The pastor was astonished. He had just arrived at a Coptic monastery in the a day's journey from Cairo. The monks were treating him as though he were the most important guest they had received since the monastery was founded in the 12th century. They served him a fine meal, showed him to a comfortable room, brought him freshly cut flowers, and then introduced him to the abbot. "Wow! You really know how to treat a visitor here." Father Jeremiah replied, "We always treat guests as though they were angels--just to be safe."

"There is considerable evidence which suggests that at least one-third, and perhaps as many as one-half, of all protestant church members do not feel a sense of belonging to the congregation of which they are members. They have been received into membership, but have never felt they have been accepted into the fellowship circle."

Win and Chip Arn have found that churches growing 10% or more a year have a 25% rate of return on first-time visitors, a 50% for second-time visitors, and a 75% for third-time visitors. On page 105, Gainsbrugh goes on to say that is takes 11 V1s to make a V4.

According to Flavil Yeakley, there is a 36-hour window that makes all the difference in the world. If you make your first follow-up contact within 36 hours, there is a 50% greater chance the visitor will return next week. [I suspect the window is shorter for students--probably 24 hours or less]

There was a preacher who took pride in knowing everyone's name. One Sunday a woman sat near the front who hadn't been to church in a long time. The preacher couldn't remember her name. Just before the benediction, memory returned. At the door, the preacher smiled and said, "You look like Helen Brown!" The woman looked startled, then shot back, "You don't look so good in black yourself!"

No. 6: Emphasis on Small Groups Our studies show that a new member who gets involved in a Sunday school class is five times more likely to be an active church member five years later than one who attends worship services only. Our research on other small groups is limited, but we suspect that some of the same issues are present. Evangelistic churches are disciple-making churches. They believe that the evangelistic process is not complete until a believer becomes a fruit-bearing disciple in the local church. And leaders in these churches seek to conserve their evangelistic gains by seeking to incorporate the new believers into a small group, most typically the Sunday school.