Now before you write this episode off as another church growth “numbers” thing, let me encourage you to hang in there. The spiritual reality is, if we don’t work on creating an environment of welcome and follow up in our churches, we will severely limit our opportunity to reach those who don’t know Jesus, giving them  an opportunity to even hear the gospel.   

To help us talk about the guest experience and follow up, I have asked Chris Highfill, one of our Converge Midamerica pastors, pastoring just outside the St. Louis area to join us. Chris is a church planter at his core, and God has given him a burning passion to see people come to know Jesus, and that passion is resulting in God working at his church in significant ways. One of the areas that Chris and his church spend a lot of time focusing on, is this area of the guest experience and follow up.  I could say a lot more, but I don’t want to steal Chris’s thunder. So, Chris, thanks for being on the podcast today and sharing with us.

• The Chris Highfill and Grace River story.
• How should we think about dealing with visitors/guests (what should we even call them?). In other words, what should our motivation and thought pattern be in relationship to guests?
• What are the top two or three things we need to absolutely crush in relationship to guests? What are two or three things we absolutely should avoid?
• Follow up is probably the most difficult thing to really do well as it relates to guests. Why is follow up so important?
• What does Grace River do in relationship to follow up and how is it working?