63% of our first-time church visitors became members this year.

What helped make that happen?

In this episode of The Great Commission Toolkit, I'm joined by my brother, Pastor Josh Williams of Crosspoint in Foley, Alabama, as we finish breaking down the actual follow-up system his church uses to build relationships with first-time guests.

Josh shares that 63% of their first-time guests became church members this year, and he explains some of the practical changes he believes contributed to that result.

But this conversation isn't just about numbers.

It's about people.

In this episode, we discuss:

📱 What to text church visitors during weeks 3–6

☕ Why Josh invites guests to coffee

🤝 How he involves church leaders in personal follow-up

🙏 Using Scripture and prayer to encourage guests

📅 Why follow-up should continue beyond the first Sunday

⛪ How to help guests develop a habit of attending church

🎥 A creative idea for sending personal video messages

📲 Using Text In Church to automate reminders and organize communication

🎄 Why Christmas and Easter are great opportunities to reconnect with past guests

📊 What Josh believes helped his church achieve a 63% guest-to-member rate this year

🎙️ Why he began advertising sermon series instead of simply advertising church services

One of the most practical takeaways is that you don't have to have a perfect system to get started.

Start by collecting contact information.

Send a personal message.

Pray for your guests.

Invite them to coffee.

Help them connect with people in your church.

And keep building those relationships over time.

Josh also shares how his church began involving more of its leadership team in reaching out to guests, rather than leaving every conversation to the pastor.

Whether your church has 30 people or 300, you can begin applying these principles.

The goal isn't simply to grow attendance. It's to reach people with the gospel, build relationships, and help them grow in Christ.

🎙️ The Great Commission Toolkit | Excellerate Ministries

Find more ministry resources: https://linktr.ee/excellerateministries

Here is the follow-up booklet. It designed for follow up after our Illusion Show outreach, but the principals would apply to any event and/or service: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ItaOaG4-8WyHczeZREM0-QnO6LXzxumI/view?usp=sharing

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

Someone visited your church on Sunday.

What happens Monday?

In this episode of The Great Commission Toolkit, I'm joined again by my brother, Pastor Josh Williams of CrossPoint in Foley, Alabama, to break down the actual system his church uses to follow up with first-time Sunday guests.

We talk about everything from the moment someone walks through the doors to the texts, phone calls, and personal connections that happen during the first two weeks.

And one of the most important principles is this:

Follow-up isn't about getting something from people. It's about ministering to people.

In this episode, we discuss:

👋 How to make first-time guests feel comfortable

📝 Why Josh keeps his visitor card to just a name, phone number, and optional prayer request

🎁 How to use a welcome gift to begin a conversation

⛪ Why he doesn't ask visitors to stand up during the service

📱 The Monday-morning text he sends every first-time guest

🙏 How to use follow-up as an opportunity to genuinely pray for people

📲 Why he connects with guests on Facebook

📅 The Friday or Saturday reminder that invites them back

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 How youth pastors and ministry leaders can help with follow-up

☎️ When Josh makes a personal phone call

🤝 Why building relationships matters more than simply getting someone to attend another service

Josh also explains how he uses Text In Church to automate reminders and organize communication without losing the personal touch.

You don't need an elaborate system to begin.

Whether your church has 30 people or 300, you can start with a simple visitor card, a thoughtful text message, and a genuine desire to minister to people.

The goal isn't just to get guests back. The goal is to build relationships that help people know Christ and grow in their walk with Him.

🎙️ The Great Commission Toolkit | Excellerate Ministries

🔗 https://linktr.ee/excellerateministries

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

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Your church just had a big outreach event. Hundreds of people attended.

What do you do with all those contacts now?

In this episode of The Great Commission Toolkit, I'm joined again by my brother, Pastor Josh Williams of Crosspoint in Foley, Alabama, to walk through a practical church event follow-up strategy you can begin implementing immediately.

Josh explains exactly how he collects contact information, uses a church texting system, and follows up with families after events like fall festivals, back-to-school outreaches, and other community activities.

And this isn't just about sending a generic “Thanks for coming” message.

It's about intentionally building relationships with people so you can continue sharing the gospel and inviting them to church.

In this episode, we discuss:

📱 How to send personalized texts to hundreds of event attendees

📝 How to organize contact information after an outreach

🙏 The first text Josh sends—and why it asks for prayer requests

🎙️ Using short voice messages to personally pray for families

📅 Why starting a new sermon series after an event can help

📲 Saturday-night and Sunday-morning reminders

🎄 How to reconnect with families at Christmas, Easter, and future events

🤝 Why effective follow-up is about relationships, not just attendance

One of the most encouraging stories in this episode is about a family that attended church events for four years before finally coming to a Sunday service.

Their grandson trusted Christ, and the family eventually became regular church members.

Four years of intentional follow-up helped keep that relationship alive.

Whether your church uses Text In Church, another two-way texting platform, or even individual text messages, you can begin putting these principles into practice.

You don't need a huge church staff or an enormous budget.

You need the Lord's leading and plan to carry it out.

🎙️ The Great Commission Toolkit | Excellerate Ministries

In the next episode, we'll discuss the follow-up process for regular Sunday morning visitors.

Have questions about church outreach or follow-up? Reach out through our ministry links!

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

Template for the Connection Card: https://canva.link/kkjopwh65mpq86v

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 #Evangelism #ChurchVisitors #ChurchLeadership #GreatCommissionToolkit

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