Last week, I talked about some of the signs of an unhealthy church. This week, I want to look at one of the aspects of a healthy, growing church. I worked in a number of secular positions prior to becoming involved in ministry. Most recently, I worked in the Customer Service department of a large organization. It was there that I learned one of the secrets to church growth: Customer
Service. Customer Service is not something that we typically associate with churches. When we think of customer service, we usually think about shopping. But when addressing church growth, that is exactly what guests in your church services are doing: shopping for a church. And just like when shopping for a new vacuum, they want to know that they have made the right choice when making a final decision. After all, which church you attend has a huge impact on your life as a Christian.
So let’s consider for a moment some of the things that a guest in your church might look at when making the decision about whether your church will be “the” church for them. Let’s start with some basic facts.
- People do not automatically decide to become a part of your church.
- The responsibility for their decision lies with you, the church. Not with them.
- The process of membership begins before they ever attend.
- Church growth is an ongoing process
- Most churches can improve their customer service.
Most first-time visitors will decide whether they’re coming back during their first visit. Usually, that decision is made at two critical points in the visit.
In the first 10 to 12 minutes upon entering your church campus. This critical first impression will have a great impact on whether your guests will return or not. You don’t get a second chance to make a good first impression. With this in mind, it is vital that your parking area is not only well-maintained but also have clear signage and directions about where to park. If possible, have a section of your parking designated specifically for first- time visitors. This area should be closest to the entrance and be clearly marked. Your campus should be landscaped and clean. The exterior of your building should look like a place that someone who isn’t familiar with your church would want to check out.
Inside, they will meet your people for the first time. Are they greeted when they arrive? Are the greeters friendly, or just creepy? It’s important that your guests be treated just like that: Guests. What do guests who visit your home for the first time need to know? One of the first things that I always want to know is: where is the bathroom?
Guests with children will need to know what they do with them. Do you have clear signage that points them toward the children’s area? Better yet, is there someone who will help them find it? By help, I mean someone who will ask about their children’s ages and names. Someone who will walk the parents and children to the proper area and then introduce them to the teacher of the class? By name. Someone who will escort the parents back to the main seating area and even introduce them to a few people along the way? Don’t treat them like visitors. Treat them like guests. After all, that is really what they are. They are guests in your church. Treat them as you would treat a valued customer in your business. A visitor is a person who comes to inspect, or stay at a place for a short time for a particular purpose. A guest is a person who is welcomed into another person’s home. A person to whom hospitality is extended. A guest is a person held in honor who is due special courtesies.
During this time, they will also be making the determination as to whether your church can meet their needs. Do you have something in place for their children? Their teens? Is there information on the various events readily available? Do you have small groups? Discipleship classes? What topics are being discussed? Is your mid-week service advertised along with the topic currently being explored?
2. 
The second point at which a decision is made about whether to return to your church is during the closing 10 minutes. What happens during the minutes following the dismissal of service and your congregation heading out the doors for Sunday dinner? Usually, that’s the point at which they all gather with their friends to catch up on what they have missed during the week. At most churches, it becomes a gathering of cliques. Circles of friends gather to chat with each other. There’s nothing wrong with this. In fact, if people rush out the doors as soon as they are dismissed it’s usually a sign of an unhealthy church! But keep in mind your guests. What are they feeling during this time? Left out would probably be an accurate description. What they will remember more than the first 10 minutes will be the last 10. Those will be the memories that are freshest in their mind.
You need to create a culture of inclusiveness in your congregation. This means that they will stay and chat with their friends after the service, but will first be on the lookout for those who are making a beeline for the door. In order for a person to return to your church and eventually call it their home, they should make an average of 7 new friends in the first 30 days of attending. The average number of friends that a guest makes when making the decision not to return to a church is 2 in the first 30 days.
I will follow up on this topic of church growth in the next article. For now, you need to consider the level of customer service in your church. Are you customer friendly? How do your guests feel when leaving your service? Has value been added to their lives because of the 90 minutes that they spent with you?
Be sure to follow me on Twitter @RealTomRawlings for more church growth and leadership ideas.
