Is Church Visitation a Thing of the Past?

I have served my share of smaller, even struggling, churches as an interim pastor. Occasionally one of the leaders (usually an older adult) will say, “We need to get back to what we used to do: church visitation. We were a bigger church when we used to go knocking on doors.”

I came of age in a time when church visitation was the norm. Church leaders, Sunday School teachers, and an assortment of other adults showed up at the church on Tuesday nights to go “knock on doors.” And, yes, the classes grew. The church grew.

But I’m not in favor of resurrecting the old school church visitation program—at least not the way we used to do it.

There was a time when people regularly visited with their neighbors. It was a crazy time when friends had the audacity just to show up at your house—without warning! People sat on their front porches and carried on conversations with people—even strangers!—who walked by with the family dog.

Times have changed. So many Americans are in the habit of “cocooning.” They drive to their house, the garage door automatically opens, they drive in, shut the garage door, and go into their private domain. Cocooning. No outside interaction with anyone.

People just don’t answer their doors anymore. Most of us don’t answer our phones if we don’t recognize the number. So, I guess that means church visitation is now a part of the church’s past alongside film strip projectors and flannelgraph, right?

Nope. Church visitation can be given new life, but it must change. The approach I’m proposing is quite simple, but it will call for more intentionality.

Make an appointment.

I don’t know why we didn’t do this “back in the day.” I remember many a Tuesday night, knocking on doors where no one was home. Families are even busier today, and they may be home at random times. And of course, many who are at home still don’t answer the door if they don’t recognize the person or they are not expecting someone.

Making an appointment saves you time and it prepares the person for your visit. They can pick up the living room, be dressed, and be mentally prepared for a conversation.

Meet somewhere.

Who says you have to go to a person’s house? When you set a time to meet, offer to meet someplace close and convenient. Restaurants and coffee shops are ideal public locations. Meet for coffee. There’s something about food at the table—even if it’s just chips and salsa—that makes for a more relaxed conversation. I heard Tony Merida describe how many of Jesus’s conversations happened at meals. My experience bears out the value of meeting over food or drinks: everyone is more relaxed. During my student ministry days, I had “my table” at McDonalds where I had many a conversation with teenagers.

Meet face-to-face.

Whatever you do, do it face-to-face. I love technology and I have found social media is a great way to stay in touch with people and relay information. But it has its limits. In recent months, I’ve had conversations with two different Bible study leaders in which these men were bemoaning the hit-and-miss attendance of those in their classes. I asked, “Have you reached out to them or contacted them?” Both said they had reached out via Facebook. In fact, one of the men said he posted something every day on the group’s Facebook page. Unfortunately, that’s not enough. There’s nothing personal about a Facebook posting.

The people in your group—members, visitors, and prospects—need a personal contact. Text, email, and social media don’t count. You can use these to set up a meeting, but a text or email is a poor substitute for the meeting itself. Even though many in our culture prefer texting because it’s a way to keep a conversation at arm’s length, push it to lead to a face-to-face encounter.

The personal touch is invaluable.

---

Lynn H. Pryor is the publishing team leader for Bible Studies for Life. A resident of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Lynn serves as the discipleship director in his church. He offers a weekly blog tied to Bible Studies for Life at lynnhpryor.com.