It’s as basic as the pencils

At my church and at many others, we have response cards. We invite newcomers to let us know they've visited, and how they'd like to connect with us. We encourage newcomers and regulars to share prayer points, and the cards are also used as a sign-up form for events announced during the service.

I recently chatted with a newcomer who thought that the cards were a great idea, but he couldn't fill one out because he didn't have a pen or a pencil. We provide pencils in the pews, but it's not uncommon for these to be blunt, broken or missing. All the hard work that goes into encouraging people to fill out a slip will be wasted, if people have nothing to write with. A process is only as good as the individual steps in the process. The cards only work if they...

To read more, click here.

A good practice is to purchase ballpoint pens in bulk with the church's name and logo printed on the pens and to hand each guest a pen with the service bulletin, or worship folder. The Journey, the church with which I am sojourning, meets for worship in the Murray State University's student center ballroom or the center's theater. We have two worship gatherings. When we meet in the ballroom, a "connection card" is--before each worship gathering--placed on each chair for its occupant to complete. When we meet in the theater, a connection card is handed to each guest with the service bulletin, or worship folder. During each worship gathering guests, including members and regular attenders, are asked to complete a connection card. The filled-out cards are collected with the offering at each worship gathering.