Welcoming first-time guests: welcome slides, thank-you cards and follow-up posts
First-time guests need three things from your church's media: a welcome on the screen before the service, something to take home, and a thank-you in the days after. Make all three from one design and write them in plain words, so a guest can tell they're from the same church and knows what to do next.
This matters most on Christmas Eve and Easter, when more guests come than on any other Sunday. The same pieces work every week.
Before the service: the welcome slide
Put a welcome slide in the pre-service loop, between the announcements. Keep it to one line and one next step:
- New here? We're glad you came. Stop by the welcome table after the service.
- Welcome home. Text "new" to (your number) and we'll say hello this week.
- First time? Fill out a connect card and pick up a gift at the welcome table.
Say it from the stage once, too. "If you're new, that slide is for you" helps more than it sounds.
welcome and thank-you templates
In their hand: the thank-you card
A small card is still the best thing to hand a guest. Print the social post (it's 4:5, so it prints as a 4 x 5 inch card) with a thank-you on the front and three things on the back: service times, one way to connect and your website. Hand it out at the welcome table or tuck it into a gift bag.
Wording for the front, if you want it:
- Thank you for visiting. We hope you felt at home, and we'd love to see you again.
- Thanks for spending your Sunday with us. Come back anytime. We'll save you a seat.
- We're so glad you came. If there's anything we can do for you this week, we'd love to hear from you.
the social post (and the card)
After the service: the follow-up
Guests who filled out a connect card should hear from you within two days. Email or text works. A handwritten note works better. Keep it short:
Hi [name], thanks for visiting on Sunday. It was great to meet you. If you have questions about the church or want to know where to start, just reply to this message. Hope to see you again soon.
On social media, post a thank-you the Monday after a big Sunday: a photo from the service and one line, like "Thank you to everyone who worshiped with us yesterday. We'd love to see you again this Sunday at 9 and 11." It reaches the guests who followed you but didn't fill out a card.
Every week: make it easy to come back
- A "join us this Sunday" post every Friday or Saturday, with service times.
- A next-steps slide once a month, for a newcomer lunch or a class for people who want to know more.
- The same welcome slide every week. Regulars stop noticing it. For a guest, it's always the first time.
the story
Getting it done
Most of our welcome templates come with a slide, social post, story and Facebook cover, as ready-made images and layered Photoshop files. Edit in Photoshop, in Photopea (free, in your browser) or in Remix Studio, our browser editor, where 700+ templates open ready to edit on the Standard and Pro plans.
Browse our slide templates, or see Christmas Eve service graphics for the night with the most guests all year.