Churches are places of history, faith, and community, yet many people may not know they are welcome to explore them. Our Inviting Visitors initiative helps churches across the Diocese of Canterbury to open their doors wider to a variety of visitors including tourists, heritage enthusiasts, and families, offering a space for reflection, discovery, and connection.
Guidance
Our Information Pack is designed to support you in making your church more welcoming and offers practical ideas and inspiration for engaging a wide range of visitors. Sharing our church buildings is an act of generosity; by opening our doors we extend a warm welcome to all and celebrate how God’s generosity can be shared through our sacred spaces.
This guidance includes essential advice on managing security and health and safety considerations, particularly when opening your church for longer hours, as well as ways of encouaging donations from visitors, and a communications strategy.
Whether your church is looking to increase footfall, share its rich heritage, or simply create a more inviting atmosphere, you will find the tools and inspiration you need to get started in the information pack.
Why invite visitors?
Inviting visitors, whether these are from near or far, into your church building is an act of outreach and brings many benefits, including:
- Increasing the number of people engaging with your church building;
- Attracting new volunteers and supporters;
- Increasing opportunities for one-off and regular donations;
- Inspiring people to leave a gift in their will, helping to support the church’s future;
- Enhancing eligibility for grants;
- Raising awareness of church services and events;
- Greater footfall, contributing to improved security;
- A possible focus for your church’s Three Things.
- Helping others appreciate the significance of places of worship;
Opening your doors more widely not only enriches those who visit but also helps sustain and strengthen your church for generations to come.
The Revd Matt Hodder - Priest in Charge at St Peter-in-Thanet, Broadstairs took part in our 2025 Inviting Visitors campaign pilot. Speaking about this, he said: “It had been a long-held desire of the church and local community to get St Peter in Thanet's church building open more often for people to access. The backing and advice of the Generous Giving Team was instrumental in finally making this happen, and we are so delighted that St Peter's has been open six days a week for the past six months for anyone to come and access, in whichever way they feel comfortable. It has made such a difference to our ministry and mission.”
