by Dave Marriott

• First greeting—greeters welcome guests to service, offer bulletin, and explain next steps; if guests need to find classrooms/nursery, best practice is escorting and introducing them to teachers.
• Meet a pastor—pastors desire to meet guests; as you chat together, ask, “Could I introduce you to Pastor ________? He and his wife would love to meet you.”
  Note: Members can serve the spiritual needs of others by not approaching the pastors immediately after the service—allowing them time to speak with guests.
• Conversion—as you interact, seek to discern salvation status by asking questions such as, “What did you think of the sermon today?” or “Was our church at all what you were expecting?” that can lead to follow ups like, “What is your faith background?” or “Can you tell me how you became a Christian?” If it’s clear they are lost, share the gospel!
• Contact info—after making a good connection, ask if you can exchange contact info to set up a workday lunch, coffee, in-home dinner, playdate, etc. This also helps with name retention, since you can naturally follow-up with, “Would you spell your name for me?” as you add to your contacts.
• Next contact—be sure they know they’re invited to the broader weekly gatherings. For example, “Our family attends a community group in a member’s home on Sunday evenings. You’re welcome to come with us!” or “Hopefully, we’ll see you again. Thanks for coming!”