Church visitor retention assessment
How well does your church keep its first-time guests? Answer ten questions about the weeks after a first visit, and see your score out of 20 with the area to work on first.
- Ten multiple-choice questions, about three minutes
- Your score and breakdown on screen straight away
- A PDF report by email, if you want one
Five areas, ten questions
- Speed and follow-up2 questions
- Connection and belonging2 questions
- Tracking and data2 questions
- Personal touch2 questions
- Systems and pathways2 questions
Free. You see your score before we ask for anything.
What does a church visitor retention assessment measure?
A church visitor retention assessment is a short self-review of what happens after a first-time guest visits. It asks how quickly someone follows up, whether guests have a clear next step, whether anyone tracks second visits, and whether a pastor or volunteer makes personal contact. Passport's version scores ten answers out of 20.
Speed and follow-up
2 questionsSomeone reaches every guest within 24 to 48 hours, with a personal text and a phone call.
Connection and belonging
2 questionsA staff member invites each guest to a specific next step, and groups have a clear way in.
Tracking and data
2 questionsYou know how many first-time guests come back, and a system flags people who stop coming.
Personal touch
2 questionsA pastor or staff member meets each new guest within two weeks, and invites them to serve.
Systems and pathways
2 questionsGuests get a series of texts and emails after a first visit, and a regular class helps people go deeper.
What do the scores mean?
Each answer is worth up to two points. Your total places your church in one of four bands.
0–6
At Risk
Follow-up depends on someone remembering, so many guests hear nothing after Sunday. Small, steady steps change this quickly: a message on the day of the visit, and one named person who calls each guest that week.
7–12
Building
Some follow-up is happening, but it changes from week to week and person to person. Most of the gap closes once the steps you already take happen every time, and every guest has one owner.
13–17
Growing
Your church welcomes and follows up well. The next step is making it independent of any one person, and measuring who comes back so you can see where people stop.
18–20
Thriving
Your follow-up is working. The work now is keeping it consistent as you grow, and spotting the guests who need extra attention before they drift away.
How do you raise your score?
Most of the questions come down to two habits: someone reaches every guest quickly, and nobody has to remember to do it. Passport's Companion plan, at $49 a month, gives every first-time guest a care assignment for a named person, sends the first texts automatically, and shows you who came back.
It works alongside Breeze or Planning Center, so your church keeps the database it already has.
Questions about the assessment
About three minutes. There are 10 multiple-choice questions, and you can go back and change an answer before you see your score.
No. Your score, your tier and the breakdown by area appear on screen as soon as you answer the last question. Your email is only needed if you want the PDF report.
Your score in each of the five areas, your top three opportunities to improve, and recommended next steps for keeping more of your first-time visitors.
Each answer is worth 0, 1 or 2 points, for a total out of 20. 0–6 is At Risk, 7–12 is Building, 13–17 is Growing, 18–20 is Thriving.
Whoever knows what happens after a guest’s first Sunday: usually the pastor, a church administrator or the volunteer who leads guest follow-up. When two of you take it separately, comparing answers makes a useful staff conversation.
Turn your score into a weekly habit
Passport sends the first text, gives every guest a named person to follow up, and shows you who came back the next Sunday.
- 30-day free trial, no charge today
- Cancel a monthly plan anytime
- Most churches are live in under 30 minutes