What goes on a church connection card?

Usually name, email or phone, whether it's the person's first visit, and space for prayer requests or interest in next steps like a class or serving team.

What is a digital connection card?

A digital connection card collects the same details by phone instead of paper, through a web form, a QR code, or a text-to-join keyword.

How do you get first-time guests to fill out a connection card?

Mention it from the front during the service, keep it short, and give a reason, such as a welcome gift or a guide to what's next.

What is a connection card?

A connection card is a short form churches use to collect contact details and requests from the people in a service. It typically asks for a name, an email or phone number, whether it's their first visit, and a space for prayer requests or next steps such as joining a group or a serving team. Traditionally it's a paper card in the seat back or the bulletin, dropped in the offering or at the welcome desk. Many churches now also offer a digital connection card that people fill in on their phone, by web form, QR code, or text.

For a church, the connection card is how a first-time guest becomes someone the staff can welcome by name the following week. It's a form of lead capture, in church language.

How is it used?

The usual Sunday pattern: someone on stage mentions the card during the welcome, people fill it in, and the cards are collected. Later in the week, a staff member or volunteer types the details into the church's management software, and the right person follows up with a call, an email, or a note.

Paper cards are familiar and easy to hand someone, but they have weak points. Handwriting can be hard to read, cards get lost between the offering bag and the office, and the typing takes volunteer hours every week.

A digital card moves the entry to the person's phone. With a QR code on the screen or in the bulletin, or a keyword like "Text WELCOME to 33777," the guest answers a few questions by text while they're still in their seat. Their details arrive typed, and the follow-up can start the same day.

Why it matters at live events

A service is a live event with a short window, much like a talk. The welcome moment lasts about a minute. A guest who doesn't fill in the card then probably won't do it in the parking lot.

A text-to-join connection card fits that minute. A Textiful capture flow can ask for a name and email, then a custom question such as "Is this your first Sunday?" or "Anything we can pray for?" Each answer comes one at a time. When the flow finishes, it can:

email a staff member a notification so someone follows up with that guest
tag the contact (first-time guest, prayer request)
text a link to a welcome guide
send the contact to Mailchimp, Kit, ActiveCampaign, or HubSpot, or to other tools through Zapier, if your church management software is reachable there

See integrations for the full list. People start the conversation themselves, and STOP and HELP are handled automatically. For more on the sign-up itself, see text-to-join.

Key takeaways

A connection card collects contact details and requests from visitors and members during a service.
Paper cards are familiar but have to be read, collected, and typed in by hand.
A digital connection card lets guests answer on their phone while they're still seated.
Follow-up can start the same day because the details arrive typed.

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Connection card