52 Churches in 52 Weeks: One Man’s Search for the Best Church Experience in America
Every week, (this is week 6) I’m walking through the doors of a different church. Some tiny, some huge, some steeped in tradition, others breaking every rule in the book. I’m looking for those moments that make you stop and think, “Wow, that’s brilliant” or simple things every church could be doing.
I’ll tell you about the moments that stuck with me, the ideas that caught me off guard, and the stuff that just plain works. I’m not just church-hopping for fun. I want every pastor, every volunteer, every person sitting in those pews to see what’s actually possible when churches get creative, get bold, and get real about their mission. Too many churches today are dying, or let’s be honest, really struggling for survival.
We’re going to figure this out together, one service at a time. Don’t miss out on new ideas. Make sure you bookmark this page as I’ll be updating with new revelations every week.
1. Before Entering the Church
First impressions begin before the handshake. Here’s how your church can win hearts before anyone walks through the doors.
Hallelujah Highlights
A church I visited had outdoor speakers playing music to create an atmosphere even before you left your car. Loved it! Outdoor Bluetooth speakers are quite affordable, making this a viable option even for smaller churches.
If your church has multiple entrances and parking areas on different sides, directional signage is extremely helpful for first-time visitors. I once arrived at a church and went to the chapel, only to find the doors locked—it turned out that space was only used for the early service, and the service I was attending was held in a completely different building.
* Friendly parking attendants and golf carts work well at larger churches, but smaller congregations can have volunteers/teenagers keep an eye on the parking lot to assist anyone who might need help.
Bonus points to churches that reserve prime parking for first-time guests. Most guests probably won’t take the special spot because they don’t want to stand out, but they’ll remember that you thought of them.
2. Social Media/Website/Streaming
You might find it interesting that I don’t check social media before visiting a church because I want to see if the actual atmosphere matches their online presence. Unfortunately, many churches still struggle with streaming quality.
Hallelujah Highlights
If you don’t have the budget or staff for high-quality streaming, consider buying an inexpensive Bluetooth microphone that connects to your phone and have someone in the front pew record. AI software can find the best snippets which can be uploaded to social media during the next week.
If you’re streaming, ensure someone is monitoring the chat and engaging with online viewers. Across all the streaming services I’ve watched, there’s a significant lack of connection with the online audience.
3. Entering the Lobby
When new people attend, they have no idea what to expect. Beyond saying hello, what can you do to make someone feel truly welcome?
Hallelujah Highlights
Having two friendly people at each entrance is a nice touch because that immediately provides two warm greetings. Have you thought about who is doing the greeting? Is it males, females, kids, or a mix? Most churches seem to use female greeters when people enter and more males when the service is over. It’s something worth considering and having a strategy that works for you.
Depending on the church size, I’ve found it’s really nice to have an “usher” figure just inside the front door to (also say hello) that’s total 2-3 already, point you in the right direction, answer questions, etc.
Most medium to large churches with a lobby area will ask straight away if they want to register. One growing church I visited used a swag bag as extra motivation. It included a free premium coffee drink (which was delicious), a branded pen, paper, cup, breath mints, QR code sheets to Linktr.ee, and a silicone wristband. At minimum, first-time visitors should probably leave with something that has your information or contact details, so they’ll remember you.
4. The Sanctuary/Before Service Begins
Growing churches almost always have people checking on visitors and existing members, making connections before the sermon begins.
Hallelujah Highlights
If you have a big screen, have you thought about having announcements scrolling on screen before the service so the formal announcements can be shorter?
What can visitors actually see when they look at the chair pockets or cubbies in front of them? One church I visited had a few different items including their new visitor registration card. You’re thinking what’s unique about that? All you could initially see was “WELCOME HOME. NEW TO CHURCH?” which I thought was a really good strategy.
One church had permanent QR code stickers on the floor underneath the seats in front of you, linking to their Linktree that showcased all their ministries and programs.
5. Welcome of New Visitors
If people who’ve been coming for years still don’t feel welcomed, newcomers are doomed from the start.
Hallelujah Highlights
Pastor asking everyone to welcome new members with applause.
Pastor welcoming new members and explicitly stating before the offering that they don’t expect any donations from first-time visitors.
Pastor or staff walking around before the service, introducing themselves to new faces, and making an effort to remember their first names and repeating your first name. (*the swag bags make it easier to identify new visitors)
6. Announcements/Music
* Keep announcements short and sweet – Hit the highlights, give clear next steps, and move on. Your music, however, should be powerful and intentional. This is where hearts are prepared, spirits are lifted, and the atmosphere is set for everything that follows. Don’t rush through songs or treat them as filler. Let the music do its work of drawing people into God’s presence.
Hallelujah Highlights
Creating short videos about projects you are supporting or that are coming up and showing those instead of talking?
Spoken word recital of the scripture in the middle of a song can be powerful.
Encouraging people to clap & raise hands throughout seems to work really well.
Dropping the instruments and doing a partial sing along.
Lyrics big enough to see on a screen are really nice.
I loved one acapella song that was included. Sometimes I think churches lean too heavily on instruments and miss the raw power of voices alone.
7. Participation of Young People
Every rapidly growing church I’ve visited has a strong focus on the young and investing in children’s and teen ministries.
Hallelujah Highlights
Including kids in the service. I witnessed a 7-year-old boy appear on stage singing and playing guitar with more passion than most contestants on American Idol can muster. I found out later he wasn’t supposed to sing. His dad had a bad case of laryngitis, and his grandfather convinced him to sing since he had been practicing with his dad.
Kids aren’t just the church of tomorrow, they’re the church of today too. Sure, it’s easy to think of them as future leaders, deacons, and volunteers, but they’re already bringing something special to the table right now. They’ve got this energy and authenticity that you just can’t fake.
I enjoyed one service where they brought the small kids up front for a brief story time, then released them to children’s ministry. The pastor would even let them answer questions into the microphone. You never know what kids will do or say which makes it really exciting for the audience!
8. Sermon/Preaching/Teaching
Charles Haddon Spurgeon is commonly known as the Prince of Preachers. He would be in the top 10 of almost any list on preaching. We can learn a lot by examining his traits. For now, I’m only going to include the traits of his that I’ve seen in services I’ve recently attended. Isn’t it interesting that the more you study great preachers, the more you can see what Jesus was doing?
Hallelujah Highlights
Trailblazer: Ditched the old-school preacher vibe and used everyday language and creative ways to reach people.
Shook Things Up: Forget stiff, traditional sermons. Spurgeon used stories, humor, and fresh approaches to make his message hit home.
Master Showman: With a booming voice with emotion, dramatic flair, and hand movements he could hold thousands spellbound, even preaching off the cuff with barely any notes.
Kept It About Jesus & Scripture: Every sermon zoomed in on Christ and the gospel. He stuck to the big stuff salvation, faith, eternal life and people loved hearing his sermons.
Deep Faith: The man lived and breathed his faith, praying hard and leaning on God, which gave his words real power.
9. Alter Call- Call to Action
I believe alter calls, as we know them today, originated in the early 1800s during the Second Great Awakening in the United States. Here are some different approaches to both altar calls and providing a call to action.
Hallelujah Highlights
One church had the pastor and another person (associate pastor, elder, etc.) positioned on each side of the pulpit area, which created more privacy for anyone coming forward and gave people two different options if they had a relationship with either person.
In some churches, the pastor prays with the congregation’s eyes closed while asking for anyone to raise their hand seems to work well. As crowd sizes increased, Billy Graham began incorporating “raise your hand if you prayed that prayer” into his altar call.
I liked the idea of giving specific scripture to read as a final call to action, either as a supplement to this week’s message or to prepare for next week’s sermon.
Leaving the service without asking people to do something that advances their faith or do good works seems like a missed opportunity. Just going out to eat after the service doesn’t really count, does it? Your church motto shouldn’t be “Sit, sing, and see you next week!”
10. After Church Service Ends
While the pre-service rush focuses on getting people seated, the post-service environment offers a natural opportunity for deeper conversations, answering questions, and making genuine connections without the pressure of starting times or disrupting the flow of worship.
Hallelujah Highlights
Intentionally catching new faces as they leave the sanctuary is a great opportunity to say, “thank you for coming” could help make a personal connection.
One church had a colorful fundraising display board in their lobby with cards showing basic information about kids needing sponsorship. The top of the board outlined their 4-step process: 1) Choose an envelope 2) Register envelope with a team member 3) Submit your donation or pay online 4) Receive an envelope showing who you’re sponsoring.
Point to remember: If you want members to focus on and remember something long-term, a lobby display works great.
11. Following Up
I’m not aware of any study that puts first-time visitor retention rates above 30%. In fact, some studies put the number closer to 10%-15%. That’s frustratingly low and probably why many churches don’t have a short-term plan beyond one letter or email, and no long-term follow-up plan at all. You can think about it this way: you have a 70+% chance to beat the odds by brainstorming new ways on improving your follow up.
Hallelujah Highlights
Some churches now ask new visitors to choose their preferred method of follow-up. This is standard practice in almost every field now and can help save you money.
Rather than sending letters, consider postcards with a QR code for more information. You can have different postcards to highlight different services. For instance, send one about children’s ministry to any mothers who attended with their child. Also, most letters I’ve received don’t include a QR code, which you should always add as well.
Tell first-time attendees who don’t fill out a visitor form to drop a note in the collection boxes with the name and condition of someone they want the church to pray for.
Test messages can go out the day after the service. I really liked one message I received. Here’s an example. Hey, Todd. It’s [insert pastors first name] from [church name). How was your visit with us? Unlike a lot of churches, we love feedback. I’d love you to share your experience as it helps up as we grow. Thanks!
12. Special Services/Misc
What is a special service? Whatever you define as something out of the ordinary, but here are a few unique services I ran across.
Hallelujah Highlights
Thinking About Joining Our Church Service: I attended a new members workshop where the pastor and his wife discussed the church, the vision, the beliefs, how to contribute, etc. You likely do something similar, but the unique part was they held it in a different room while the Wednesday night service was going on. Obviously, you need a few people thinking about joining, more than one pastor and more than one room. I’m highlighting because energy of other people at the church (you could hear the music faintly from the main chapel) combined with the intimacy of a small group discussion worked really well.
A Seder meal in a Christian church? I attended one service during the week of Passover in the church’s community room that explained the different parts of a Seder meal in simple terms. What each element meant, reciting the Psalms. Each person participated in breaking the matzah bread at their table, tasting the bitter herbs, etc. I thought it was really well done, and I learned more than most Wednesday night Bible studies.
Summary/Conclusions
I’m holding off on writing the final word until I’ve walked through all 52 doors. Every week teaches me something I didn’t expect like a simple truth that hits different. I have no idea what’s waiting for me in church number 7, 30, or 45, or 52. And honestly isn’t that the whole point? The best discoveries happen when you’re not explicitly looking for them.
Key Points for Now
Please stick with me. By the time we reach the end of this journey, we’ll both have learned things we never saw coming.
An asterisk * shows where I added to what the church was already doing or where they gave me ideas for an additional way to do things.
