Better Than One

My last couple of blog posts have addressed the subject of ways a church can ensure their first time guests return.  Your church CANNOT grow without visitors.  At the same time, your church cannot grow unless your visitors COME BACK!  Perhaps, we should use the word “guests” instead of visitors.  A “visitor” is someone who shows up uninvited, who is not expected and no one has made prepartion for them to be there.  On the other hand, a “guest” is someone who has been invited to attend, you are expecting them, and preparation has been made in anticipation of their arrival.  At your church, do you treat newcomers as visitors or guests?   What can we do to ensure our guests come back?

1.  Provide adequate parking for guests that is well defined.  These should be your best spots with good directional signage.

2.  Have greeters in the parking lot to welcome and assist newcomers.

3.  Greeters should escort guests to the building, to Sunday School Classes, nursery and childcare, restroom areas and the Worship Center.

4.  Get to know guests by name and introduce them to greeters at the Welcome Center and to the Class Greeters & teacher.

5.  Inform guests of activities for the day and invite them to upcoming events.

In his book, “FUSION,” Nelson Seacy suggests four components of “pre-service” responsibility to newcomers:

        1.  GREETED:  Welcomed with a smile

        2.  DIRECTED:  Simply & politely directed to where they need to go.

        3.  TREATED:   Shown respect and happily surprised with comfort.

        4.  SEATED:   Led to comfortable, appropriate seats.

If you will put these suggestions into action in your church Sunday, you will see many of your guests return and perhaps even turn them into members. 

“One day things are rosy.  Then suddenly things you’ve been counting on are gone.”  When the unemployment numbers are near 8% in our nation, you may want to consider starting an Unemployment Support Group.  Several times in my ministry experience, I have found this type of support group to encourage and inform the unemployed.  It helps a person who has lost a job to understand he is not the only one experiencing a loss.  Here are some ingredients for an unemployment support group:

> Find some people to help you who have worked through unemployment and have successfully moved on.

> Advertise or market your support group in your church and throughout the community.

> Schedule a weekly or monthly meeting by using your own judgement and assessment of need.

> Include scripture support in your meeting such as:  Numbers 6:26; Deut. 4:31; Deut. 31:6,8; Psalm 27:13,14; Psalm 31:16; Psalm 37:25; Matt. 6:25,34; Rom. 15:13; I Cor. 10:13; 2 Cor. 4:7-9; Ephesians 6:10;  Phil. 4:11-13,19; Heb. 13:5B; I Pet. 1:7; I Pet. 5:7;  

> Bring in guests to help group members better understand how to search, network,  and find a job.

> Discuss articles from newspapers or magazines and other resources available in your area or on the web.

> Create an open environment so members feel free to share their feelings and emotions.

> Pray for needs, leads, strength, wisdom and the future.

> Celebrate job finds with a cake and ice cream.

Brian Waldrop who personally experienced unemployment discovered that the truth of Proverbs 17:17 rings true - ”A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”  With that thought in mind, here are some do’s and don’ts for encouraging your unemployed friends and acquaintances:

*  Do inform the individual of employment possibilities, but don’t make the person feel that he or she has to jump at the opportunity.

*  Do affirm a person’s self-worth and abilities, but don’t be condescending.

*  Do ask about an individual’s job search, but don’t let the subject dominate your conversations.

*  Don’t be judgmental as to why an individual left his or her previous employment.  Do be open-minded.

*  Do consider him when planning recreation activities.  Don’t forget that the unemployed friend is probably barely making it.

Chuck Swindoll preached a sermon called “Boot Camp at Cherith” that related some of the life experiences of Elijah in I Kings 17.  By the distress and chaos of his life, God was able to transform the life of Elijah from ordinary to extraordinary.  Losing a job can open the door for someone to move from a casual relationship with God to a close and life changing walk with God.  An Unemployment Support Group can lead people to a healthy, Christ-like life.

Tim Elmore at www.GrowingLeaders.com inan article called “Fast Forward” talks about the pace of change that students endure today.  Change is nothing new to students but the speed has gotten faster.  Consider the shifts that have occurred since the dawn of the 21st century in less that two years’ time.  In the span of 24 months, the average teen’s life was transformed…

* Music delivery went from CDs to digital MP3s downloads, thanks to iTunes and     Napster.

*Primary communication went from phone calls to test messaging.

*Social networking went from email to  Club Penguin, MySpace, & Facebook.

But this is only a sign of what is to come.  Change is about to happen at an even faster rate than ever before.  Students will love it, but they will have to work to maintain their sense of morals and values.  Is that where the church comes in?  Are have we lost connection with this student generation?  Where have all the young adults gone?

On Tuesday, March 17 at Severns Valley Baptist Church in Elizabethtown, Sam Rainer will answer, “Why do so many young adults leave the church, and what will it take to bring them back?”  After researching one thousand “so-called church dropouts,” authors Thom Rainer, President and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources and Sam Rainer President and CEO of Rainer Research have addressed this issue in their new book, Essential Church?  Reclaiming a Generation of Dropouts. 

Join the one-day seminar to explore the four solutions proposed in Essential Church?

Simplify  Getting the Structure Right  -  Dan Garland, Dir. of Ch. Consulting,  LifeWay

Deepen    Getting the Content Right     -  Scott McConnell, Assoc. Dir. Lifeway Research

Expect     Getting the Attitude Right    -  Dan Summerlin, Pastor, Lone Oak BC, Paducah

Multiply  Getting the Action Right       -  Mike Rice, Pastor, Fairview BC, Ashland

These topics and leaders will be featured at breakout sessions after Keynote Speaker, Sam Rainer provides an overview of the book.  Sam also serves Sarasota Baptist Church as Associate Pastor and writes a column for Outreach magazine.

SCHEDULE

10:00 AM – 12:00 PM  Teaching Session with Sam Rainer

12:00 – 12:45 PM  Lunch

12:45 – 3:00 PM  Breakout Sessions

REGISTRATION

$25 per person (includes lunch and materials)

Register online at www.kybaptist.org/essential

For More Information

(502) 489-3335 or (866) 489-3335 (toll free in KY)

or e-mail:   churchdevelopment@kybaptist.org

Directions are available at  www.sevensvalley.org/directions.htm

Vince Beresford says that there are four practical skills to help young people survive this transition and be equipped for life after high school:

1)  Equip them on how to seek out and make quality friends

2)  Equip them with a biblical worldview

3)  Equip them to articulate their “God story”

4)  Equip them to articulate what they believe and why they believe it

Come and learn how to keep and reach young adults in E-Town on March 17 for Essential Church Seminar!

One of the most important lessons to be learned in connecting with guests is that we had better do it right the first time.  If we fail to make a good first impression with guests, we will more than likely never have the privilege of doing it again.

The North American Mission Board suggests we have 10-12 minutes to make a good first impression.  Some church growth specialists tell us that 7 minutes is all we get to make a positive and favorable first impression.  Imagine….7 minutes!  If that be true, then the first time guest has made up his or her mind whether or not the church can meet their needs and whether or not they will return, before they ever hear the singing and before they ever hear the sermon.

So what do guests see in that brief amount of time that carries such weight?  First, they see our facility!  How does your church appear to guests as they drive onto your property?  Is it obvious you take good care of your building such as keeping the building painted, clean and neat around the building, weeds pulled, shrubbery trimmed, and the grass freshly mowed?  Is your church sign attractive, with good paint, and all the information on the sign accurate?

Secondly, they see our people.  They see us!  The first person our guests see ought to be someone in the parking lot with a warm smile and a desire to welcome the newcomer and help him find his way.  Any church of any size can have greeters in the parking lot.  The greeter in the parking lot could very well be the biggest factor in whether guests never return or they stick and become active members. 

Look for future blogs as we continue to examine ways our churches can turn guests into members.

The manner in which a church welcomes guests will determine more than anything else whether or not they will return.  All of us have heard the phrase, “you never get a second chance to make a first impression;” it has never been more true than in the church.  If there is anything we need to learn it is how to treat the people God sends our way.  My passion is to help churches do a better job of greeting guests and making them welcome before, during and after the service.  There are many things that can and should be done, but I want to give you 7!

1.  Lead church members to be friendly and people conscious. NOTE.-Andy Stanley says, “The church is a family expecting guests.”

2.  Create an atmosphere of expectation!

3.  Form ”First Impressions” or “Greeter” Teams.                  NOTE:  Nelson Searcy, in his book “Fusion,” says seven minutes is all you get to make a positive first impression.

4.  Establish a strategy for greeting & welcoming guests!

5.  Think about how you want your guests to feel and list two or three emotions you would like your guests to experience the first few minutes of their arrival.

6.  Work at creating a “WOW” moment for your guests within the first 7 to 10 minutes of their arrival.

7.  Plan for Fast, Friendly, and Functional follow-up!