What do they really think-those people we call on? Do they associate church visitation teams with the assorted cultists who go door knocking and pamphlet peddling? How many people are glad to see us, and how many feel we’re invading their privacy?
They’re normally civil, perhaps even polite-but pastors and lay volunteers wonder, What do they say after we’ve left? And more important, What effect, if any, did this visit have?
To find out, LEADERSHIP surveyed nearly seven hundred people who had been contacted in the past year by the calling programs of three diverse congregations: Galilee Baptist Church in Denver, Colorado; Bismarck Reformed Church in Bismarck, North Dakota; and Big Valley Grace Community Church in Modesto, California.
Each of these churches has weekly visitation based on the Evangelism Explosion method. The program, which trains lay people to give a brief, systematic presentation of the gospel, is used by many churches, including these three, to follow up on first-time visitors to their worship services.
These were not “cold contacts”-homes picked out of the phone book or off a city map. These were people who had shown some interest in the church, usually by attending a Sunday morning service and signing a visitor form.
In order to get candid reactions and the greatest number of responses, the surveys were short-five questions-and anonymous, though people were given the option of including name and phone number if they were willing to talk further. Thirty percent included their names.
In order to assess the effect over time, separate surveys were sent to those visited from September 1982 through August 1983 and those contacted since September 1983.
Because of the strong response (from one group an amazing 74 percent of the surveys were answered) and the similar results from all three churches (despite their different sizes and locations), the survey may indicate what other churches with similar programs can expect.
Generally a Positive, Helpful Contact
Nearly 80 percent felt good about the visit, and over 60 percent indicated it was either helpful or very helpful.
In response to the question “After they left, what were your personal feelings about the visit?” less than 1 percent marked Strongly Negative (They shouldn’t have come). Five percent said Negative (It was an irritation), 13 percent were neutral, 44 percent said Positive (I appreciated their stopping), and another 35 percent felt Strongly Positive (I was very glad they came). Three percent marked Other. (See chart 1.)
CHART 1 – pg. 80
Several surveys said, “I was nervous and hesitant at first, but afterward I was glad they’d come.” Others were grateful for “meeting people who cared.”
Those who were negative complained primarily about the timing of the visit.
“We had just moved to town and were very busy laying carpet and cutting the pads underneath in anticipation of the moving van arriving the next morning,” wrote one respondent. “When the team called, I explained our predicament and suggested we meet another time, but they said they only visited that night each week and insisted they come in for a short visit. I felt very uncomfortable-we had no furniture, no refreshments, and were in work clothes. We explained we were Christians already, yet we had to listen to the whole speech because one member of the team ‘needed practice.’ The ‘short’ visit lasted an hour and a half, and we were resentful since we had to work into the early morning hours to prepare for the movers.”
Several mentioned that the visits came just as they were leaving the house, at bedtime for kids, when someone was sick, or at mealtime. “My husband and I were both in our bathrobes and felt uncomfortable with the unexpected visitors,” said one. Another wrote, “My husband had the flu, the house was a disaster, and they came unannounced. I would have appreciated some warning.”
Several others commented on the approach of the callers:
“They treated me like a new Christian instead of the person I am-a Christian of twenty-five years.”
“Once they discovered I was a Christian, they ‘practiced’ the plan of salvation on me. I felt like a guinea pig.”
These, however, represent a minority. In response to the question “After they left, did you feel you had gained anything by their coming?” only between 3 and 19 percent (depending on the church) said No, the visit wasn’t helpful. The overwhelming majority said the visit was either somewhat helpful, helpful, or very helpful.
What, if anything, did they feel they’d gained? Most checked more than one response:
Information about the church (69 percent)
Beginning a friendship with the visitor (32 percent)
A further step in my Christian walk (26 percent)
Help with a personal question or problem (13 percent)
A new understanding about the Christian faith (9 percent)
A new relationship with Jesus Christ (6 percent)
Other (12 percent)
Among those marking Other, a few were negative (“We appreciated the first visit, but after we told them we were active in our own church, they should not have come back four more times. It was an irritation”). Most, however, expressed appreciation. “I was glad to see Christians evangelizing rather than the cults,” said one man.
Or as a Bismarck woman wrote, “I became a Christian three years before, but I backslid. After this visit I felt as though someone cared. When they left, I rededicated my life to Christ. Now I’ve joined a women’s Bible study at the church.”
Long-Term Effects
Survey responses also revealed the church attendance patterns following the visitation.
Overall, 28 percent said they’re now regularly attending the church that called on them. Another 12 percent have been back once or twice.
Some 13 percent have visited another church and become active there, and 10 percent were already attending another church and have become more active there.
No change in church involvement was reported by 23 percent, and 14 percent marked other. (See chart 2.)
CHART 2 – pg. 81
Another way of looking at it: Based on this sampling, 40 percent of those you visit will wind up back at your church at least once, and a full 50 percent will become more frequent church attenders, either at your church or another.
Often this takes time. While 30 percent of those visited recently claimed no change in church involvement, that number dropped to 18 percent among those visited several months ago. In other words, results sometimes come late; people begin showing up months after the doorbell was first rung.
Where do these unhurried people eventually plug in? Primarily other churches. (See chart 3.) Of those called on recently, 30 percent are regularly attending that church. For those called on a year ago, the figure dips slightly to 27 percent. But during that year, those becoming more active in other churches rises from a combined 14 percent to 29 percent.
CHART 3 – pg. 81
If visitation is seen as a ministry for the kingdom of God rather than simply for the specific congregation, this can be encouraging: over half the people you visit will likely become more active at one church or another.
The Fraction We Focus On
Evangelism programs often rate their success by how many people “pray the prayer” committing themselves to Jesus. What about this 6 percent? Who were these people?
Mostly young adults. By age, the new believers fell into these categories:
0-19 years-none
20-35 years-80 percent
36-50 years-7 percent
51-65 years-13 percent
65 years or more-none
Possibly this can be explained because the early adult years are transition years, and those in flux are more receptive to the gospel. It also may be the result of this group doing more church shopping and thus being the focus of more visitation. (See chart 4.)
CHART 4 – pg. 81
In addition, 80 percent of those claiming a new relationship with Jesus Christ also marked the response Took a further step in my Christian walk. Perhaps this wasn’t the first time they had heard the gospel; perhaps they had been getting closer to taking this step for some time.
What part did the visit itself play in their decision? What had been especially influential? We phoned all those who said they’d begun a new relationship with Christ and who’d included their name and phone number.
Slightly over half described the experience as primarily a renewal of previous religious commitment.
“We wanted to get back into following Christ,” said the wife of an air force officer. “We were puzzled about things in the Bible. They answered our questions and gave us the words to describe our faith.”
“I was already a Christian, but I’d sort of gotten away from it,” said a young woman in California. “But they were so warm but not pushy; they didn’t make me feel like an outcast. They opened my eyes about how people really are-that it’s normal to slack off, but you have to keep coming back.”
In every case, however, even among those making a first-time commitment, there had been exposure to the gospel before they met with the visitation team.
“I’d been reading the Bible with a Christian girl at work, and I was beginning to understand what God wants,” said a Denver woman. “But I had never really prayed to ask Jesus into my life. The people from the church asked if I wanted to, and I said yes. It was my first time ‘officially,’ and I was real nervous because I didn’t know the people. If that had been my first contact with Jesus, I wouldn’t have done it.”
Another new believer, a medical student, explained, “I grew up (and still am) an Episcopalian, but I never had what I’d call a personal relationship with God. Then I experienced several deaths of people about my age, and I realized that if I was going to be a doctor, I’d better come to terms with death.
“When the group from Galilee came, they explained their faith, and it made sense. They were very supportive, but didn’t push. They didn’t say anything I hadn’t heard before, but we prayed together, and it was a big symbolic event, an outward declaration of my faith. It was the beginning of the process of change in my life.”
What We’ve Learned
After sifting survey returns and interviewing by phone, what can we conclude? What would be helpful for visitation teams to know? Three things stand out:
1. Calling on people is not offensive. The strongest finding of this survey is that while some people may be hesitant at first, 80 percent wind up enjoying the attention they receive.
Those who knock on doors without phoning ahead of time have a greater risk of negative response, but as Mike Pentel, a visitation team leader at Galilee Baptist, says, “It’s a tradeoff. When you call ahead of time and ask if you can come over, it’s easier for them to say no. The people who need it most wouldn’t get touched. If we don’t find anyone at home several nights in a row, then we’ll try to call and set up an appointment.”
And unless the time was inconvenient, even those who weren’t called appreciated the visit.
Many of those ready to make spiritual decisions, however, are eager to talk and simply waiting for the opportunity. Most of those who’d begun a new relationship with Christ also said they knew the visitors were coming-either someone phoned or someone had talked to them at church. Instead of discouraging anyone from coming over, these people said they were prepared to discuss spiritual things with the visitation team.
2. Make sure the communication is two-way. No one surveyed objected to what the callers said. People who’ve visited a church are interested in what the church stands for. The resistance comes when the message is dispensed as a monologue or a sales pitch with only token responses asked of the listener.
“All the visitor did was tell me the basics of Christianity without ever asking about where I was in my spiritual life,” wrote one man. “He rambled on and sought no interaction from me.”
Another said, “I didn’t get any information about the church-only their personal experiences.”
One woman reported, “It was uncomfortable because I was a Christian, but my husband is not. He stood up through the whole visit, hoping they’d leave, though he’s too polite to ask them. But one man talked for twenty minutes without stopping. They needed to ask us some questions. It was unnatural.”
Interestingly, now a year later, that woman is involved herself in the church’s visitation program, and she’s learned from her pastor how to talk about the gospel naturally. “It’s much more relaxed that way,” she says.
3. Don’t be discouraged if the night doesn’t produce a dramatic conversion. Lay people sometimes get the impression that the evening is less than successful if no one prays to accept Christ. Actually, a profession of faith is the exception, not the rule-one in approximately twenty visits. But that doesn’t mean failure. Significant spiritual things are happening.
One woman, for instance, who indicated she’d received help with a personal question or problem, said, “About a month before the people from the church came, my ex-husband kidnapped my son. He came over for a visit, put our son in the car, and left. I haven’t seen either of them since.
“I was feeling so guilty-I should have known . . . I should have done something to stop it.
“You never get over those feelings, but the people who visited me from the church really helped. They didn’t second-guess me, and they helped me see I didn’t need to keep blaming myself. They cared about me.
“I told them I was thinking of taking in an older person to room with me, and within the next week, each of them phoned me with names of people to contact. They kept me going through a rough time.”
No, this woman didn’t make a profession of faith that night. Nor has she been added to the church rolls-she’s only been back once or twice. But that anonymous visitation team showed that ministry, even when it’s not visible, can be effective.
Copyright © 1984 by the author or Christianity Today/Leadership Journal. Click here for reprint information on Leadership Journal.
