Connecting with Neighbors through Christmas Cookies
Laura Heikes shares an easy, low-barrier Christmas outreach idea that can involve your entire congregation and extend an invitation to worship that is warm, non-coercive,…
Browsing: Newcomers
Articles
Reading the Cultural Signs
Jevon Caldwell-Gross draws from his pastoral experience to engage a series of cultural shifts that have changed how people today function. He shows how many…
5 Steps to Help Your Church Be Friendlier to Guests
How can your church be friendlier to newcomers? Karl Vaters believes churches can become friendlier by implementing the G.I.F.T. Plan: Greet, Introduce, Follow up, and…
Travelers’ Christmas Eve Service
The Travelers’ Christmas Eve Service at Park Avenue United Methodist Church in New York City is a beloved annual tradition, shares Jessica Anschutz. Designed for…
4 Ways to Make Easter Hospitality the Pattern for the Year
Lewis Center Director Doug Powe says special efforts to welcome visitors at Easter shouldn’t be set aside once the holiday is over. He outlines four…
Belong, Believe, Become: Engaging Millennials and Gen Z in Faith — An In-depth Interview with Dexter Nutall
How can congregations faithfully engage in ministry with Millennials and Gen Z? Dexter Nutall shares how New Bethel Church engages these generations by fostering belonging,…
10 Reasons Churches Aren’t Attracting People Who Need Jesus
Many churches bemoan the absence of newcomers but fail to consider how their own failure to meaningfully engage others contributes to this reality. Phil Maynard…
Make Meaningful Connections during Advent and Christmas
As the holiday season approaches, church leaders face heightened stress while preparing meaningful celebrations and making meaningful connections. Jessica Anschutz of the Lewis Center staff…
7 Suggestions for Reaching More People this Christmas
Is your church ready to roll out the holiday welcome mat? Ann Michel offers seven suggestions for helping people meet Christ anew this Christmas. Equip…
Making the Most of Your Greeting Times
Phil Maynard says that the typical greeting time during a worship service encourages people to shake a lot of hands rather than really engaging someone…
Your Building Has More Signs Than You Think
What do newcomers see when they visit your church? Pastor Molly Phinney Baskette invites you to see your building through the eyes of a newcomer,…
3 Clues for Reaching New Believers
Lovett H. Weems Jr. shares metrics for gauging your church’s effectiveness in bringing new people to faith. He also outlines three clues that can help…
3 Touchstones of Welcoming Newcomers Today
What was once perceived as welcoming may no longer resonate with the unchurched of today. How can congregations extend hospitality to the unchurched? Brett DeHart…
How Best to Use Overflow Worship Space on Easter
Tom Berlin describes strategies for encouraging your regular attenders to worship in overflow spaces outside the sanctuary when additional seating is needed on Easter so…
A Growing Church Understands the Interconnection between Discipleship and Evangelism
Rev. Dr. Michael L. Henderson Sr. describes how a church he planted grew to over 7,000 members through an intentional process for developing disciples grounded…
What’s Wrong with Thinking of Church as Family?
Lee Ann M. Pomrenke says the beloved metaphor of church as family can stand in the way of a congregation being truly open and inclusive.…
5 Ways Your Church Can Use Text Messaging to Reach More People
How can churches use texting as an outreach and communication tool? Brandon Cox outlines five ways churches can use texting to reach more people and…
Is Spiritual Maturity a Prerequisite for New Church Leaders?
Ann Michel of the Lewis Center questions the common advice that churches should only invite those who are already spiritually mature into leadership roles. She…
Why Limit the Celebration of Easter to Just One Sunday?
David Manner says that many churches attract new attendees with the lure of Easter but then quickly leave the subject. He asks, if Easter really…
Top 10 Reasons Visitors Don’t Come Back
What do visitors say when asked why they don’t return to a church? Thom Rainer outlines the top 10 responses when hundreds of guests were…
Forging a New Path: An In-Depth Interview with Rebekah Simon-Peter
When do things go back to normal? How do we get people (back) to church? How do we do more with less? Rebekah Simon-Peter calls…
“Forging a New Path” featuring Rebekah Simon-Peter
When do things go back to normal? How do we get people (back) to church? And how do we do more with less? Rebekah Simon-Peter calls us to the “next normal” as she explores what it means to invite people to church as spiritual community and to do more with less.
Does Your Church Truly Embrace Children or Merely Tolerate Them?
Sam Rainer says that families visiting your church know instinctively whether you sincerely welcome the presence of their children or just tolerate them. He outlines…
5 Hospitality and Stewardship Lessons from a Homecoming
How are visitors to your congregation greeted and welcomed? Ken Sloane outlines five lessons for extending hospitality and engaging new givers. While traveling earlier this…
One Invitation Away from Returning
Are there folks in your church who got out of the habit of attending during the pandemic and haven’t returned yet? Rebekah Simon-Peter says that…
4 Ways to Expand the Reach of Small Groups
How can you prevent your small groups from becoming inwardly focused and impenetrable to newcomers? Doug Powe and Ann Michel of the Lewis Center staff…
4 Audiences for Digital Engagement
Jessica L. Anschutz of the Lewis Center staff shares how congregations can begin to reach four groups of people through ministry on digital platforms. As…
7 Strategies to Engage New Givers
How can congregations invite new givers to begin their journey of generosity? Ann Michel of the Lewis Center staff outlines seven strategies more likely to…
Simple Guidance for Preachers on Christmas Eve
As pastors and congregations prepare to receive guests on Christmas Eve, Bishop Kenneth H. Carter offers simple, heartfelt advice. Keep the sermon brief but grace…
Minding the Church’s Doors
Preaching in a different church almost every Sunday, Nancy Taylor learned firsthand how often visitors go unnoticed even in churches that see themselves as “friendly.”…
