The greeting team and coffee service at a church both play a huge part in welcoming visitors, of course, but the congregation’s leadership tends to make or break it for new guests. According to new research from Pew, “83 percent of Americans who have looked for a new place of worship say the quality of preaching played an important role in their choice of congregation.”

Beyond that, 79 percent say feeling welcomed by leaders was a deciding factor in where they chose to attend church, more important even than the style of the service. For a few ideas on how to improve in these areas, we recommend the following articles:

• 4 Helpful Ways to Remember a Name
• Preaching Blockbuster Sermons
• Thou Shalt End Well

This Sunday, may you have a congregation full of visitors — who choose to make church their home!