10 Ways To Make Your Church’s Visitors Feel Welcome This Christmas

Your church will probably have more visitors in your Christmas services than any other time of year. Because of this, it’s critical that you make a great first impression. Our team at Vanderbloemen Search Group has over 190 combined years of ministry experience, and we now spend all of our time meeting with churches and pastors all over the country helping them build great teams. We’ve witnessed first-hand the churches that plan their Christmas service experiences exceptionally well.
Whether you’re a church of 50 or 50,000, here are some of our favorite ways to make your guests feel welcome this Christmas, so that they want to come back.
These are just 10 ways to get you started, but our Ultimate Christmas Planning Ebook for Churches is 46-pages full of practical ideas to make your Christmas services your best yet.

1. Greeting begins in the parking lot.

The first few minutes of a guest’s experience are critical to the overall visit. Their experience starts when they pull into your church parking lot. Why not add a few extra volunteers this year to help direct and greet visitors as they find parking. Seeing a friendly face before you’re even in the door can make a big impact.

2. Add special parking for families & visitors.

Many churches have designated parking for guests, but consider adding some extra spaces or even a dedicated drop off area for visiting families with children. Most of the kids coming to your Christmas services will be hopped up on cookies and adrenaline, so ease the stress for parents by giving them extra attention in the parking lot.

3. Spice up your coffee & greeting stations.

Add a little Christmas cheer to your coffee and greeting stations. This can be as simple as serving hot chocolate and handing out candy canes, or it can be a little more extravagant with festive cookies and special decorations.

4. Train your holiday greeters.

This seems obvious, but if you don’t usually have greeters at the entrances of the church, be sure they are present at your Christmas services. If you already have them, add more for your Christmas services, and make sure they are your most hospitable and helpful greeters. Place friendly faces at all of your entrances to the church and main worship areas so that that each guest gets a kind and genuine “Hello and Merry Christmas!”

5. Add additional helpers.

Think through the highest trafficked hallways or confusing areas of your church. Is your Children’s Ministry area hard to find? Do you have a back entrance that new guests sometimes wander in from? These would be great spots to add additional hosts or greeters to help guide visitors to the right spot. Make it obvious who the volunteers are, using nametags, signs, or shirts so that guests know who to go to for help.

6. Give multiple connection options.

Most churches hope that a percentage of their Christmas visitors will turn into regular attenders. In order to capture as much visitor information as possible, be sure you’re giving them multiple connection options. Some people aren’t inclined to give out their info right away but would love to talk to someone in between services. Others may want the freedom to process things but are open to a follow up email. Remember, everyone is wired differently, so be sure you give guests several different ways to connect during and after the service.

7. Keep your music broadly appealing.

Keep in mind that visitors may not be regular church attenders or may come from different faith backgrounds. Take a look at the music you have planned and see if there should be adjustments to accommodate your guests. Avoid new songs or ones original to your church. Also, think about playing simpler worship songs that are easy to catch onto. Remember, you can never go wrong with Christmas carols!

8. Keep your website and social media clear.

Give extra attention to your website and social media leading up to your Christmas services. Is it clear and easy to find the times and locations of your Christmas services? Are all of your campuses open, or will you have one large gathering at the main campus? Do they know if there will be childcare provided? You may even want to add this information to your church voicemail system so visitors can get quick answers about timing. And always give folks a clear way to call or email you with questions.

9. Have an overflow seating plan.

Your Christmas Eve or Christmas Sunday service is usually the biggest one of the year, so have a solid plan in place for overflow seating. This includes volunteers assigned to grab more seating or direct people to a different area to watch the service. It also includes the tech team or extra tech volunteers to broadcast the service in the overflow room and attend to any potential sound issues there. It may also be helpful to block off some dedicated seating for guests in your main worship space and ask your members to sit in the overflow. Bottom line: make it as easy as possible for visitors to comfortably worship with you on Christmas.

10. Step up your kids’ programming.

There are two big communication points regarding children and Christmas services. First, be sure you’re clear about what the child care will look like leading up to the service. The goes back to your website and social media communication. If the childcare is modified from regular Sundays, be clear about that in your messaging and advertising. If you’re offering programming for the kids, make sure that the Children’s Ministry team is equipped for more kids and ready to give 110%. Leaving your child with a stranger can be a bit scary, so have your A Team ready to serve on that day. Alternatively, you could have fun activities for children to do in the service. Remember, if kids love coming to your church, their parent will keep coming back.
Christmas is such a great opportunity to make a good first impression on new visitors, potentially grow your church, and reach more people for Christ. Don’t let poor planning catch you off guard!
If you found these tips helpful, check out The Ultimate Christmas Planning eBook for Churches.
By Sarah Robins, Director of Client Relations at Vanderbloemen Search Group

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