Beyond the First Visit: The Complete Guide to Connecting Guests to Your Church

by Gary L. McIntosh

Book Overview

All churches like to think that theirs is the friendliest in town. But do visitors see it that way? Church consultant Gary McIntosh invites readers to take a look at their church through the eyes of visitors and potential visitors. His starting point, grounded in an understanding of God as a "welcomer," is that churches should see those who enter their doors as not merely visitors, but as guests, and themselves as gracious hosts. This practical book...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0801091845
• ISBN13: 9780801091841
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: Baker Books
• Length: 186 Pages
• Weight: 0.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.4" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

Practical Advice for Churches

The title of McIntosh's compelling book shoud be an eye-catcher for anyone concerned about how their church looks to visitors--or guests, as the author puts it. He offers thoughtful, practical ideas about church people in churchs of all sizes. This book is a compelling read and a great starting point for discussions.

Great Resource

As I am preparing to launch a new church is has been a valuable tool in my organizing efforts.

Beyond Helpful

Great - practical book. Helps you see your church from a "guest's" (not visitor) point of view. Practical questions to ask for all teams within the church from worship to nursery to building and grounds. Easy to implement in your own setting, not a cookie cutter approach to church. Very helpful

A Book the Motivates

This is an excellent, practical, and insightful book on how growing a church to the next level can be done. The author has writen it from the biblical, psychological and sociological perspectives which therefore makes it a wholistic and comprehensive treatise on how to boost the attendance of a declined or declining church. Read it and put it into a action. The growth of your church will surprise you.

To be inclusive, we must first ask, who do we exclude?

Dr. Gary McIntosh has a passion for people finding their way into and being adopted by faith communities. As the Church transitions from modernity (with its catechetical mentality of people needing to know what they believe and how to behave before they can belong) to postmodernity (where people often want to belong before they believe), Beyond the First Visit is a guidebook for the shifts that congregations need to make to help people feel a part instead of being left apart. How churches invite, greet, incorporate and train their people matters. This is a wonderful text on all fronts. Rev. Dr. R. Kevin Murphy Saint Matthew Lutheran Church Walnut Creek, CA