Tag Archives: guest-friendly

What makes a church welcoming to new visitors? Answers to some common questions

From time to time, readers write with questions or observations about this column. This week I’m devoting this space to a sampling of questions I’ve received. Many relate to the columns devoted to church visits, so a little context is in order before turning to those questions. My church-specific columns are usually intended to focus on the perspective of a first-time visitor — someone hopefully regarded by that church as a “guest,” and my visit descriptions are intended to document the way any visitor might be treated at that church.

How many visits have you made to any one church without being warmly greeted and becoming aware of a sense of hospitality?

I’ve visited several local churches at least three times without being greeted by anyone, or at least being handed a bulletin or worship guide. At one prominent Hillside church in particular, I was even invited back by a member sure I would receive a warm greeting next time. Unfortunately, it never happened, even though I stretched myself to endure three visits. I could never recommend that church or any other unfriendly church to a potential first-time guest or in my columns. Unfortunately, something in that church’s DNA prevents it from changing.

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to determine if you’re welcome at someone’s home. The same is true at church.

I remember a woman from a local Episcopal church approaching me after her service saying she’d recently put on her “visitor” mentality and persona when she visited her hometown church. She said she was astounded at what she noticed; it wasn’t all guest-friendly.

As a church consultant, I’ve recommended for years that multiple teams from a specific church need to visit other churches, every Sunday, to see how they are treated, and look for encouraging practices worthy of emulation. By and large, churches refuse to do this, plain and simple.

Frequently I’m asked about my local “home church.” Do I have one?

I write about congregations representing a variety of religions, though most are Christian. According to Pew Research Center religious demographic data, 62 percent of adults in Alaska profess Christianity. However, as a self-professed religion scholar, I’m also vitally interested in other faith groups in our community. Many non-Christian religions that are represented in Alaska make up fewer than 1 percent of adherents to any faith, according to the Pew data., Together, faiths including Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and other non-Christian religions make up another 6 percent of the state’s population. (31 percent are unaffiliated — the religious “nones.”)

I’m constantly in motion, visiting congregations from a variety of faiths on any given Friday, Saturday or Sunday. To maintain my impartiality I claim membership in none, but clearly have certain congregations to which I return regularly.

My church is not listed on your list of churches to visit; why is that?

I maintain lists of good “first-time” churches on my website, churchvisits.com, as I consider them to represent safe choices for people seeking church homes or looking for a solid faith community.

Your church might be one that makes first-time guests uncomfortable. Maybe you do not welcome them in a friendly manner, possibly ignore them altogether, or give them the 20-question test upon arrival. (Example: What is your name?, How did you hear about us?, What is your home church?, Who do you know in our church?, How did you find us?, etc., ad nauseum.) My column two weeks ago gave a real-life example of how one friendly church treats guests with honor and great hospitality.

Your church might be one of the many that insist on having guests stand up and identify themselves, telling the group where they’re from, etc., which by the way, is the No. 1 reason people do not return to a church. Possibly your music may have been 30-45 minutes of insulting, ear-pounding noise where congregants are “told,” not “invited,” to stand, to spend the entire time enduring songs many don’t know. Maybe your pastor preached a really great sermon, at least in his mind, while mostly reading it without inflection. Worse yet, he may have used his main remarks from a popular writer whose book was on the best-seller lists.

But first-time guests usually make a decision about whether to return to a church within the first five to 10 minutes after they arrive. Forget the music, and sermon. It’s already too late. They’ve decided.

Why do you draw attention to beautiful features of some local churches, while ignoring Gospel content or social justice ministries?

For Christians, a theology of beauty is represented in Scripture going back to the creation itself. In the exodus of the children of Israel, God ordained a theology of beauty in the construction of the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle of Moses. These symbols were deliberately established to be constant reminders of God’s greatness, love and physical presence.

In an edited monograph, “Toward a Theology of Beauty,” systematic theologian Jo Davidson writes, “God pointedly established an elaborate, lavish system of corporate worship in the Old Testament. Yet, over and over again He censured through His prophets the glorious worship that He Himself designed and implemented but that was now being used to disguise a degenerate life. The internal condition of the participant is critical: “‘Take away from Me the noise of your songs, for I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments. But let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.’ (Amos 5:23, 24).”

Beauty is not a final solution; it must touch and heal the heart as well. Many religions believe in a theology of beauty, and express a God-given appreciation of that beauty in their symbols.

As a religion scholar, I’ve made field trips to many religious edifices in various areas of the world. Invariably I’ve been drawn to God through my viewing of the symbolism represented by various features. At Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel in Philadelphia, “The Prophetic Quest,” a series of 10 stained glass windows by artist Jacob Landau, brought entire books and chapters of Old Testament prophets leaping to mind.

But social justice initiatives are also an ongoing feature of this column. Many churches ignore their importance. I do not.

I appreciate the dialogue this column offers in the religious community. Not everything I write will be appreciated, nor do I expect it to be. However, I enjoy hearing back from readers. More questions are welcome either in the comments or by email, at churchvisits@gmail.com. As time allows, I try respond personally to each. Happy questing!

About the Author

Chris Thompson

Chris Thompson is a religion scholar who visits local churches and writes about his experiences and matters of faith on his blog, churchvisits.com.

A welcoming surprise in my neighborhood

Leave a reply

When I visit churches, I often find I can enter and leave without anyone greeting or talking with me. This represents discourteous behavior to guests. I believe members or regular attendees perceive this is someone else’s job, taking no personal responsibility for involvement. Entertaining guests in our homes, we personally greet them, making them feel at ease, don’t we? Frequently, I hear members refer to church as their church home. Why then, do so few churches welcome people to their church home?

Before I share some details about the surprise I found in my neighborhood, I want to share a few thoughts of Christian author and social critic Os Guinness. In his recent book “The Last Christian on Earth,” Guinness writes, “We confess that we Evangelicals have betrayed our beliefs by our behavior. All too often we have trumpeted the Gospel of Jesus, but we have replaced biblical truths with therapeutic techniques, worship with entertainment, discipleship with growth in human potential, church growth with business entrepreneurialism, concern for the Church and for the local congregation with expressions of the faith that are churchless and little better than a vapid spirituality, meeting real needs with pandering to felt needs, and mission principles with marketing precepts. In the process we have become known for commercial, diluted and feel-good gospels of health, wealth, human potential and religious happy talk, each of which is indistinguishable from the passing fashions of the surrounding world.”

In previous columns, I’ve commented on churches exhibiting some of the same hallmarks Guinness attributes to evangelicals. Personally I’ve seen these behaviors stretch to other strains of Christianity beside evangelicals. Regularly I receive passionate emails from those seeking a truer Christian experience than what they’re finding, describing entertainment-based worship services, churches as businesses, guest-unfriendly congregations, and bland sermons.

In “Shopping for God: How Christianity went from in your heart to in your face,” James Twitchell documents the rise and fall of religious movements over the years, many of which were pure “sell jobs.” He summarizes by writing, “Who knows where the long and winding road of American Protestantism is going? Certainly not me. But it seems likely that it will retrace the same terrain over and over again, losing steam as it becomes repetitious and then recharging as it gloms on to some new delivery system. When this happens, we’ll think we are becoming more religious, but in truth religiosity is simply becoming more compelling as it shifts media to appeal to consumers once again.”

Which brings me to last Sunday’s surprise. Biking in my new neighborhood, I passed a Baptist church, one I’d never visited. Intrigued by the “independent” in its name, I made a mental note to visit them in the near future. I’ll admit I don’t eagerly visit Baptist churches because many of them use the same format, and guest-friendly is not the first term that comes to mind when I visit. Sometimes I’ve been ignored, while at other times subjected to hellfire and damnation sermons, and endless altar calls. Now I realize some of this is what I call denominational DNA, but it’s off-putting to a first-time guest. I hoped this visit would not be a replay of some of those previous visits.

As my usual practice, I timed my arrival to enter the church about 10 minutes before the start of services. Its website prominently listed service times, something not all churches do. However, their address, which I already knew, was at the bottom of the webpage, which is not guest-friendly; it should be at the top on any church site. Service times and location are the two main things potential guests seek.

Plenty of parking was available as I arrived; I slipped into a nonvisitor space. There were about three visitor parking spaces in front of the church, clearly marked. I noticed there were additional open spaces to the right of the visitor parking which, if intended, is an additional guest-friendly gesture.

As I entered the doors someone said hi. Going up the steps to the sanctuary level, I was greeted by a man named Roy who offered his name first, a guest-friendly practice. I responded with my name. Spotting me as a guest, he invited me to sign the guest-book, indicating no one would call on me. I mentioned that was not my experience and preferred not to do so, whereupon he seamlessly shifted to offering to find me a seat even though the church was not full. I believe this was the only time in all my local church visits someone offered to see me to my seat. This is very guest-friendly, relieving anxiety about sitting in “someone’s seat,” a fear of many guests.

Several people stopped to greet me before the service started, including the pastor who introduced himself as “pastor McGovern” (I later learned his first name was Terry). This is so rare, I almost fainted. Just kidding. But few pastors tend to do this.

The service began with a hymn, started first by the choir and then joined by the congregation. A color guard came in with a U.S. flag, a Christian flag and a man holding a Bible. In turn, the congregation recited the Pledge of Allegiance, Christian pledge and Bible pledge. This was another first in all my churchgoing. A man dressed in a sailor suit gave an inspirational reading and sang a special song. During the service, the congregation sang three hymns, all accompanied by piano. People really sang. A wide variety of ages were represented by this congregation.

The sermon was delivered extemporaneously about the Christian principles upon which our founding fathers established our country, and supported by Scripture. You can watch replays atibca-alaska.org/messages. Their sermons are also live-streamed. The pastor concluded with an altar call, after which a final hymn was sung and church dismissed. Announcements revealed this to be an active church with many activities involving all ages. All were invited to lunch at the church following the service. As I was departing the church, pastor McGovern went out of his way to say goodbye. The component themes I seek in my church visits were all present last Sunday. I really enjoyed seeing so many guest-friendly practices.

Oh, one last thing; the church was Independent Baptist Church of Anchorage.

About the Author

Chris Thompson

Chris Thompson is a religion scholar who has been visiting Anchorage and other local area churches for over 15 years. Go to his website, churchvisits.com, or follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/churchvisits or email at churchvisits@gmail.com.

Personable follow-up with guests is crucial to churches

1 Reply

The manner in which churches respond to guest visits can determine whether or not those guests make a return visit. This column frequently focuses on how guests are treated at area churches during visits In reality, most church guests decide whether or not they’ll come back based on their perceptions within the first five to eight minutes. But if they stay for the service, afterchurch follow-up can be a critical factor.

In a recent podcast, church consultant Thom Rainer shared what guests have told his organization about how churches should not have followed up with them. I’ve seen some of these in my years of church visits. In this column, I’m using Rainer’s categories to group this follow-up mistakes, but describing my own experiences.

Do not show up unexpected at my house

This has all of the hallmarks of a “cold call,” the dreaded sales technique where a salesman shows up on your doorstep or business wanting to make a sale. I was in sales for a good portion of my career and discovered this was terrible technique.

Once, a local Baptist preacher, his wife and the church secretary showed up on my doorstep unannounced, wanting to be invited in. I was away on a business trip and my then-wife had no desire to discuss anything with them. Despite a previous connection to this church, it was the last straw to me, and certainly for her.

Do not neglect follow-up completely

I’ve visited many of Anchorage’s churches, sometimes filling out guest cards, and often not. Out of hundreds of visits, I’ve had only a couple of churches actually follow up with me in any way at all. Rainer found out many respondents to this survey had the same experience, and did not return as a result. Several years ago I visited a large fundamentalist church here, and filled out a guest card. I never heard from them. (I later made the acquaintance of a then-member and discovered she wrote their visit thank you cards, but said she did not recall seeing mine.) Incredible! That’s similar to placing a call for home service, and then never hearing back. It’s no different with church. Guest follow-up is critical.

Do not wait a long time to follow-up

Rainer tells of a person who waited for four months before receiving a follow-up. By that time she’d forgotten about the visit, and subsequently never returned. The urgency of follow-up, whether its churches or business calls, is measured in days, not weeks or months. At the minimum, a warm and friendly note from the pastor can go a long way toward establishing a solid connection.

Do not act like a visit is merely obligatory

The church guest should never be left with an impression that a personal visit is obligatory because you just have to do it with every guest. Years ago, I visited a local evangelical church and was contacted by a member who wanted to come over to bring me a plate of cookies, something they did for all new guests. I was incredibly busy traveling statewide in my job, and literally did not have time to meet with him. After repeated calls, the member became exasperated with me and made a rude comment.

Years ago, my then-wife and I visited a church for the first time. We were asked out to lunch and, surprised, said yes. While waiting in the foyer after the service, the husband of the inviting couple let slip they were the “official couple” to ask guests to lunch. We quickly made an excuse and found a delightful meal at our hotel instead.

Do not do hard sells

Many times churches doing guest follow-up visits perform “hard sells” to try to get the guest to affiliate with the church. Some churches are not happy unless they are able to get guests to commit to return and become part of the member structure. If you are pressured, tell your visitors the way you feel and kindly ask them to leave. This type of behavior should not be condoned by any church.

Do not send a form letter or an email

Form letters and emails are disingenuous; they don’t have the ring of authenticity. There are better ways to convey the willingness of the church to be a resource in the life of the guest. That’s why we toss the majority of our junk mail out. If you do use a form response, make sure you’re prepared with a personable follow-up. Once, after visiting a local church, I received a warm form letter from the pastor. I wrote and called him back, but neither yielded results, because his secretary blocked people from reaching him.

Do not ask for money

As unbelievable as this sounds, some churches actually solicit money from guests. It’s totally unacceptable, especially when they are sitting in your congregation. Instead, they should clearly be told, in the bulletin and at the pulpit, they’re not expected to give because they are your guests. Sunday, I visited a Pentecostal church but heard no exception before the buckets, literally, were passed down the rows. It’s even more flagrant when churches ask guests to contribute money in a follow-up visit or mailing, yet it happens.

Aside from follow-ups, churches can acknowledge their guests by welcoming them from the pulpit, yet many churches neglect to do so. A welcome token, such as a freshly baked loaf of bread, or invitation to lunch with the pastor are also great. Mike Merriner, pastor of Clear Water invites guests to his house for lunch once a month.

The key in all of this is thoughtful Christianity in practice.

Chris Thompson is a religion scholar who visits local churches and writes about his experiences and matters of faith on his blog,churchvisits.com.

The views expressed here are the writer’s own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary(at)alaskadispatch.com. Send submissions shorter than 200 words toletters@alaskadispatch.com or click here to submit via any web browser.

Contact Chris Thompson at churchvisits@gmail.com or on Twitter

Church visit observations reveal friendly practices

Leave a reply

Among my many local church visits, certain practices stand out, making some visits more memorable than others. As a result, I often make mental notes to revisit that church more often than others; positive practices are likely to remain in place, as are negative practices.

For example, after I’ve blogged about the unfriendliness of a particular church, I may receive comments or an email inviting me to do a return visit because they felt my experience was atypical of their church. Usually revisits reveal the same unfriendly practices were still present in those churches. Church pastors tell me it takes a long time to change church cultures.

Positive church practices make me smile as they often require minimal effort.

Personal pastoral greetings work

Some pastors are gifted at identifying and greeting newcomers to church. I’m always impressed whenever I see it in action. Yes indeed, pastors are busy people with multiple church roles, but it is gratifying to see in action. It is leading by example. Of course, some pastors are more comfortable behind the pulpit than face-to-face with people, but from a human perspective, direct approaches are effective. More importantly, pastors should be connectors trying to connect newcomers with someone in the congregation who might sustain that connection. Surprisingly, many pastors even fail to greet guests from the pulpit. Warm greetings should be given to members and guests at every service. Unfortunately, too many pastors depend on the queue filing past the past them at service conclusion, but it’s not enough.

Great coffee before and after the service creates smiles

Culturally, coffee is a great social lubricant. Many great friendships have been struck up over a cup of coffee. I connect with people more easily before and after services this way. Often, the coffee is located in some out-of-the-way place only known to insiders — a huge mistake. Space permitting, great coffee should be prominently available shortly after entering the church. Another mistake is that too often churches brew the cheapest coffee they can buy. Anchorage is known as a coffee town. There are many local roasters with excellent roasts. Members and guests will appreciate you serving the finest coffee in your church. Coffee mugs for guests are a great welcome gift, but I’ve seen only one church in Eagle River and another in Anchorage take advantage of this practice.

Name badges facilitate friendships

Name badges for guests and members alike are great levelers. Hospitality personnel should make and offer them to guests; saving guests the trouble of making their own. Members should wear them if already provided or make their own to wear if that is the practice. Some members may give a reason for not wearing a name badge as “everyone already knows me.” This is always wrong, as many members, and certainly guests, may not know that person. Part of being a friendly church is to drop the elitist title that can become easy to wear. Name badges facilitate conversations with anyone on a first-name basis.

Nazi-persecuted German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “Those who love their dream of a Christian community more than they love the Christian community itself become destroyers of that Christian community even though their personal intentions may be ever so honest, earnest and sacrificial.”

Guest recognition gifts are memorable

Recognizing guests is an art and should be done when they enter a church. This is easily done, except in the few megachurches we have in town. Guests tend to stand out. Once recognized their visit should be noted by a token of recognition. Several churches in town give a small spiritual book, some offer freshly baked bread, and others may give a packet of information about the church and its congregation. A few offer coffee cards to newcomers. At larger congregations, church personnel often ask people to identify themselves to distribute these tokens. It’s understandable and should be tolerated. However, asking guests to stand, identify themselves, and say where they are from is a practice that tops the list of reasons first-time guests give for not choosing to make return visits to a specific church.

Reserved parking for guests says you were expected

I always smile when I find churches with designated guest parking in sufficient quantities to satisfy first-time guests. This shows guests they were expected, and that the church treats their guests with the utmost concern. No church should be without designated first-time guest parking. If members are parking in those spaces, they should be tactfully reminded of their true purpose. Sometimes, when arriving at a church late, I find guest spaces occupied even when the flow of the service reveals there were no guests that day. If I’m a first-time guest at a church, I use guest parking.

Explanatory service language warms the heart

Churches using explanatory language during their services are delightful. Many pastors are skilled at doing so. It’s easy to spot, and so reassuring. When an offering is taken up, they always explain to guests they are not expected to give, it’s just a normal practice for their members. Service participants are introduced or introduce themselves when performing their function. When insider language is used, it should be explained. In other words, the person using it should interpret it for guests in a way that’s inclusive and conversational. Communion and Eucharist are where this language is most effective.

Renowned theologian Karl Barth wrote, “Jews have God’s promise and if we Christians have it, too, then it is only as those chosen with them, as guests in their house, that we are new wood grafted onto their tree.” Every worship day, churches have an opportunity to share our respect for that relationship with others. I love it when church practices warm my heart and make me smile.

Contact Chris Thompson at churchvisits@gmail.com or on Twitter

Is your church driving away guests? – 11/8/14

Leave a reply

(copied from the ADN daily electronic paper as the online edition with commenting capability is still not available for this column as of 5:30 p.m. Saturday)
After visiting Alaska churches constantly over the past 10 years, I’ve come to the conclusion many of them just don’t understand how to retain those guests, visitors, church shoppers or whatever churches call them. Takeaway: They should always be called guests.

Last weekend, noted church consultant and author Thom Rainer shared the results of a Twitter poll he conducted of first-time church guests who did not return to a particular church. He summarized the 10 ways churches drive away first-time guests as self-reported by them. Trust me; I’ve seen them all here in Anchorage and across Alaska.

Rainer’s reasons list is below; his published reasons are in bold, while my observations follow.

Having a stand up and greet one another time in the worship service.
Oh yes, almost every church has them. It is one of the most awkward times a church guest will ever have to endure. Too many churches even enhance this distasteful experience by asking guests to stand up and identify themselves. In some churches the passing of the peace makes this time easier.

Unfriendly church members.
I’ve seen this so many times. No one speaks to me, introduces themselves or even greets me in their church. Attending a church with “friendly” in its name, I was virtually shunned. People in churches generally seem to be friendly to those they know but not friendly to those they don’t.

Unsafe and unclean children’s area.
This can be an issue in any area of the church children might frequent; from bathrooms to children’s worship areas and Sunday School rooms. If a church expects to attract young families, it needs to take special care that these areas are above reproach or families will go elsewhere. Children’s security procedures also go far to relieve parents’ minds.

No place to get information.
Few churches offer visitors center areas where knowledgeable and friendly church members offer personal and written information about the church. If present, they are also a great place to share a welcome gift. In my church consulting, churches often bristle regarding the thought. They counter that their few literature racks are sufficient. Revisits bear out they make no changes. Worse, if a church offers a visitors’ table, it is usually so low that one’s back hurts to bend over to write down requested information. Everything should be at walk-up height. (I’m also surprised at the number of churches who serve coffee at low tables, once again forcing visitors to bend down to fix their coffee.)

Bad church website.
I frequently comment on this problem. For prospective guests, only two pieces of information are needed from a church website: location and time of services. Many church websites absolutely fail to provide this information upfront and instantly. Often, many aspects of church websites are sadly out of date. This may be partly due to churches using a kind member to support their website.

Poor signage.
In this day of branding and identification, after figuring out the location of a church and going a few times, it’s easy to find. But too many churches have poor signs, out of date, and hard to read at the posted speed limits. Sadly, a missing key ingredient is the church Web address. Many have service times, pastor name, and even the title of the coming sermon. What a waste! The sign needs to point the visitor to the church to establish its identity.

Insider church language.
Yes, every church has it. When the pastor mentions the MOW will meet in the CRW for ACT training, guests are confused. But wait, it gets better. When mind numbing theological terms are thrown in, it creates unnecessary confusion on the part of guests. Jargon is bad in business, but when it becomes a part of church services, it is deplorable.

Boring or bad service.
Rainer noted he was surprised this didn’t rank higher. It certainly does on my list as I’ve experienced them over and over. For example, several years ago I took a close friend to a church service that evolved from a regular 75-minute service to almost 2.5 hours. My friend said, “I’ll never visit this church again.” The whole problem should have been solved by an astute ministerial team.

Members telling guests that they were in their seat or pew.
A number of readers have told me it’s happened to them. It’s happened to me, and my family, over the years. For hundreds of years, selling pew seating was a way the church could afford to stay open by covering operating expenses. Today, it’s inexcusable for any church member to suggest or infer, to a guest, they are occupying the place where they usually sit.

Dirty facilities.
Many churches I visit have poorly maintained restrooms, some of them foul-smelling, stalls with missing latches, wadded paper towels strewn on the floor, and junk in the corners. I’ve even observed pews with disgusting stains on them, stains on the carpeting, dirty carpets or flooring. Often the narthexes of churches are poorly maintained, with piles of books, papers, leftover festive ornaments, unclaimed clothing and similar. All of these things detract from the main purpose of visitors coming to a church: to seek an encounter with God and those who follow him.

Rainer’s poll observations are sad but underlie a basic problem. Guests should be treated extremely well. As church people, we need to put ourselves in their shoes to try to understand them. A pastoral call to come forward or to join hands can be distancing for a first-time guest. Let them know they are accepted and don’t coerce. Many are on a true quest for discovering Jesus, and a group of followers who exemplify Christian values. It’s interesting to see how first-time guests see our churches.

Chris Thompson is a religion scholar who visits local churches and writes about his experiences and matters of faith. You can find his blog at churchvisits.com.

Five ways for churches to show they really care about guests – 8/23/14

2 Replies

Over the course of hundreds of local church visits, I’ve seen many ways churches — wittingly or unwittingly — discourage guests, and possibly potential members, from returning. Whether you are shopping churches, or part of running them, it’s worth having a look at what makes or unmakes churches’ efforts to welcome guests.

Make greeters out of bulletin passers

It’s possible your bulletin passer, door side, doesn’t smile or say good morning to entering guests. Be sure first-contact people receive orientations on great ways to meet guests, including smiles, opening the door, and handing bulletins with positive comments like, “You’re in for a treat! The pastor has a beautiful message on grace today.”

A few years ago, I entered Cornerstone Church and immediately had a beautiful encounter with their ace greeter, Mary Bolin, who recognized me. Asking if the regular pastor was preaching, as I’d come to hear him, she said no, there was a guest speaker. When I indicated I would leave, she shared, “his message at the previous service was an excellent one-of-a-kind message, a real blessing.” So I stayed, enjoying a most beautiful worship experience.

Don’t ask for money without excusing guests

Guests dislike when offerings are taken. Some churches just start passing the plates. Others, believe it or not, have offering sermons, 15-20 minutes long to set the stage for the “ask.” Money is a distancing topic for church guests. Pastors don’t address it from the pulpit. The easiest way to handle guests and offerings is to insert a brief sentence in the bulletin saying giving is voluntary, and if you’re their guest, it’s not required to give. The pastor should always say this before the offering, too, without exception. Believe it or not, I’ve seen churches take up two or three offerings. Whatever it’s for, be sure to give your guests a verbal or written pass. Scenic Park Bible Church was one of the first churches I discovered inserting an exception statement in their bulletin. In 15 years of church visiting in Alaska, I’ve only heard a couple of pastors address this.

Deal with the “you’re sitting in my seat” syndrome

Many Alaska church guests, myself included, are consciously aware they are sitting where someone else customarily sits. Some guests have written or told me that person came up, bluntly telling them they were in their usual seats. This behavior generates ill will, making it extremely unlikely a guest will return. Why? Because it’s inhospitable. The pastor should regularly confront this from the pulpit. Humor is a great way. Using deacons or ushers to find seats is also great. Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church does this with style and grace. Even the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts has similar individuals to assist and airline flight crews assist their passengers.

Ensure websites prominently display meeting times and locations

Billions are spent annually on Yellow Pages advertising services, businesses, organizations, etc., to make them visible to the public. Websites are increasingly taking that role. Many times a month, I shake my head after discovering the failure of church website creators and administrators to make them inviting tools for guests. Church locations and service times are often not prominently displayed on the main website page, even though most potential guests are only seeking that information.

Church locations may be hidden in tiny print at the bottom of the page, or not at all. Service times may be two or three clicks down. Here in Alaska, it’s the season for worship schedules to change back from summer to normal. Inquiring guests who find service times or locations listed on a website are blank or out-of-date are likely to move on, rather than play the “guess where we’re at or when we meet” game. Recently, I unsuccessfully looked for an Anchorage church whose website said they were in one location, but upon driving there, discovered they were not there, or in a secondary location found through an obscure web reference. The error still has not been corrected, even though this incident happened months ago, and leadership was directly informed of the problem.

Eliminate pastor queueing nightmare

Too many churches trap parishioners and guests in a queue in front of the pastor while hands are shaken, pleasantries are exchanged, and lengthy pastoral advice is sought. Guests don’t generally like to be subjected to the “20 questions” routine by pastors, or trapped especially if they’re only checking out potential church homes.

Have pastors stand away from traffic flow in the narthex, or in a fellowship room where worshippers and guests can enjoy coffee and conversation. There, more friendly conversations and easy pastoral access is afforded. The Anchorage Baptist Temple has a VIP Room for this purpose. With the exception of emergency exits in churches, people are often stranded with only one way to leave the sanctuary, forcing guests and others into the pastoral receiving line. This is inhospitable and off-putting to guests.

This column keeps the point of view of church guests foremost. Much of this writing also pertains to regular attendees, though. The views churches and their members maintain of themselves, is not always what the public perceives. Assess those perceptions churches, if you desire to be seen as welcoming and hospitable. Membership will blossom, which in turn results in positive community buzz. Dale Carnegie said it best: “Honey attracts more flies than vinegar.”

Chris Thompson is a religion scholar who visits local churches and writes about his experiences and matters of faith. You can find his blog at churchvisits.com.

Original ADN Article
http://www.adn.com/article/20140822/chris-thompson-five-ways-churches-show-they-really-care-about-guests

Four steps to a visitor-friendly church service – 7/5/14

Leave a reply

Blogging and writing about Anchorage area churches has occupied my time for more than six years. I was looking for four things in my mystery church visits, and they still suffice:

• Genuine welcome, true Christian hospitality
• Friendliness and warmth
• Effective, well-delivered, Bible-based, main teaching
• Music deepening the worship, not just entertainment

This list covers the basics. In this article, I’ll give examples of how these four points work in actual practice. It’s simple for churches to provide them, creating a welcoming environment. During this time, many seekers have found churches meeting their needs.

My blogging has focused on giving brief reviews of churches as seen by their guests. Over the past six years I’ve received many emails and blog comments from church guests affirming my observations. Often, readers have joined churches due to these observations, or occasionally, despite them.

Genuine welcome, true Christian hospitality

As a church prepares to host prospective guests, there are many ways to roll out the welcome mat. Is your church website up to date? Does it prominently display location and service times at the top of the homepage screen? Location and service times are what most church website visitors are looking for. Or does the website display the church name over beautiful pictures of mountains, rivers, lakes, and streams? Unfortunately these beautiful pictures are a big fail for every church that makes this poor website design mistake, and hundreds of Alaska churches do it. Alaska tourism spends tens of million dollars attracting visitors to our beautiful state. Churches are not in the business of tourism!

When a guest shows up at a church is the signage readable at the posted speed limit? Are there visitor parking signs in sufficient quantity, and are they reserved for your guests? As the guests enter, open the door, greet them with a smile, and welcome them to your church. As you greet them, make an inclusive statement like “We’re pleased you’ve chosen to worship with us today. My name is Fred. If I can help you in any way, please let me know. Our senior pastor is sharing a wonderful sermon on redemption today. We’re having a potluck after the service, and you’re invited. Please join us. There’s tasty coffee and donuts in the fellowship area on the right.”

Genesis 18 provides the best Bible lesson on hospitality, portraying an extravagant example of Abram’s kindness to strangers.

Friendliness and warmth

Churches can convey the warmth of their church by individually greeting guests, even at their seats, and making them feel recognized and welcome. Do not ask their names; rather, say, “I’m Freda and so happy to welcome you. My husband Bill and I sit over there. Let us know if we can answer your questions.” These simple statements convey a sense of friendliness and warmth.

Pastors often fail to welcome guests from the pulpit, an egregious omission. Guests don’t need to be welcomed by name, but should be made to feel welcome. Most churches play the “Meet n’ Greet” routine ensuring you will not be met or greeted. Before the church receives its offering, the pastor should say, “I realize we have guests today. As our guests, don’t feel compelled to give. Just let the offering plate pass you by. We’re so pleased you’ve chosen to worship with us.”

Effective, well-delivered, Bible-based, main teaching

Most studies of why people visit churches indicate they come for the preaching. Effectively, they are interested in knowing what you believe. Guests don’t come to hear book reviews by pastors, traveling music groups, or returned missionaries who’re weary, battle-fatigued, and fighting depression. If you’ve never heard a well-delivered biblical sermon, you’re in for a treat. (Email me to obtain several links to excellent ones.) An articulate sermon should happen in less than 20 minutes; in fact, with the younger generation, it’s essential.

Music deepening the worship, not just entertainment

Huge cultural clashes occur over music in today’s churches. The conservative hymn, organ, and choir crowd does not appreciate the contemporary music scene, while the younger set enjoys rock n’ roll music so prominent in many megachurches. Some churches provide a buffet of all the musical flavors, trying to please everyone. I look for several factors in church music. Regardless of the type of music, can I actually hear the lyrics? Is the sound level appropriate for my hearing? Does the music actually increase the depth of the worship, the sermon, and tie to the themes of the day? What doctrine or theology does the music express? Many local churches have musical sets lasting a half-hour to 45 minutes. A band member commands people to stand, and standing the entire time, sing mostly unrecognizable music. That’s unacceptable. 115-120 decibel sound levels are disrespectful and damaging, but flourish in many churches. Finally, music people should invite people to stand instead of commanding. A good example is, “I’d like to invite all who can stand to do so and join us in singing ‘Beneath the Cross of Jesus.’”

Visiting a guest-friendly church can be wonderful. Otherwise, be prepared for a painful experience.

Chris Thompson is a religion scholar who visits local churches and writes about his experiences and matters of faith.

Original ADN Article
http://www.adn.com/article/20140710/chris-thompson-four-steps-visitor-friendly-church-service

What’s it like visiting a church with a guest-friendly service? – 7/5/14

Leave a reply

Blogging and writing about Anchorage-area churches through the Anchorage Daily News has occupied my time for more than six years. I was looking for four things in my mystery church visits, and they still suffice:

• Genuine welcome, true Christian hospitality;

• Friendliness and warmth;

• Effective, well-delivered, Bible-based, main teaching;

• Music deepening the worship, not just entertainment.

This list covers the basics. In this column, I’ll give examples of how these four points work in actual practice. It’s simple for churches to provide them, creating a welcoming environment. During this time, many seekers have found churches meeting their needs.

Genuine welcome, true Christian hospitality

As a church prepares to host prospective guests, there are many ways to roll out the welcome mat. Is your church website up to date? Does it prominently display location and service times at the top of the home page? Location and service times are what most church website visitors are looking for. Or does the website display the church name over beautiful pictures of mountains, rivers, lakes, and streams? Unfortunately these beautiful pictures are a big fail for every church that makes this poor website design mistake, and hundreds of Alaska churches do it. Alaska tourism spends tens of million dollars attracting visitors to our beautiful state. Churches are not in the business of tourism!

When a guest shows up at a church are the signs readable at the posted speed limit? Are there visitor parking signs in sufficient quantity, and are they reserved for your guests? As the guests enter, open the door, greet them with a smile, and welcome them to your church. As you greet them, make an inclusive statement like “We’re pleased you’ve chosen to worship with us today. My name is Fred. If I can help you in any way, please let me know. Our senior pastor is sharing a wonderful sermon on redemption today. We’re having a potluck after the service, and you’re invited. Please join us. There’s tasty coffee and doughnuts in the fellowship area on the right.”

Genesis 18 provides the best Bible lesson on hospitality, portraying an extravagant example of Abraham’s kindness to strangers.

Friendliness and Warmth

Churches can convey the warmth of their church by individually greeting guests, even at their seats, and making them feel recognized and welcome. Do not ask their names, rather say, “I’m Freda and so happy to welcome you. My husband Bill and I sit over there. Let us know if we can answer your questions.” These simple statements convey a sense of friendliness and warmth.

Well-delivered, Bible-based teaching

Music deepening the worship

Huge cultural clashes occur over music in today’s churches. The conservative hymn, organ, and choir crowd does not appreciate the contemporary music scene, while the younger set enjoys rock n’ roll music so prominent in many megachurches. Some churches provide a buffet of all the musical flavors, trying to please everyone. I look for several factors in church music. Regardless of the type of music, can I actually hear the lyrics? Is the sound level appropriate for my hearing? Does the music actually increase the depth of the worship, the sermon, and tie to the themes of the day? What doctrine or theology does the music express? Many local churches have musical sets lasting a half-hour to 45 minutes. A band member commands people to stand, and standing the entire time, sing mostly unrecognizable music. That’s unacceptable. Sound levels in the 115 to 120 decibel range are disrespectful and damaging, but flourish in many churches. Finally, music people should invite people to stand instead of commanding. A good example is, “I’d like to invite all who can stand to do so and join us in singing ‘Beneath the Cross of Jesus’.”

Visiting a guest-friendly church can be wonderful; otherwise be prepared for a painful experience.

Chris Thompson is a religion scholar who visits local churches and writes about his experiences and matters of faith on his blog, Church Visits, at adn.com/churchvisits.

Original ADN Article
http://www.adn.com/article/20140704/chris-thompson-whats-it-visiting-church-guest-friendly-service

By Chris Thompson
Anchorage