First Impressions Are Everything for Churches, by Bob Adams

Curb Appeal

One of the first perceptions that a guest has of your church is based on its appearance from the street. It's easy to become so engrossed with what goes on inside our churches that we don't recognize the positive or negative signals given by the exteriors of our buildings. What would a guest note about your church's "curb appeal"?

• From the outside, can you tell who worships here and the style of worship?
• Are there doors open to the street and sidewalks, or does the building give the appearance of a fortress?
• Are the doors themselves inviting, or are they dark and drab, making you wonder what's happening behind them?
• Is it obvious where to go to worship if you are a first-time guest?
• Is there easy access to the parking lot and plenty of marked parking for first-time guests near the main entrance?
• Are there any indications from the exterior that your church is celebrating a particular season?
• Does the upkeep and maintenance of the buildings and grounds show that the members take pride in their buildings?

This brief listing of "exterior appearances" should stimulate your thinking about your church, maybe even prompting the creation of a to-do list. But these items, as important as they are, are only one aspect of welcoming guests. How are your attitudes towards the people, both guests and members, who will be walking into your church?

Organized Friendliness

Effective welcoming is best accomplished by adopting an attitude of organized friendliness. The focus should be on the needs of worshippers - from the time they enter the parking lot until they are seated for worship. It's best handled by an official group of people who not only have the gifts and graces to express social warmth, but are also willing to commit their time and energy to this ministry. The result of the work of greeters, when done well, is a major plus-factor in the church's total ministry. Every church can and must have an effective group of official greeters.

The church greeting or welcoming team needs to be:

Carefully recruited
Effectively organized
Adequately trained
Fully motivated ...

Greeting Unleashed

The ministry of greeting in churches today often seems to rank below that of preaching, teaching and music. While that may be true, it's important to remember that the ministry of greeting is most often the first impression guests get of your church - well before any of the others listed above. And in fact, if a bad impression is made in the greeting stage, a newcomer may completely shut down, regardless of how fantastic the other elements of the church are.

Greeting is a ministry - one that is becoming more important than ever in today's experience-oriented culture. The guests coming to your church next Sunday may not understand all the words they will hear, but the warm and caring actions of your greeting team will speak loud and clear. To a person seeking truth and peace, an ounce of kindness is worth a pound of preaching. Christian kindness is a ministry for church greeters who care deeply about people.

No assignment in the church is more one-on-one than the ministry of greeters. The foyer is their chapel, the information desk their pulpit, and the walk-around spaces their parish.

Church greeters have a one-another ministry - face to face, hand to hand, and heart to heart with the people they are called to serve. From the largest megachurch to the smallest rural church, their Christian service is to one "customer" at a time. And to make their service even more important, church greeters are the first face and voice guests meet when arriving at church.

Church greeting should be elevated to its fully deserved and recognized status as a one-another ministry. Scattered throughout Paul's letter to the Romans are seven references to the one-another ministry. What a great spiritual and biblical foundation for the ministry of church greeters. Here are some brief thoughts about these one-anothers by Leslie Parrot, author of "Serving as a Church Greeter":

Accept One Another - Romans 15:7 gives us the ministry of mutual acceptance, resting on Christ's teaching of unconditional love. A verbal greeting and the offer of a handshake are ways of focusing on the other person. As Jesus accepts us - no matter what - accept each and every person who comes through the church door.

Honor One Another - Romans 12:10 provides the one-another ministry of an encouraging word. Effective greeters hone their skills at the capacity to come up with a few words or a brief sentence that is appropriate to the person and the situation.

Be Kind to One Another - This one-another kindness is found in Romans 12:10, as well. Deliberate acts of kindness welcome worshippers, no matter what their week has been. A greeter with a kind heart can set the tone for the rest of the day with his or her actions.

Love One Another - Found in Romans 13:8, this is the one-another ministry of unconditional goodwill. It is expressed in a positive attitude toward all people, a love that bans all kinds of verbal abuse, and an attitude of love toward life in general and people in particular.

Understand One Another - Romans 14:13 phrases it negatively, but a positive approach and a spiritual understanding will overcome a negative attitude. Greeters also need to remember that their lives outside the church make a powerful statement, so they must live in an uncompromising manner.

Instruct One Another - Romans 15:14 reminds greeters that they are to be role models in the fruit of the Spirit at all times. They live out their craft by being, doing and demonstrating, not by telling, admonishing and finger-pointing.

Greet One Another - In Romans 16:16, we are reminded of the ministry of the human touch and its important healing and calming qualities. The greeter needs to be sensitive to the manner of the touch and the recipient; in most cases, the offer of a handshake is appropriate for guests, while a friendly hug may be more appropriate for friends and long-time members. The key is to express a genuine welcome in the manner most appropriate.

A Final Admonition: Serve One Another - Paul, writing in Galatians 5:13, spelled out the final one-another: a ministry of service that leads greeters, without prejudice or judgment, to welcome and serve all who come in the name of Christ.

When the greeters at your church understand and practice these one-another ministries, they are well on the way to living out the presence of Christ within - and it becomes very obvious to those to whom they are extending a friendly hand.

Bob Adams is the lead church development consultant for JH Batten Inc. (jhbatten.com), a church design-build firm. His background includes 23 years as an associate and executive pastor with primary responsibility in church facilities administration. Adams' passion is helping the Church and its people to be efficient in their use of ministry resources so they can be effective in accomplishing their vision. Read his Learning Solutions blog at churchsolutionsmag.com or visit his personal blog at 27gen.blogspot.com.

Source: http://www.churchsolutionsmag.com/articles/first-impressions-are-everything-for-churches.html