Couldn't Have Said It Better

I found a new blog today. Check out the video...

That one's funny AND painful. We really do expect people to check their common sense and/or the last 40 years of social change when they come to church.

I had a conversation with some members about our facility and the impression we make to newcomers just a few weeks ago. These were members who, mostly, have been a part of Mt. Bethel for most of their lives, and those who haven't, have been part of other churches that are very similar.

We talked about how we could best be attractive and convenient to visitors and that the first part of that impression is knowing who you're targeting. I used Publix as an example:

Which grocery store would most housewives shop at - Publix, Kroger, Wal-Mart, or Piggly Wiggly? Almost all would tell you Publix. Why?

The aisles are wide, the items are in the right places, well labeled, and pulled to the front of the shelves. The floors are clean. The employees are almost always friendly and there is the expectation that there will be someone there to carry out your groceries TIP FREE! I remember when Publix first opened in Valdosta and they were the only store that didn't have cart returns in the parking lot.

Publix is the place that a woman can go for stress-free grocery shopping (no, they're not paying me anything to say this). Whether you've dropped the kids off and have a couple of free hours or they're tagging along, this is the environment that you don't feel cramped, lost, or unsure about what you're buying.

Anybody ever had a cart with a bad wheel at Publix? I haven't. Nobody else I've talked to ever has either. Ever had one at Wal-Mart? Almost every time you say? Me too. Hmmmm.

What about our churches? It starts with the parking lot. If I'm a mom with two kids (easy for me to imagine, because this is Erin's experience most weeks), can I find a spot? Is it easy to find and get to the door that I should enter by? When I get in, am I greeted and guided by someone who knows their way around. If I'm looking for the bathroom and the nursery, can I find it (are there signs or is it hidden a floor below the gym where you have no hope of finding it?

Do I feel comfortable leaving my kids in the nursery?

If I'm running late and come up from the bathroom/nursery and see a door labeled "sanctuary" will it be that door that every church has that will open up right next to the pulpit, allowing every person with a pulse to train their attention on the visitor that has the audacity to not make it to worship on time? Or will it be the door that allows me to slip in unnoticed?

What about worship? Am I sitting by myself for a reason? Am I stealing someone's pew and will I be accosted by a 90 year old woman with a pointy umbrella? Or am I welcomed by a friendly face that will ask to come and sit with me and answer any questions I might have?

Does the worship leader make clear how I should participate in worship? There's nothing like being familiar with the characteristics of pentecostal worship and visiting an episcopal church - oh, the looks you get the first time your hands go in the air. Personally, I enjoy going to a Catholic mass occasionally and trying to anticipate when to sit, stand, and kneel.

Church leaders and servants: Try to see your church with fresh eyes the next time you walk into the building. Pay attention when you go to places like Starbucks, Publix, and other businesses you frequent. When you leave are you satisfied or did you go because you didn't have much option and no real choice? What little things do they do that make the difference? How can you make that impression on people at church?

Now hear this: DON'T WAIT FOR A COMMITTEE TO DECIDE WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE! Somebody will show up to your church on Sunday and you'll never get a second chance to make that first impression. That person could end up being a difference maker for your church or your own life. EACH church member is responsible for hospitality. See someone, greet them. Sit with a stranger.