A Potpourri of Guest Improvement Ideas

Visit your church again.

How familiar are you with your own church building and campus? We all tend to get comfortable with our own surroundings and overlook what our guests see. Try to see your facilities through a fresh set of eyes – your guest’s eyes.

• How easy is it to drive onto your campus and find convenient parking close to your buildings?

• What’s the condition of the parking lots, sidewalks, and landscaping?

• Are there greeters and parking lot helpers to guide you into the building?

• Are the buildings and rooms identified?

• Is there a welcome area that is warm and inviting and that has smiling helpful people staffing it?

• Do you have a café or refreshment area nearby for guests and members?

• If you have children, it is easy to find the right place for them? Do the security measures in place give you a sense of peace as you leave your child?

Visit another church in your community.

What can you learn from visiting another church? How do they handle parking and greeting? What kinds of signage do they use? How are the people greeting one another? Do feel like they’re invading your “space,” or are you comfortable? When you first walk inside the building, what do you smell? Is the area visually cluttered or pleasing? What’s the noise level like? Is there a café area? Is it clean? Overall, does the facility make you feel welcome? How does the personal impact of the people fit in to the surroundings?

Visit other types of places and engage all your senses

The next time you dine out, take on the role of a critic. Not just of the food but of the total experience. What are your impressions of the parking area, the restaurant, the host/hostess, wait time and the staff. How was the experience? What wowed you? You’re not trying to find something wrong. You’re trying to train yourself to use all your senses to imagine what guests are experiencing when they come to your church. Mark Waltz’s book “First Impressions” has a great “Be the Guest” form that helps you use your senses to record and learn from experiences at churches, restaurants, shopping areas – anywhere people experience life.

Identify potential distractions – and work to remove them

If your guests become distracted because they can’t find a place to park or their children’s room has an odor in it, you will have a difficult time re-engaging them for the real experience you’re trying to establish: a personal encounter with Jesus. When you eliminate potential or obvious distractions, you are one step closer to satisfying your guests.

Company is coming – are you ready to “Wow” them? Use your common sense to engage all of your guest’s senses and their first impression will be a positive – and lasting one.

Expand your “sensory knowledge” by reading:

• “First Impressions: Creating Wow Experiences in Your Church.” Mark L. Waltz.

• “How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci.” Michael J. Gelb

• “Chocolates on the Pillow Aren’t Enough.” Jonathan M. Tisch

As a church development consultant, Bob Adams brings a wealth of church experience to church facility design and management. After serving in three church associate and executive pastor positions for more than 23 years, he joined the JH Batten Team in 2004 in order to further his passion: helping churches make the most of ministry opportunities through effective use of all their resources. Adams is active in local, regional and national church-development trends, including green church design and operations, the multisite movement, and hospitality in the church. A favorite conference speaker, he is also involved with NACDB and NACBA. He can be reached at badams@jhbatten.com.