Interestingly enough most of the time we out think ourselves when it comes to first impressions. I’ve been guilty.
Early in my ministry I didn’t spent enough time thinking through the way outsiders saw the church and it truly cost me in helping others take a next step.
Around the ten year mark I probably spent too much time thinking through every possible scenario… probably talked myself out of some really great ideas.
In the past 5 years I’ve come to a place of balance in my approach making good, sound first impressions that have substance…
Remember, don’t out think your common sense when it comes to making a good first impression.
Just a thought !
Too often in the local church we fail to make tough decisions about errors we find in print. It’s late on a Tuesday afternoon. All copy was to be to the printer by 3:00 p.m. to be ready for the upcoming weekend. We deliver it at 2:59:59 p.m. to our Communications Director or whomever is in charge of printing for the weekend. We think our job is done. Then Friday afternoon comes and the bulletins, worship guides, preschool/children’s worksheets, youth handouts… whatever it may be comes back from the printer.
The print is delivered to our office for distribution late on Friday afternoon. We decide to read through it just to see how it reads now that it is back from print. And there it is… a spelling error, a typo, incorrect date, a grammatical error, an indent error, or run on sentence.
What do you do?
Too often I find that most will chalk it up and say, “Oh well, they’ll never see it” or “I’ll correct it when I do announcements”. WRONG… they will see it, and they are not listening to your announcements. If your lucky they will not post it to ever social media outlet on the planet or be seen as a newspaper clipping that Jay Leno reads to the world on late night TV.
If you see it… they see it.
Companies pull last minute print pieces all the time due to errors. They understand the importance of a great impression and the lack of excellence when print goes out with known errors.
Let me encourage you that when you find an error even at the final hour… PULL IT.
I recall a church I was consulting with back a couple of years ago that had a sign above an exterior door that led from their main parking lot to the worship center. It was a white sign with great big black letters that hung above the door and read,
Guest Entrance only
Now I don’t know about you, but if I were a first time guest you wouldn’t find me entering that door. Not to mention the door was solid wood, it was closed, and there was no window in it…. no greeter… nor any traffic moving in and out. If I were someone unfamiliar with church and/or your church the last door you’d see me entering would be a closed, solid wood door at the back of your building… Who knows what’s going on on the other side of that door. There could be holy people wanting to lay hands on me, sprinkle me with water, give me the holy spirit, pray with me, throw a bible my way, weird stuff could be going on behind a solid wood door that only “guest”s can enter.
And if that weren’t enough, everyone else entering from the same parking lot was entering a set of double glass doors about 75 feet away that had greeters, glass, and the doors were open. Through the glass doors you could see the foyer, people laughing, kids playing, etc… You could see life through double glass doors.
You never know how something like this affects others until another set of eyes helps you see it.
We’d love to help your church see more clearly. Please give us a call to set up your consultation.
One of my greatest learning’s in ministry over the past 15 years is to always ask the question, “Why”? If someone is afraid of answering the why questions of leadership for you, then there are other things lying around that they are just as uncomfortable answering.
I heard this poem again this week and I wonder what it would have been like if only one would have asked, “why”?
The Charge of the Light Brigade
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
1.Half a league, half a league, Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death Rode the six hundred.
“Forward, the Light Brigade!
“Charge for the guns!” he said:
Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred.
2.”Forward, the Light Brigade!”
Was there a man dismay’d?
Not tho’ the soldier knew Someone had blunder’d:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred.
3.Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them Volley’d and thunder’d;
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell Rode the six hundred.
4.Flash’d all their sabres bare,
Flash’d as they turn’d in air,
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while All the world wonder’d:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro’ the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel’d from the sabre stroke Shatter’d and sunder’d.
Then they rode back, but not Not the six hundred.
5.Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them Volley’d and thunder’d;
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro’ the jaws of Death
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them, Left of six hundred.
6.When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made! All the world wondered.
Honor the charge they made,
Honor the Light Brigade, Noble six hundred.
Copied from Poems of Alfred Tennyson,
J. E. Tilton and Company, Boston, 1870
I don’t recommend living by the three most famous lines in this poem, “Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die:” If you are to lead and/or follow…. Ask why? It will help you regardless of the situation you find yourself in.
Here is a brief look at how we might be able to serve you. Please do not hesitate to call (949) 682-5887 or email kerry@streettotheseat.com to book a healthy church consultation.
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Many options are available to serve you from phone consultations to on site consultation. We provide communication, coaching, & consulting to pastors, churches, denominations, and associations in the areas of:
1. Evaluation of Systems and Structures for health and balance around the purposes of the Bible.
provision of an in-depth look into how you have organized your staff; as well as, your volunteer personnel. Including how it meets your mission/vision and goals you have set for your church and/or organization
a comprehensive assessment of systems that you have in place, their effectiveness and recommendations for health and growth
2. Leadership development for pastors, staff, and lay leaders
mentoring for senior pastors, individual staff members, and/or entire staffs
addressing the needs of the church and the emerging generation and the leadership required to lead in this culture
3. Small Group Ministry Development
developing a healthy small group ministry
evaluation of current small group health
recommendations for future health
leadership training for small group staff and ministry partners
4. Sunday School & Small Group Development as a both/and strategy
if you have Sunday School and don’t want to give it up…then what? We have experience in launching Small Groups alongside of Sunday School and what you can expect. Learn from our mistakes and determine for yourself if it can work for you
5. First impression evaluations, ministry development and implementation; as well as, enlistment, training, and placement of ministry partners
Traffic, Greeters, Ushers, First Aid Teams, Security, Ministry Promotion, Welcome/Information Centers, Campus Cleaning, Campus Hosts, Response Card Use, and next steps.
Worship, Sunday School, and Small Group evaluation
Communication assessment
6. Follow-up and Assimilation
Response Card follow-up and how to use them most effectively
New Believers ministries – design, development, and implementation
Baptism Ministry development and tools for successful follow through
Communion Teams and how they can be implemented through small groups
Discovery / Membership Class(s) – assessment, design/development, and implementation of a discovery and/or membership class or classes as well as continued training and support for staff and lay leaders who are leading the ministry.
Implementation of an effective C.L.A.S.S. System as foundational steps to a healthy and balanced church (Purpose-Driven).
Here is a simple first impression most persons never even think about. Who’s answering your phone. Nine times out of ten the person answering your church phone makes or breaks the impression.
Not only who, but how they answer the phone is very important. And if no one answers then the voice message is just as important.
My wife, Stephanie has been the voice for Hope Crossing these past several months. If you call her you’ll hear these words, “HI, this is Stephanie with Hope Crossing Community Church, how may I help you today.”
Couple of tips:
be cheerful
welcoming
courteous
genuinely be helpful
know all your ministries
know the contact information for each ministry
be able to answer basic information about each ministry
know what is happening this week at your church… this month… and over the summer
know who to direct calls to from local media stations
know your service times and what is provided for each age group at each time.
know the numbers of all your local support agencies so you can assist in connecting persons with outside help if your church doesn’t provide a particular need.
know local police and fire station numbers in case of an emergency.
know your church address and how to give basic directions to your facility.
One last thought:
Who answers your phone during service times?
People will want to talk when they think you might be there so having someone available during a service time might be of help.
Here is an article revisited that I wrote back in 2008 as you think about this upcoming weekend. I believe this continues to have value to this very day.
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In a recent national survey (2008), most Americans said they’d accept an invitation to attend a church during Easter season if someone would simply invite them! They are waiting to be asked!
In another national survey, the Barna Institute identified five different groups of Americans:
The Unattached (23% of Americans) haven’t attended any church service in the past year. About one-third of this group have never attended a church in their lifetime.
The Intermittents (15% of Americans) have attended a church in the past year, but not in the past month. About two-thirds of this group have attended a church within the past six months.
The Conventionals (56% of Americans) have attended a church in the past month.
The Homebodies (3% of Americans) attend only a house church
The Blenders (3% of Americans) attend both a conventional church and a house church
How do the unattached think? The Barna National Survey discovered that they are:
- more likely to feel stressed out
- less likely to believe they are making a positive difference in the world
- less optimistic about the future
59% consider themselves to be Christians!
62% say they pray during a typical week.
The Survey concluded: “The best chance of getting the Unattached to a church is when someone they know and trust personally invites them, offers to accompany them, and they believe the service will address an issues or need they are struggling with at that moment.”
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Ask someone to join you for Easter services this weekend… I bet you they come.
I posted on my twitter (@kerrymackey) last week the following,
“Pastors, invest wisely in first impressions or no one will be in the seats to hear you.”
Seriously, if we would invest the same amount of resources helping people bridge the gap between what they think church is and what we genuinely desire it to be don’t you think more people might consider at least trying it once.
For the past 15 years I’ve spent a good majority of my time evaluating how the church invests it’s resources within the walls.
I must say we have not done a good job of wisely investing the resources God has entrusted to us. What if we were to reinvest the same amount of funds the the following ways: communicating about us effectively in the community (oral, print, broadcast, & digital), making someones connection first rate when they arrive at the church (street to the seat), helping persons assimilate easily (clear next steps), and help them choose to be a part of belonging to the community of faith (fellowship/serving/small groups).
Pastors, just a thought to consider… What if you spent as much on your first impressions ministry as you did on your worship experience & your facilities?
A journey of living the past 10 years at or above 6 figures ($$) to living by faith. God woke me during the night last night and began to have me write. What you see here are my ramblings from last night.
I have been needing to write this post for several months now; however, I just wasn’t ready. I think I need it as much for myself to flesh out in words my feelings. I hope you’ll find a nugget or two within my ramblings that will give you a word of faith for your own life.
LESSONS IN FIGURES
Over the past 10 years I have had the great privilege of serving at some of the greatest and most well known churches in the world. I was fortunate enough to have gone to one of the most well known seminaries in the country in Fort Worth, Texas and began my ministry at a church of 255 in attendance to serving at the executive level of churches of 3000, and two churches over 20,000 in weekly attendance with multiple campuses.
During those times over the past ten years I was honored to have a very nice salary, health, life, dental, vision insurance, church supported HSA’s, retirement, and spending accounts. Not to mention access to up to 3 & 4 weeks of paid vacations and plenty of time to travel and conduct conferences, revivals, training events, etc…
To tell you the truth over these years I truly haven’t worried about anything. During that time my bride and I have lived in 3 different states, had 4 boys, and my bride has been able to be a work at home mother and home school our boys. We have been completely taken care of financially. Never really worrying about bills, car payments, mortgage, etc… In fact, we purchased an investment property in Texas and held it for several years. On other occasions we considered purchasing additional investment properties in Texas just in case we ever considered going back, but never followed through.
LESSONS IN FAITH
In the last 6 months God led us from that life of security in “figures” to join our dear friends Pat & Gina Giraldin in “faith” here in southern California to be church planters. On Christmas Eve we started, “Hope Crossing Community Church” in San Juan Capistrano California (92675)
These past 6 months have been the greatest lesson in faith my bride and I have ever encountered. Placing our home in Florida on the market in late August 2009… (still hasn’t sold - potentially will short sale) to moving our family to southern California completely on faith (several people came together to cover the cost of the move), not having a place to live (literally) until after driving into town the second week of December 2009. Finding a place to rent within days and once again having several families help cover our 1st months rent.
Did I mention that at the time we rolled into town we didn’t have a place to start the church for Christmas Eve.. once again God showed up and gave us San Juan Hills High School Gym on December 14th and hundreds of folks came together to make the start a wonderful success. In the past 5 weeks we have been gathering as a church, God has been impacting and changing lives of the folks in south Orange County… cities like San Juan Capistrano, San Clemente, Dana Point, Ladera Ranch, Laguna Niguel, Las Flores, Rancho Santa Margarita, Mission Viejo, and Aliso Viejo.
We have never lived an extravagant life; however, God has taught us what we can live without. For the first time since we’ve been married we are renting a house and not owning. We haven’t had TV, Cable, Satellite, house phone, or Internet for 6 months - no biggie - Thank you (Panera Bread) for the use of your free Wi-Fi. We are turning back our lease car this month. I have started riding my street bike full time. We don’t have membership dues to golf or sport clubs so nothing lost there.
God has also stepped Stephanie and I through steps of faith in showing us daily provision. Never in our lives have we been so dependent on daily provisions from God. We have seen God use the gifts/resources of others to pay our rent, cover utility bills, make insurance payments, cover costs of registering our vehicles, provide groceries, and the list goes on. It has been a very humbling experience as for the first time in our lives we have started going to the local food bank once a month. Thank you to every person who has ever given to a local food bank… your generosity is providing for my family… Thank You!
God has shown us that we are so blessed! In light of the world’s problems we are blessed. We live is a free country protected by the wonderful men/women of the armed forces. We are all healthy. We have a great family, great children, loving parents/grandparents, awesome friends, and a church home in Hope Crossing that just blows our minds with love.
God has also shown us that the vision of reaching this community for Christ… Is to die for. It is causing us to die to self and long for their eternal security in a relationship with Jesus. I was reminded just last night that I have no pride left… For those of you who have known me most of my life you know that is a HUGE step for me. From my earlier years I was in it for me… It was about what I could do, what I could prove, and who I was going to become in corporate America and in the American church. I have truly been broken in the past 6 months. Stephanie and I are both looking for part-time jobs to supplement expenses while getting the church off the ground with the ministry team.
The vision God has given us for south Orange County is crystal clear. We (Hope Crossing Community Church) are a Church relieved of imposed boundaries created by religion, rising up from a generation that desires hope and community, gathering together to grow as disciples, loving God, loving others, and leaving a legacy of love in the world.
The communities we are desiring to love here in south Orange County are in dyer need of hope, love, and a legacy. Our vision is to be the Church in our communities, not to them. We want to be serving in our communities through local Government, Schools, Community Organizations, Youth Organizations, and in the lives of individual families. We are committed to the cities of south Orange County for the health of our families and our faith.
Check out these stats: (10 mile ring around Hope Crossing - 9 cities)
500,000 people
182,000 households
24.4% - say it is important to attend a religious service
50.5% - consider themselves spiritual
18.0% - enjoy watching religious TV
35.4% - considering themselves to have conservative Christian values
17.3% - say their faith is really important to them
25.0% - say they contribute more than $200 a year to a religious organization
I’d like to ask you to consider partnering with us to carry out the vision God has given us at Hope Crossing Community Church. Please consider joining the vision. Your support will change a life, a family, and our community.
Make contributions payable to:
Hope Crossing Community Church
Mail contributions to:
Hope Crossing Community Church
PO Box 4170
Mission Viejo, Ca 92690
Thank you for allowing me to share my journey. I hope that you have seen from my thoughts that my faith is stronger now than ever… on so much less. Being a church planter has shown me a missional-life is a faith-life. Living by faith…
Last night during our bible study and prayer time we studied Galatians 6:9 in the Bible which says, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
Well, these past several months have been off the hook as we’ve planted Hope Crossing Community Church in southern California with some dear friends. Coming from the world of serving on staff with two giga churches over the past 5 years to planting a church from ground up has it’s own assimilation intricacies.
My students at Rockbridge Seminary (an online seminary where I teach) reminded me through their postings this week of our longing for … biblical community.
I am also reminded of a brief discussion I had with Joseph Myers author of “A Search to Belong” back in February 2009. Joe said, “Why do we work so hard to create something God created us for in the first place?” Joe was referring to the time/energy the church puts into “creating community”. Joe said to me, “Kerry, shouldn’t something that God created us to be, come easier? Why do we try to artificially created something…?”
Half a league onward,
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