Growing churches provide guests with exceptional
experiences. Growing churches cause people to feel loved, accepted, welcomed, and cared for. Our goal should be to give guests a great first experience when they come to our church.
If you provide this, you will see your ministry grow. But
consistently giving guests a great first experience can be challenging. There are five key areas you should focus on if you want to take your guest services to the next level and provide an excellent experience.
G – GREETERS
Your greeters are usually the first people that guests encounter. Make sure you have good people in these roles. Their attitude about guests will make or break the experience. It is also important to have greeters that the guests can relate to. Your greeter team should be made up of kids, teens, young couples, middle-aged people and senior adults. A healthy church will have all generations represented.
U – UNDERSTANDING
Train your volunteers to understand the importance of making new families feel welcome and accepted. You only get one chance to make a good first impression and they are a big part of this. It is important that they understand what their job description is and how they can win in the role.
E - EMPATHY
It is essential that you train your team to see things from the guests’ point of view. They don’t know where to go. They don’t know where to sign in. They don’t know how your safety and security process works. They don’t know where to pick up their child. We forget what it’s like to be a guest at a church.
We assume that because we know our way around that everyone else should be able to do the same. Don’t
assume that the signs you have put up will be enough information for them. They need a person that will walk with them and make them feel loved and welcomed. They need someone who remembers what it is like to visit a new church and has empathy for what guests are experiencing.
S - SMILE
Be friendly. A smile is one of the most important things your team can do. A smile says “We are glad you are here. We are here to serve you and make you feel at home.”
T - TRAINING
Train your team how to respond and what to do with questions and situations they will encounter.
Questions like these:
“What do I do when a parent has lost their pick-up tag?”
“Do we allow siblings of different ages to stay together on their first visit?”
“Where is the closest bathroom?”
“Will you contact me if my child starts crying?”
“Where do I come to pick-up my child after the service?”
“Where is the student ministry area?”
“Do you serve snacks to the kids? Are the snacks gluten free? (You should always ask first time guests about food allergies.)
These are just a few of the questions you should train your guest services team to be able to answer. Do these things well and you will see your guest experience go to the next level.
This is an excerpt from my new book "Be Our Church Guest." You can get it at this link.
