The "Next, More, Better" Framework for Visitor Engagement

visitor strategy
Braden East

I see too many churches missing chances for continued visitor engagement.

Does this sound familiar?

“Thanks for attending, follow us on Facebook for announcements!”

Giving people a link to your social media page isn’t bad, but there is a much better way to encourage visitors to continue engaging with your church.

Most people are coming to church with the intention of getting something deeper than what they can get online.

So give them that!

Instead of asking something of them, offer them something that they would be crazy to say no to.

Here are the three easy and effective ways to do that:

1. Next Steps After What They Just Got

This is an easy one. Offer visitors the next thing that follows from how they just engaged. Why?

If they came for a worship conference or at a summer camp, the next steps are going to be activities like discipleship, Bible studies, and community.

If they experienced the power of the gospel and God’s people at the event, they’re going to naturally want this. And, if you’re like most churches, these are all programs that your church already offers!

2. More of the Same Thing

Offer visitors more of the same thing they just experienced. This is helpful in circumstances where the engagement is something your church participates in on a regular basis.

If you have a weekly cadence of a Wednesday night Bible study for Sunday morning worship, and a visitor attends for that particular event, offer them an easy way to continue to come.

This offer should somehow make attending next week even easier.

3. Something Similar But Better

This one is pretty self explanatory. If a visitor is attending a Wednesday night community bible study, offer them a small group of people in your church where they’ll go deeper and get to study over a longer period of time with people they know.

If someone visits a Sunday morning worship service, offer them Wednesday night worship or a prayer meeting.

Following these three strategies will help you guide visitors along the journey of engaging and identifying with your church, so that they can ultimately join.


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