Your church had visitors on Sunday.

What should you do next—and how quickly should you do it?

In this episode of The Great Commission Toolkit, I'm back with my brother, Pastor Josh Williams of Crosspoint in Foley, Alabama, to get practical about one of the most important parts of church outreach: following up with first-time guests.

Last episode, we talked about WHY every church needs a follow-up system.

This time, we're talking about where to start.

Josh explains why he recommends contacting guests within 24 hours, how to collect visitor information without making people uncomfortable, and ways churches can follow up even better because of the digital age.

We cover:

📱 Why Josh recommends following up within 24 hours

👋 How to make your first contact personal and welcoming

☕ Building relationships through coffee or lunch

📝 What to put on a church visitor card

🎁 Using welcome gifts to connect with guests

👥 Training a team to collect visitor information

📲 Paper cards vs. QR codes and digital registration

🎉 How to collect contact information at church outreach events

🎟️ Using preregistration and giveaways effectively

⛪ Practical ideas for both small and growing churches

One of the biggest principles from this conversation is:

Don't make follow-up complicated. Make it intentional.

For Sunday visitors, Josh recommends a simple card asking for a name and phone number, paired with a personal introduction and a clear explanation of why the church would like to contact them.

For community events, he explains how preregistration, entrance check-in, and interactive giveaways can help churches build connections with families.

And when it comes to reaching out?

Don't wait two weeks to make the first contact.

A timely, thoughtful message can help begin a relationship that extends well beyond a single Sunday or special event.

Our goal isn't just collecting names or increasing attendance. We want to build relationships, share the gospel, and help people become growing disciples of Jesus Christ.

🎙️ The Great Commission Toolkit | Excellerate Ministries

In the next episode, Josh will explain the actual follow-up process and the tools he uses to make it work.

If this episode helps you, share it with a pastor, outreach director, or church leader!

Questions or coaching with Pastor Josh Williams: pastorjosh@crosspointoffoley.org

Donate to our ministry: https://www.paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/4894299

Follow us on Social Media: https://linktr.ee/excellerateministries

Send in Question to chase@excellerateministries.com

#ChurchFollowUp #ChurchGrowth #ChurchOutreach #ChurchVisitors #Evangelism #ChurchLeadership #GreatCommissionToolkit

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Your church had visitors.

Now what?

In this episode of The Great Commission Toolkit, I'm joined by my brother, Pastor Josh Williams, to talk about one of the most overlooked parts of church growth and outreach:

FOLLOW-UP.

Josh pastors in Foley, Alabama, where he stepped into a struggling church situation with just a handful of people in 2020. Six years later, the church recently averaged 188 on Sunday mornings.

Josh is quick to give God the glory for what He's done—but when I asked what practical tool God has used most in the church's growth, one of his first answers was:

A first-time guest follow-up system.

In this episode, we talk about:

👋 Why getting visitors isn't enough

📋 Why every church needs an intentional follow-up system

🤝 Why ministry happens through relationships

🎉 The difference between Sunday visitors and event visitors

📊 Why churches should track what happens after an outreach

🚪 Why events can reach people who may never initially attend a Sunday service

📱 How follow-up can move people from an event to church

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Real families reached through community events

🙌 People who eventually trusted Christ because relationships began at an outreach

⏳ Why follow-up sometimes takes MONTHS—not days

🎯 Why the event isn't the finish line

One of the most powerful stories in this episode is about a family that attended a community event. They didn't immediately become faithful church members.

But the church kept building the relationship.

Eventually they came on Sunday.

Their daughter trusted Christ.

Her friend trusted Christ and was baptized.

Years later, that friend is now serving in the church's nursery—and the original family has helped bring several more families to church.

That's why follow-up matters.

Ministry isn't an event.

Ministry is people.

And if God gives us an opportunity to connect with someone, we want to intentionally build that relationship and point them toward Christ.

This episode explains WHY your church needs a follow-up system.

In the next episode, we're getting extremely practical and breaking down WHAT that system can actually look like so you can begin implementing it in your church.

🎙️ The Great Commission Toolkit | Excellerate Ministries

If this episode helps you, send it to a pastor, outreach director, or church leader who needs to hear it!

Donate to our ministry: https://www.paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/4894299

Follow us on Social Media: https://linktr.ee/excellerateministries

Send in Question to chase@excellerateministries.com

#ChurchGrowth #ChurchFollowUp #ChurchOutreach #Evangelism #Pastor #ChurchLeadership #GreatCommission #GreatCommissionToolkit

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Your big church event was a success. New families came.

Now what?

In this episode of The Great Commission Toolkit, I'm back with my dad, Pastor Jon Williams, for the final part of our Celebrate Kids Sunday series.

This time, we're talking about one of the most important parts of outreach: follow-up.

After new families attended Celebrate Kids Sunday at Bluestone Baptist Church, the goal wasn't simply to celebrate a good attendance number. The goal was to build relationships, encourage families to return, and ultimately help people become growing disciples of Christ.

We break down the actual follow-up strategy they used, including:

📱 Texting families before and after the event

🙏 Praying specifically for outreach contacts

📅 Using Saturday reminder texts

🎙️ Starting a sermon series designed to encourage families to return

☕ Inviting new families to coffee or a meal

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Building relationships beyond Sunday morning

📲 Why every church should consider a texting system

🎉 Using future events to continue building relationships

📣 Facebook ads, personal invitations, and existing contacts

💰 What Celebrate Kids Sunday actually cost

⛪ How a small church can implement something similar

One of the most encouraging results was that four to five visiting families returned for the third Sunday—the best retention my dad says they've seen following a big church event.

Whether your church has 5 kids or 500, you don't have to copy exactly what another church does.

Pray. Follow the Lord. Use the people and resources God has given you. Be intentional about follow-up. And don't let the relationship end when the event does.

🎙️ The Great Commission Toolkit | Excellerate Ministries

If this episode helps you, share it with a pastor, children's worker, or church leader who could use these ideas!

Donate to our ministry: https://www.paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/4894299

Follow us on Social Media: https://linktr.ee/excellerateministries

Send in Question to chase@excellerateministries.com

Have questions for Dad, Pastor Jon? Email him here: bluestonepastor@gmail.com

#ChurchGrowth #ChurchOutreach #ChurchFollowUp #ChildrensMinistry #KidsMinistry #Evangelism #ChurchVisitors #GreatCommissionToolkit

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