Last week, we talked about the opportunities we have at baptisms to encourage more young families to go to Mass and get involved at your church.

(You can read that Part 1 here.)

Now, let's talk about an often overlooked group at a baptism ceremony: the guests.

For guests at the baptism:

Now I get it: The person being baptized is the star of the show.

Maybe we even have a wandering thought or two about how we can engage the rest of their immediate family to come back to Mass.

But we often forget the 20-50+ other souls that fill our pews for baptisms...and might not have been there since the last family sacrament.

Now I know what you're thinking: How do we know if these guests are local and can actually join our parish?

You don't.

But you also don't know that they don't live right down the street from the church.

And our job is to share the Good News with whomever steps into our parish, even if they will never return again.

In fact, that should motivate us even more: This might be the one chance they have of hearing about Jesus and having a positive interaction with the Catholic Church for years.

We can't waste it.

So, with that in mind, how do we plant those seeds for baptism guests to return, whether to your church or one in their own area?

• The little details matter. Make sure you have clear signage (even better, friendly volunteers) to show them where to sit, where the bathrooms are, etc. Be sure to welcome all of the guests specifically as the baptism starts and have someone (clergy or volunteer) stick around after to answer any questions.
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  Even better, take the initiative to walk around and introduce yourself to them, ask where they're from, how they know the person being baptized, if they have any prayer intentions or faith questions, etc.
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  Jesus didn't wait for the woman at the well to come to Him — He made the first move. We need to do the same. Be personable with guests. Invest in them, even if it's only for a few moments.
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  Why go to all this trouble? Because we want their experience to reflect the love of Jesus even in the little details and short interactions. I used to tell my college students, our only job may be to have someone think "Maybe those Catholics aren't so bad." But that one thought can pave the way when they do have an opportunity to encounter Jesus through someone else.
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• For all you know, there may be unbaptized people there just needing that final push to make the leap themselves. Jesus always took the time to explain not just the laws, but the why behind them. We can do the same by explaining what's happening and why in the baptism as we go along, or have flyers or pamphlets on hand to explain the importance of it and the different things happening in easy-to-understand language. Don't forget to invite them to reach out if they’re interested in making their own sacraments!
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  ​(Grab my free sacrament evangelization flyer template​ to get you started!)
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• Speaking of casual "take it with you" evangelization, know your audience. This is a great chance to leave brochures in the pews about common faith questions, OCIA, convalidation, Alpha/ChristLife, and Mass times that might appeal to the guests.
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• Want to go the extra mile? Offer confessions prior to the baptism and explain what it is and why it's being offered, how to make a good confession, etc. You might be surprised how many people avail themselves of the opportunity — and what a way to mark the washing away of Original Sin with the washing away of sin through the Sacrament of Reconciliation!
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• To have the experience stick even after they leave the pews, give everyone a small jar of holy water from the font where the baby was baptized and an engaging pamphlet with information about the parish (how to get involved, Mass times, your mission, groups/activities, how to make sacraments, etc.).
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  Or offer something digital for free (access to Formed, Word on Fire Engage, a PDF, etc.) in exchange for any email sign-up so you can continue to reach out to them after — never underestimate what the Lord can do with a small opening and a continual reminder!
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  And as always, remember to pitch these in ways they'll resonate with: No one in this group is going to know what Formed is, but explaining that it's a free Catholic streaming service to answer their faith questions will appeal much more.

So that takes care of the guests. But in our final installment of this series next week, we'll take a look at the elephant in the room: What if you don't have a lot of baptisms to begin with? How do you get more people to baptize their babies?

But first, would you join me in saying a Hail Mary, entrusting to Our Lady all of the souls who will enter your church as guests at baptisms this year? We ask that Our Lady use your church and the communications you have around this sacrament as a vehicle to lead souls closer to her Son.

For His greater glory,

Emily

P.S. This series was initially all one email, but it felt like a LOT. Can you let me know what you think of this series idea? I can try to do more of them in the future if this broken-out format makes it easier to digest and implement!

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Why Guests Don't Come Back Why Guests Don't Come to Your Church After a Big Event I saw this article over maternity leave and was struck by the truth bombs. Long story short: Having an event isn't enough. Personal encounter is what's needed to get people to return. Read the Article

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Not Another Program! I'm pretty sure I share every one of Catholic Leadership Institute's Quintessentials and for good reason: They're always amazing. This one combats the mentality of "not another program" and highlights how it might not be the programs, but how they're being run and the intention behind them. Tip #4 was my favorite Read the article