10 Reasons You're Not Ready to Welcome New Guests
You don’t intend to not be ready. You really want everyone to feel welcome. You even have some greeters at the front door. People are shaking hands, and they appear to be friendly.
However, every weekend people walk into churches across America and feel less than welcome. They don't know what to do or where to go. They feel like strangers.
Here are 10 reasons you and your church may not be ready to welcome new guests to your weekend service:
Your culture is developed for “family” and every weekend is a reunion. Unfortunately, guests can sense when they aren’t treated as family.
You have a “friendly” church. Unfortunately, people are looking for a church of friends.
Your teams are shaking hands - with everyone. Unfortunately, not everyone wants their hand to be shaken.
Everything seems easy to find around your building. Unfortunately, when people feel lost, nothing seems easy to find.
Everyone on the team knows their task. Unfortunately, welcoming new guests is about more than task.
You have wonderful people on your team who love God and love your church. Unfortunately, not every wonderful person is wired with gifts of hospitality.
Your printed material is easy to understand - for everyone who calls your church home. Unfortunately, there’s “insider” language that makes your guests feel like “outsiders.”
Your first impressions teams - or guest services teams - are at their posts to welcome. Unfortunately, your guests encounter children’s ministry, worship arts ministry and student ministry teams who don’t see greeting as their responsibility.
You’ve assembled a team of ambitious people, intent on greeting warmly. Unfortunately, there’s not a training program in place to bring consistency to the guest experience.
Everyone understands “what” they’re supposed to do. Unfortunately, few grasp the “why” behind the “what.”
If one or more of the above holds an uncomfortable reality for you, your church may not be as ready as you need to be to welcome and accept new guests into your weekend services.
Fortunately, there is help. There is a way to get ready. Getting your teams trained and motivated with vision is possible. And I’d love to help.
I’d love to partner with you in one or more of the following ways:
Join you on your site, with your volunteer and staff teams, to facilitate training - highly interactive, full of vision, simple and practical.
Provide one-on-one, onsite or online consulting/coaching to help you improve your leadership and development of your teams.
Speak in your weekend service(s) to help your entire congregation learn to be “hosts” to your guests.
Learn more and/or inquire about how we might work together. Do it today.
Company is coming. Will you be ready?
