Why this matters
A church connect card works best with three fields: the guest's name, one way to reach them, and one optional question. Put the same card online behind an "I'm new" button on your homepage, and print one follow-up promise with a day on both versions, such as "One text from our pastor by Tuesday."
In our 2026 State of Small Church Websites study, an audit of 2,000 church websites, 56.9% of all judged sites (n=1,930), more than half, offered a clear next step for a newcomer, such as a plan-a-visit form, an invitation to get in touch or a newcomer class sign-up. An online connect card is one of the plainest ways to offer one. What usually gets in the way is a card that grew one ministry line at a time, until it asks a stranger for more than they want to give on a first Sunday. The fix is to trim it back to three fields and put those same three online.
At a glance
- Ask three things: a name, one way to reach the person, and one optional question someone will act on.
- Leave off anything nobody will use in the first week, like a home address or birthdays.
- Put the same three fields online behind an "I'm new" button next to your service times.
- Print one follow-up promise with a day on both versions, and keep it every week.
What do you need before you start?
Four things, and none of them needs a paid tool.
- The card you use now.
- Someone who can edit the homepage.
- A form tool: your website builder's form block, or Google Forms signed in with a church Google account.
- One person who sends the follow-up each week, a day they can keep, and a backup.
What should a church connect card ask?
Three things: the guest's name, one way to reach them, and one optional question with a few boxes to tick.
| Field | What to print | Why it stays |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Your name | So the follow-up can greet them by name |
| One way to reach you | Phone (for a text) or email | So the one promised follow-up can reach them |
| One optional question | I'd like to hear about: kids, groups, meeting the pastor | So the follow-up answers what they asked |
Keep a tick box only if a named person will act on it. If nobody keeps a list of groups, leave groups off.
It is easy to assume a longer card gives you more to work with. Test it on last month's cards: count how many lines anyone used in a follow-up, and cut every line that scored zero.
What should you leave off the card?
Leave off anything nobody will use in the first week. Each extra line asks a stranger to trust you a little more before anyone has said hello.
- Home address. Ask later, in person, if you plan to mail something.
- Birthdays, anniversaries and family details. If you need children's details for kids' check-in, collect them at check-in, where a parent expects to give them.
- "How did you hear about us?" It helps you more than the guest. Ask it in conversation on a later Sunday.
- Membership, baptism or giving questions. These belong to a later conversation.
- Phone, email and address all at once. One way to reach them is enough, and the guest picks which.
If someone on staff needs one of these, plan to ask on the guest's second visit, face to face.
How do you set it up, step by step?
Five steps, in this order. The first four happen once, and the fifth becomes a weekly habit.
Step 1: Rewrite the paper card
Print the three fields, then the follow-up promise at the bottom in plain words, such as "One text from [pastor's name] by Tuesday. That's all." Add the short web address of the online card so a guest can fill it in later on a phone. If members use the same card for prayer requests or sign-ups, move those lines to the back so the guest's side stays short.
Step 2: Build the same card online
Use the form block in your website builder if it can email you each answer. If not, use Google Forms. As of October 2026, Google's help pages say to go to forms.google.com and click Blank form (how to use Google Forms), then click Add for each question, choose Short answer for name and contact and Checkboxes for the optional question, and turn Required on for name and contact only (question types). Then open Responses, click More, and choose "Get email notifications for new responses" (managing responses). Turn it on while signed in to an account the person who sends the follow-up checks, so no card sits unread.
Step 3: Add an "I'm new" button next to your service times
Put a button labelled "I'm new" beside the service times on your homepage. Point it at a short page with a few lines on what to expect and the same three fields, or straight at the form. With Google Forms, as of October 2026, you click Publish and copy the responder link (tick Shorten URL for a shorter one), or open More and choose Embed HTML to paste the form onto your page (sharing a form). Tap the button on your phone to be sure it opens.
Step 4: Pick one follow-up and give it a day
Choose the one follow-up you will always send, name who sends it, give it a day, and print that promise on both versions. A day the guest can read keeps the follow-up from drifting. Say a couple visits on Sunday, fills in the online card that afternoon and ticks kids. On Tuesday morning they get one text, from the name on the card, about kids. A sample to change to fit:
> Hi [first name], this is [your name] from [church]. Thanks for being with us Sunday. You asked about kids: the kids' room is [where], and [teacher's name] will meet you there. No need to reply.
Step 5: Give every card to one person on Sunday
Paper cards go home in one envelope with the person who sends the follow-up, and online answers email that same person. If you use Google Forms, as of October 2026 you open Responses and click Link to Sheets to collect the online answers in a sheet (managing responses). On Monday the paper cards go onto the same list, and on Tuesday the texts go out. Write a backup name on the envelope for weeks that person is away.
How do you check it from a guest's phone?
Turn off wifi, open your homepage on your phone, and go down this list.
- "I'm new" sits near the service times, easy to spot.
- Tapping it opens the form, and the form fits the screen.
- The form asks three things, and only name and contact are required.
- A test answer with your own name reaches the person who sends the follow-up.
- Both cards say who follows up and by what day.
- The paper card shows the web address of the online card.
Fix the first item that fails, then run the list again.
What can you send to whoever updates the site?
If someone else updates your website, here is a note you can copy:
> Could you add an "I'm new" button next to our service times on the homepage? It should open a short page with three fields: name, phone or email, and "I'd like to hear about" with tick boxes for kids, groups and meeting the pastor. Answers should email [name]. Thank you.
When is a new card not the fix?
A new card won't help if nobody sends the follow-up. Agree on the person and the day first, and reprint the card second.
It also can't reach a guest who never made it to Sunday. If your homepage doesn't yet say when and where you meet, fix that before the card.
And if your card already asks three things or fewer, has an online version and carries a promise you keep, you don't need to change anything, and you don't need us.
Frequently asked questions
What is a church connect card?
A short card, on paper in the seats and online on your website, where a first-time guest leaves a name and one way to reach them. Some churches call it a visitor card or a welcome card. Its one job is to make a single, promised follow-up possible.
Should a connect card be on paper or online?
Both, with the same three fields. Paper suits the guest who fills it in during the service. The online version suits the guest who would rather do it on a phone, before or after Sunday. Send both to the same person so no guest is missed.
How soon should a church follow up with a first-time guest?
Within the week, on a day you print on the card, so the guest knows when to expect it. Keeping the day matters more than which day it is. Pick one your named person can keep every week, such as Tuesday.
Do we need special software for an online connect card?
No. Your website builder's form block or a Google Form does the job, and a shared sheet holds the list. Add a tool only when the weekly routine outgrows the sheet.
Where this connects in our work
- Our 2026 State of Small Church Websites study for how "a clear next step for a newcomer" was judged across 1,930 church websites.
- More first-guest guides on the blog for the homepage checks that come before the card, starting with service times.
Next step
If guests visit and the follow-up keeps slipping, tell us what's going on and get a free written plan back: what to fix first, and what you can do yourselves.