How soon should a church follow up with a first time visitor?

Within 48 hours, with a personal call or message from one person. A welcome email on its own does not count.

Who should make the call?

Whoever met them on Sunday, if you can. It does not need to be a pastor. A volunteer who remembers their name is better than a staff member who does not.

How many times should we reach out?

Plan on four or five personal touches across six weeks. If two go unanswered, stop asking and leave the door open.

What if we do not have staff for this?

The plan needs people, not staff. Give each guest to one volunteer as their shepherd, and give the volunteer the table above.

Guides

A church visitor follow up plan for the first six weeks.

Who reaches out, when, and what to say, from the first Sunday to the day someone on your team knows their story.

SVSean Verchick, Founder of ShepUpdated October 20267 minute read

The short version

SundaySomeone on your connect team meets them, writes down one thing, and becomes their first shepherd.
Within 48 hoursTheir shepherd calls or sends a personal message.
Week 1Invite them to one specific thing, and bring in the group leader.
Weeks 2 to 3The team greets them by name, already knowing some of their story.
Weeks 4 to 6Offer one next step: a group, a team, a shadow day.
After week 6Bring a third person to coffee. Once they connect, that person becomes their shepherd.

Why follow up falls apart

Most churches do fine on Sunday. The guest fills in a card, someone shakes their hand, and a welcome email goes out on Monday. The trouble starts on Wednesday, when the plan depends on whoever happens to remember.

When that one person is sick or on vacation, nobody calls. Nobody decided not to. It just belonged to no one.

82%

Of the people who leave a church, 82% leave in their first year.

New people who stay make about seven friends in their first six months. Those who leave make fewer than two.

Source: Gary McIntosh and Charles Arn, What Every Pastor Should Know.

So the first six weeks are about friendship more than information. A guest does not need your whole calendar. They need one person who knows their name.

The plan, step by step

Sunday
Meet them, write one thing down, and give them a shepherd.
Someone on your connect team learns their name and one real thing about them: where they moved from, how old the kids are, what brought them in. Write it down before lunch. That same person is their shepherd for the next six weeks, so the guest belongs to someone from day one.
In Shep
Add James from your phone and write the one thing as a note on his story. Make yourself his shepherd and add him to your guest journey. If your church syncs with Planning Center, he comes over on his own after his first visit.
SMSarah Mitchell added a note on James Carter
First visit. Moved from Denver in August. Two kids, 6 and 9. Came with a neighbor.
ShepherdSarah Mitchell
JourneyGuest follow up, on the step First visit
Within 48 hours
Their shepherd reaches out.
A call or a personal message from a real person, from their own phone. Mention the one thing you learned. Ask one question. Do not ask them to commit to anything yet.
In Shep
After the call, write what you learned as a note. Then move James to the next step of the journey, so the whole team can see he has been called.
SMSarah Mitchell added a note on James Carter
Called James. Settling in well, kids start school Monday. Looking for a group with other parents.
JourneyMoved from First visit to Called
Week 1
Invite them to one specific thing, and bring in the group leader.
"Check out our groups" is easy to ignore. "Tuesday night group meets at the Coles' house, and Ryan is going to call you" is an invitation. The best invitation comes from the person who leads the thing.
In Shep
Comment on your note and mention the group leader. They get a notification, they know who to call, and they know why.
SMSarah Mitchell added a note on James Carter
Called James. Settling in well, kids start school Monday. Looking for a group with other parents.
Sarah Mitchell @Ryan Cole James is looking for a group with other parents. Could you call him about Tuesday night?
Ryan Cole On it. Calling him tomorrow.
Weeks 2 to 3
The team knows the story behind the name.
The second visit matters more than the first. By now the group leader has called, and anyone on your team has seen a little of the story. Whoever spots James on Sunday can greet him by name and ask how the first week of school went.
In Shep
Nobody has to be briefed. The notes are in the activity feed, and the group leader adds their own after the call.
RCRyan Cole added a note on James Carter
Called James. Coming Tuesday with his wife. Kids are in the same grade as ours.
SMSarah Mitchell added a note on James Carter
Called James. Settling in well, kids start school Monday. Looking for a group with other parents.
Weeks 4 to 6
Offer one next step.
A group or a serving team. Offer one, chosen for them. If they want to serve, connect them with the team leader and set up a shadow day: one Sunday beside someone who already does it.
In Shep
Give the next step an owner and a date with a task, or add James to the journey for it.
Shadow day with James on the welcome team
Dana Brooks, due Sunday
JourneyAdded to Join a serving team
After week 6
Bring a third person to coffee.
Think of one person who would connect well with them, and get the three of you together: a coffee, a walk on the beach, something you all enjoy. Never go alone. Every time you bring a third person, the guest knows one more of your people. Over the next weeks that person gets to know them closely, and once they have connected, they become their shepherd. Follow up has an end. Being known does not.
In Shep
Write a note after the coffee and mention the person you brought, so the two are linked as a connection. Once they have connected, make that person his shepherd. The whole story is already there for them to read.
SMSarah Mitchell added a note on James Carter
Coffee with James and @Michael Reed. Both coach kids' soccer. Michael is taking him to the game on Saturday.
ShepherdMichael Reed

Every guest gets one name beside theirs

The plan works when each step belongs to a person and has a place to live.

Step	Who	Where it lives in Shep
Sunday	Connect team member, now their shepherd	A note on their story, a shepherd, the guest journey
Within 48 hours	Their shepherd	A note after the call, the next journey step
Week 1	Their shepherd and a group leader	A comment that mentions the group leader
Weeks 2 to 3	The whole team	The activity feed
Weeks 4 to 6	Their shepherd and a team leader	A task with a date, or a new journey
After week 6	Their shepherd and one person they bring along	A note that mentions them both, then the shepherd on their profile

A sample phone call

Keep it under two minutes. If you get voicemail, say the first two lines and hang up. Do not ask for a call back.

Open: "Hi James, this is Sarah from Church name here. We met on Sunday by the coffee."
The one thing: "I just wanted to say I am glad you came. How is the move from Denver going?"
No agenda: "If you have any questions about the church, I am happy to answer them."
One invite: "Ryan leads a group for parents on Tuesday nights. Would it be all right if he gave you a call?"
Close: "Either way, it was good to meet you."

What to write down after each one

Two lines, the way you would say it to a coworker in the hallway. Who talked with them, what you learned, and what happens next.

Called James. Settling in well, kids start school Monday. Looking for a group with other parents.

Note by Sarah Mitchell after the call

If it is not written down where the team can see it, the next person starts from zero and the guest has to tell their story again.

How to know it is working

Do not measure the guest. Ask three questions about your team, for every new person, once a week.

Does someone know them?
Has anyone talked with them lately?
Is their story written down?

If the answer is no, that is ours to fix, not theirs.

Run this in Shep

Every step above is a note, a comment, a journey step, a task, or a shepherd. Shep keeps all of it on one story the whole team can see, on the web and on the iPhone app.

Shep does not score your people. It scores your team on those three questions.

Start free trial Book a demo

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Questions

How soon should a church follow up with a first time visitor?: Within 48 hours, with a personal call or message from one person. A welcome email on its own does not count.
Who should make the call?: Whoever met them on Sunday, if you can. It does not need to be a pastor. A volunteer who remembers their name is better than a staff member who does not.
How many times should we reach out?: Plan on four or five personal touches across six weeks. If two go unanswered, stop asking and leave the door open.
What if we do not have staff for this?: The plan needs people, not staff. Give each guest to one volunteer as their shepherd, and give the volunteer the table above.

The short version

Why follow up falls apart

The plan, step by step

Meet them, write one thing down, and give them a shepherd.

Their shepherd reaches out.

Invite them to one specific thing, and bring in the group leader.

The team knows the story behind the name.

Offer one next step.

Bring a third person to coffee.