How to welcome Christmas Eve guests, and see them again in January

Christmas Eve brings people you don't see the rest of the year. There's family home for the holidays, a neighbor someone finally invited, and a couple who have been meaning to try church again. Some of them walk in the door for the first time that night.

That's a lot of first visits in one evening. A little planning in November makes the night calmer, and a little follow-through in December makes it more likely they'll come back.

Christmas Eve, at the door

Planned visits

Christmas Eve · Thursday

• ✓The Rivera family2 adults, 2 kids, arrived
• ✓Priya1 adult, arrived
• ✓Sam and Jordan2 adults, 1 kid, arrived
• The Okafor family2 adults, 3 kids
• Chris1 adult

Save seats near the back

Tuesday, December 29

Great to meet you on Christmas Eve, Priya. Our new series starts January 3. Save you a seat?

#Let people plan their visit

Put a "Plan a visit" form on your website and in your app, and link to it everywhere you mention Christmas Eve: your invite cards, social posts, emails, and announcements.

Every form someone fills in tells you a name, how many are coming, and whether they're bringing kids. It also gives your members an easy way to invite someone: "Here's the link, they'll be expecting you."

#Get the welcome desk ready

Your welcome desk will be busier than any Sunday, so plan for it:

• Staff it with more people than usual, and put your warmest greeters there.
• Set up a tablet with a first-time guest form, so details are captured once and go straight into your people records.
• Have a printed list of everyone who planned a visit, so greeters can welcome them by name.
• Put clear signs on the parking lot, the doors, the restrooms, and the kids' rooms.

In Culminate Life, the Community Portal App turns a tablet into a welcome desk. Guests fill in the form there, and nobody has to retype a stack of cards on Monday.

#Plan for kids you've never met

Families with young children have the most to juggle on a busy night. Make their first five minutes easy:

• Encourage parents to register their kids ahead of time, from their phone, when they plan their visit.
• Have a leader at check-in who can add a new family in a minute and print a temporary label.
• Schedule extra volunteers for the kids' rooms. Christmas Eve is no time to run short.
• Make sure every child leaves with the right adult, using pickup codes on the labels.

The best welcome is the one where nobody has to wait.

#Ask for one thing

On a big night, guests won't fill in a long form. Ask for a name and an email or phone number, and make it clear what you'll do with it. You can learn more about them later.

#Give them a reason to come back

Christmas Eve is a wonderful service, but it's not a typical one. Tell guests what a normal week looks like, and give them one clear next step with a date:

• A new sermon series that starts in January.
• A newcomers' lunch or coffee.
• A group or class that's taking new people.

Mention your app from the front. A guest who downloads it can hear about that next step, and everything else you're doing, without you having to chase them.

#Follow up before the new year

This year Christmas Eve falls on a Thursday. Aim to send a short, personal note by the following Tuesday, while the visit is still fresh:

• Thank them for coming.
• Answer anything they asked about.
• Invite them to the next step you mentioned.

Because every guest who filled in a form is already in your people records, whoever is doing follow-up can see who came without chasing anyone for a list. Culminate Life can also email your team a weekly list of new people, so nobody slips through.

#Your Christmas Eve checklist

When	What to do
Early November	Put the Plan a Visit form on your website and app. Start recruiting greeters and kids' volunteers.
Late November	Share the Plan a Visit link with your invites. Plan your January next step.
Week of Christmas	Print the list of planned visits. Test the welcome desk tablet and the label printers.
Christmas Eve	Greet people by name. Ask for one thing. Point to one next step.
By December 29	Send every guest a short, personal follow-up.

Culminate Life Community is free for up to 100 members. Read more about welcoming first-time guests and keeping kids safe on Sunday, or start free.