How churches welcome guests
Percent of U.S. Protestant churches, per their pastors, 2018 (in percent)
Key finding
Highest: Opportunity to meet the pastor (96%). Lowest: Periodic information sessions for new people (65%).
- Opportunity to meet the pastor: 96%
- Greeters at building entrance: 95%
- Ask guests to complete cards: 83%
Source: Lifeway Research, Greeters and Gifts: How Churches Welcome Guests · Lifeway Research phone survey of 1,000 Protestant pastors; sampling error plus or minus 3.2 percent. Article published 2018-03-14.
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Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Highest: Opportunity to meet the pastor (96%). Lowest: Periodic information sessions for new people (65%). Opportunity to meet the pastor: 96%. Greeters at building entrance: 95%. Ask guests to complete cards: 83%.
Who published this data?
Lifeway Research, 2018. Source: Lifeway Research, Greeters and Gifts: How Churches Welcome Guests (https://research.lifeway.com/2018/03/14/greeters-and-gifts-how-churches-welcome-guests/).
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More Visitors statistics
- How church switchers find a new church Lifeway Research, 2025
- How people were first introduced to their church Lifeway Research, 2025
- New attendees who did not previously attend church at all Lifeway Research, 2025
- Gifts churches give to visitors Lifeway Research, 2018
- Unchurched Americans who say a personal invitation would be effective in getting them to visit church Lifeway Research, 2018
About this data
Leader Insights collects statistics about U.S. churches from published research by organizations such as Lifeway Research, Barna Group, Springtide, the American Bible Society and PRRI. Every number is checked against the wording of the original source before it is published, and each statistic links back to the study it came from. Figures are reproduced from the publishers named above; see the source for full methodology.