Five Basic Strategies for Effective Follow Up

Dear Luke,

Thanks for your email. It is always a joy to hear from you!

I think it’s great that you and your team are beginning to think through an intentional follow-up strategy for your church. There are few things as important, if we want to make new people feel really loved. It is also crucial in assuring church members and regular attenders feel cared for, especially if they have been absent for any length of time. Let me offer five basic strategies our leaders seek to implement on a weekly basis…

#1. At Calvary, we try to follow up with new visitors from Sunday by the end of the day on Wednesday, at the latest. We have our shepherding meeting on Monday nights with our staff, deacons, and pastors, which allows us to identify and discuss any new individuals/families/kids that came on Sunday. We want to make personal contact with these folks within one or two days.

#2. Any new family is followed up on by anyone (staff, deacons, or pastors) who met them on Sunday…usually this will be a few different people. If one of the pastors somehow didn’t talk with them, we make sure one of us follows up on them by Wednesday.

#3. If it is a family, both the parents and the kids will be followed up on. Little kids will get a fun card in the mail and a kind note from one of our kid’s ministry leaders. Teens will usually get a call and/or text invite to youth group from one of our youth leaders.

#4. As for following up and/or checking in on our regular folks who have been absent for a few weeks…at our Monday night shepherding meeting, we go over attendance of all members, regular attenders, and visitors who were both present and absent on Sunday. This helps us to track any irregular patterns of absence, while making sure our leaders are consistently touching base with and encouraging our core folks on a regular basis. Our goal is for no one to slip through the cracks and fail to experience regular, consistent, personal shepherding care.  

#5. At Calvary, we talk about four levels of follow up and encouragement. Each can be effective, but level 1 follow up (email) will never have the power that level 4 follow up (in person meeting) will have. Here are the four levels:

Level 1: Email - This is the bottom level of follow up and it’s the least personal. But it is far better than nothing! 

Level 2: Text Message - This typically feels a bit more personal and allows for easy back and forth communication. A great way to shoot a quick word of encouragement to them.

Level 3: Phone Call - You can hear my actual voice and that is a big deal. You will hopefully hear the warmth and excitement in my voice in a way an email or text message simply can’t convey. This is powerful in a day where few people actually talk on the phone anymore.

Level 4: In Person Meeting - Always the best way to follow up on someone. Nothing tops meeting with a person for coffee, lunch, etc. You can see my face, hear my tone, plus I can give you a hug and let you know you are loved! 

I hope this is helpful on some level, brother. You are a great pastor! Keep loving and pursuing people with the love of Christ!

For His glory,

Mark