, go to 2 services, or plant
another church ( we will train how
to do this in 8 months).
Checklist of a Successful Visit
1. You cared enough to go.
2. You gave quality time by talking to them
but only if they asked.
Checklist of a Successful Visit
3. You shared about the church and your
excitement regarding their visit.
Checklist of a Successful Visit
4.
You made them feel important by answering
their questions.
5.
You left within two (or maximum in ten)
minutes.
EXIT INTERVIEW:
Ask Your Visitors
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+What attracted you to our church?
+What did you find appealing?
What didn’t you like?
What, if anything, made you feel uncomfortable?
What didn’t you understand?
If we fixed this would you give us another
chance?
Ephesians 4:11-12
It was he who gave some to be
apostles, some to be prophets,
some to be evangelists, and
some to be pastors and
teachers, to prepare God's
people for works of service, so
that the body of Christ may be
built up.
• Task of ministers (those called to full time
service is to equip the saints)
• The task of laity (those not called to full time
service is to do the works of ministry)
What are the works
of ministry?
Ephesians 4:16 “From him the whole body,
joined and held together by every supporting
ligament, grows and builds itself up in love,
as each part does its work.”
Eph 4:16 says - that the work of the saints
is to do the ministry. It is clear from the
Scriptures that God has given to each
person different gifting to do the work of
the ministry that He wants them to do.
Rom 12:6-8
We have different gifts, according to the
grace given us. If a man's gift is
prophesying, let him use it in proportion
to his faith . . .
. . . If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching,
let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him
encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of
others, let him give generously; if it is
leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is
showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
It is obvious from this Scripture that if God has
gifted us we need to be using our gifts.
Therefore, the task of ever minister is to equip
the saints to do the work of the ministry for
which they are gifted.
Ephesians 4:12,16
• (v12) to prepare God's people for
works of service, so that the body
of Christ may be built up
• (v16) From him the whole body,
joined and held together by every
supporting ligament, grows and
builds itself up in love, as each
part does its work.
Ephesians 4:12 and 16 make it very clear that
for saints to mature they need to be involved
in this discipling process —doing the work of
ministry.
Maturity
does not
come by only
listening;
maturing
comes by
doing.
What is Discipleship
and why aren’t we
doing it?
Discipleship
• The best definition for discipleship is
somebody who gets (1)saved, (2)filled with
the Holy Spirit and is (3)actively involved in
ministry in the (4)local church
Discipleship
The responsibility of the senior
pastor/ministry is to make sure that the
soul coming into the church is:
1. SAVED—given opportunity to find
salvation
2. Filled with the Holy Spirit—given the
opportunity for baptism
3. Actively involved in ministry— has
opportunity to use their gifts in
ministry
4. In the local church—the place of
training, accountability, and building
up the saints around them and
themselves
Eating Together
• Any student of the Bible knows that God
has combined religious activities with food.
• Always involve food with training.
Using Gifts Appropriately
Using Gifts Appropriately
• It is possible to use peoples’ gifts in the
church that really does not benefit them or
the church.
Using Gifts Appropriately
• It is important that a pastor try to involve
people in ministry with the appropriate gift in
areas and programs in the church that will
help the church grow and help mature the
Christian.
Using Gifts Appropriately
The program for this is the:
7 Laws of 7
(please see Dr. Weston’s book on the 7 Laws of 7).
Using Gift Appropriately
• The 7 Laws of 7 does help the local church and
all of the Biblical principals necessary to grow
a church.
Newcomer to “Becomer”
Handling newcomers to the church:
• Greeters (front door inside and out)
• Ushers (giving bulletins at the
sanctuary doors, etc.)
• Parking lot attendants with orange
vests looking for and handling
visitors
Response to newcomers (from visitation cards)
• Computer file to track visitors
• Pastor’s letter
• Prayer list for prayer warriors
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Sunday School department -if active
Phoners
Card writers
Visitation team to take Bread or cookies on
Sunday night to first time visitors.
THESE ARE ESSENTIAL
Why Aren’t People Involved?
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Faulty recruitment process
No system to match gifts with jobs
Waiting for personal invitations
Pastors think ministry should be
done by pastors
• People think ministry should be
done by pastors
Commitment...Ask For It!
• People arise to the commitment level asked of
them.
• When you ask for a commitment, you get to
choose who you will lose.
• You will lose the whiners and
keep the winner.
Lay Involvement
Gallup Poll
• 10% are actively involved in
ministry
• 50% don’t want to get involved
• 40% would like to be involved,
but have never been asked.
Key Points for Assimilating
• Have a person with the Administration gift organize
this very important ministry
• Make sure to get visitors names through
registrations, gift cards, host and hostesses, visitors
cards
• Map out route to visitors from church for gift
delivery
• Have a volunteer to phone visitors inviting them to
Pastor’s meal
• Organize deacon contact to visitors.
MONTH 6
Dr. Engel’s “Highpoint”.
By
Dr. Owen Weston PhD