Study: New Visitors to Church Prefer Anonymity
By Lillian Kwon
Christian Post Reporter
Thu, Dec. 14 2006

Holiday services are typically the largest Sundays for many churches as they draw the unchurched and the formerly churched. With Christmas approaching, a recent study is warning churches how to welcome new visitors to encourage their return.

The majority of formerly churched adults who want to go back to the pews want to return to a new church with new faces, LifeWay Research found. But only a few want to be identified as a newcomer during their first visit.

Only 11 percent said they would be willing to identify themselves as a visitor when visiting a church for the first time and 63 percent said they would prefer to wait until at least the second visit to let anyone know they are visiting. Wanting a less formal introduction, 26 percent of formerly churched adults said they desire to slip in and casually introduce themselves after the service. the rest