Who Is a Church Visitor? Welcoming Newcomers God's Way
In Short
Visitors to your church are precious to Jesus and should be precious to us. Every church service should warmly welcome newcomers while clearly presenting the Gospel through biblical preaching, heartfelt worship, prayer, and the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. The goal is that every guest encounters Christ, experiences genuine Christian love, and leaves spiritually strengthened.
Key Takeaways
- Every visitor is someone God may have drawn.
- Every newcomer is deeply loved by Jesus.
- Church guests often arrive carrying unanswered questions and unmet needs.
- Warm Christian hospitality prepares hearts to receive God's Word.
- Spirit-filled worship and biblical preaching help people encounter Christ.
- A visitor today may become tomorrow's faithful disciple and servant of God.
Key Scriptures
Jeremiah 31:3; Matthew 22:37-39; John 12:21; Luke 4:18; Matthew 25:35-40
Welcome to Original Pentecostal
Sermons and Bible Studies
by Pastor Jim Feeney, Ph.D.
Brief Bio
Pastor Jim Feeney, Ph.D., is a Pentecostal Bible teacher with more than 50 years of Spirit-filled ministry experience. His sermons and Bible studies are personally written and drawn from decades of service as a church planter, senior pastor, Bible college teacher and Dean, and as a trainer of ministers internationally in the Pentecostal tradition.
Pastor Jim's Personal Experience with Being a Church Visitor
Between 1969 and 1971 I was a "Sunday visitor," attending a number of churches while searching for a church home after becoming a committed Christian. The experiences varied from one church to the next and left me with mixed feelings. Let me share some thoughts, both from that experience and from the Scriptures, to help you offer a friendly and knowledgeable welcome to first-time guests in your church. Let’s address the question: What is a church visitor?
1. A visitor is someone God has drawn to the church.
- • That man, that woman, that new family — these are people whom God is drawing. People rarely just stumble into your church by accident. No, but rather, in some way relevant to their personal needs God is drawing them, leading them, prompting them to find a place to worship the Lord and to hear His word preached.
- • So regard that Sunday visitor to your church services as a divine appointment. God has orchestrated circumstances to bring him or her into your midst for a purpose.
2. A visitor is someone Jesus loves and wants us to love.
- • When you notice a person who is new to your church, let your heart be touched by Jesus’ love for that person.
- • Stop … look at him/her … and say to yourself, “Jesus really, truly, deeply loves this person.” And let that motivate you to reach out to him with that love. A simple, warm greeting and a smile go a long way towards passing on Christ’s love to the guests in your church.
3. A visitor is someone Jesus died for.
- • That church newcomer is someone for whom Jesus specifically died.
- • Remind yourself: Jesus went to the cross for that man, for that woman. That realization will help you to value highly each new person who enters your church service.
4. A visitor is someone who is seeking something.
- • The people of ancient Athens were, as Paul said, “religious” in their hearts. They were seeking truth, but could only get so far as “an unknown god” to worship.
- • Likewise today, there will be visitors to your church with religious yearnings, with seeking hearts, not necessarily even knowing precisely what it is that they are seeking.
- • Ours is increasingly a biblically and theologically illiterate generation. We must remember that visitors often come with questions. Be ready to receive the doubter, the questioner, without being judgmental. As they are exposed to worship of God and the preached word of God, we can trust that God will begin to reach into their hearts with the truth of the Gospel.
- • Or perhaps the visitor is already a Christian who has heard about — but has not experienced — Spirit-filled church services. The presence and moving of the Holy Spirit in the service may be exactly the reason God drew them to your church.
5. A visitor is often someone who is desiring to “see Jesus.”
- • That is the heart cry of many today — to “see Jesus”! They may have tried “church” in various places and been disappointed. They want to see Jesus.
- • So we must have word-and-Spirit-filled churches. We must! The great apostle Paul told the Thessalonian believers, “Our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 1:5, NASB). In the first century and in our 21st, people are moved to faith in the Lord by the preaching of the Gospel and the “demonstration of the Spirit’s power” (1 Corinthians 2:4).
- • In one kingdom parable (Luke 14:15-23) Jesus spoke of going out into the highways and hedges to “compel them to come in” (vs. 23). Come in to what? To a feast! (vss. 15-16). Our church’s visitors are entitled to partake of a spiritual feast. They should experience the powerful elements of a true New Testament church service — worship of God, the word of God, and the gifts of the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 14:26). In these things they will “see Jesus.”
6. A visitor is often someone who is looking to make some friends.
- • These two psalms describe countless millions today — lonely, isolated, feeling like a bird alone on a rooftop.
- • God has created us as social beings. People need fellowship. They need friends to care for and who care for them. Your friendliness — and possibly a new, growing friendship — may be precisely why that visitor came to your church.
7. A visitor is usually someone coming with unmet needs.
- • The church visitor may be experiencing natural or spiritual poverty … may be imprisoned by a habit or addiction or circumstances … may have a physical healing need … may be oppressed or depressed.
- • Determine to be “hands-on,” to be open, to be sensitive, and to be ready to offer the prayer of faith for the needs that may be expressed by the visitors to your church. It may be the first time anyone in a church has ever offered to pray for them right there, not just in a detached “I’ll keep you in prayer” sense.
8. A visitor is someone to greet, to reach out to, to extend yourself to.
- • Treat that newcomer, that stranger, as you would treat Jesus! — “you did [it] for me.”
- • As a new Christian in Sacramento many years ago, I came into various church services as “a stranger.” Believe me, that can be quite intimidating for a first-time visitor.
- • But if the established members make an effort to shake hands, to give a warm greeting, to ask their names, perhaps to engage in conversation and inquire about them, that goes a long way towards making the newcomer feel welcome.
Summary: “Who Is a Visitor?” The newcomer, the guest in your church, will be some or all of these things:
- • Someone God has drawn to that service
- • Someone Jesus loves and wants us to love
- • Someone Jesus died for
- • Someone who is seeking something
- • Someone desiring to “see Jesus”
- • Someone looking to make some new friends
- • Someone coming to have unmet needs addressed
- • Someone to greet, to reach out to, to extend yourself to
Frequently Asked Questions About Church Visitors
Why are visitors important to a church?
Every church visitor is a person whom God loves and may be drawing closer to Himself. A newcomer should never be viewed merely as another person attending a service, but as someone for whom Jesus died and whom God may have brought to the church for a specific spiritual purpose.
How should Christians welcome first-time church visitors?
Christians should welcome newcomers with genuine warmth, Christlike love, and personal attention. A friendly greeting, a smile, a brief conversation, and a willingness to answer questions can help visitors feel valued without making them feel pressured or overwhelmed.
What are church visitors often looking for?
Some visitors are seeking truth, friendship, healing, prayer, spiritual guidance, or a church home. Others may simply know that something is missing in their lives. Churches should be prepared to present the Gospel clearly and minister sensitively to each person's needs.
What should a visitor experience in a church service?
A visitor should encounter sincere Christian love, biblical preaching, prayer, heartfelt worship, and the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Above all, the service should help that person see Jesus and understand the truth of the Gospel.
Related Study:
"OK, I'm Here at Church, What Now? What Happens Next?"
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Pentecostal Sermons and Bible Studies
by Pastor Jim Feeney, Ph.D.