Wayne Hedlund

Author: Wayne Hedlund

  • Guest Friendly Signage

     

    A couple years ago we were evaluating the signage inside our church building. Understand, the signs had been posted for about 8 years before I took a real hard look at them. I was embarrassed to discover that one of our signs pointed people AWAY from the gradeschool rooms rather than TO them. Ugh. I wonder how many people got confused about that one.

    Despite this gross error, I can also say that we were still way ahead of the game compared to a lot of other churches. Many churches don’t even have signs. I guess they just assume people will figure out where to go, that they will ask someone, or perhaps that it should be obvious. Here’s a little hint for you – it’s not obvious. Another pointer – they don’t want to have to ask or try to figure it out themselves.

    If you don’t have signs in your building, no matter how small your church facility, then I would like to propose that you may be suffering from an “Insiders Looking In” or “Insiders Looking Out” perspective – both of which are dangerous to your church’s health and growth potential. Check out “Guest Friendly Perspective” to learn more about those malady’s.

    Here are a few simple pointers for church signage. Don’t worry, this isn’t rocket science.

    OUTSIDE:

    • Clearly Post Your Church Name Outside
      Seems obvious, huh? Yes, it is, and I’ve driven by churches that weren’t clearly labelled. Oh, there usually is a sign of some sorts, but they are sometimes small, hard to read, or in an inconvenient location while driving by. Ideally, drivers will see your sign at least 5 seconds before they have to brake to turn into your driveway, especially if your church is on a busy road with speedy traffic.
    • Make It Look Nice.
      Besides being easy to read, it should also represent your values to your community (along with the rest of your building). The drive-by is a critical part of your testimony to the community. If you were an unchurched person or new to the community, would you think your church seemed like a welcoming place when you drive by? Believe it or not, people DO occasionally attend church ‘on the fly’ while they drive by on a Sunday morning.
    • Clearly Mark Driveways, Entrances, and Exits.
      Do you have more than one driveway? Make sure they are clearly marked as entrances (or exits) to the parking area. Is it unclear as to which doorway is the main door to your church lobby or foyer? Place a sign over the door. Assume nothing. Take an “Outsider Looking Out” perspective – check out the signs Walmart posts outside and inside their store to lead people to where they want to go. How might that apply to you?

    INSIDE
    • Get Some Signs.
      I need to make this clear first. If you don’t have even a few signs in your building, arrange to get some. You may never notice them, but they will serve your guests very well.
    • Simple is Good.
      You may choose to get extremely creative with your signs – which is fine, but make sure the actual text and directional arrows are easy to read. In the case of signs, functionality is more important than creativity.
    • Don’t Hide Them.
      You’ll want your indoor signs to be placed on walls or areas that are high traffic. The temptation sometimes is to place them in odd areas in order to make room for other things on the walls. Be careful with that. Even though most of your attendees won’t need the signs after the first few visits, you still need to be ready to serve your guests well. What I have discovered is that hidden signs tend to, well, stay hidden.
    • State the Obvious.
      Another temptation is to not post what seems obvious to you. It may be obvious that the big wooden double doors lead into the sanctuary, but don’t assume it will be obvious for someone who has, perhaps, NEVER been in a church before.
    • Give Directions at the Main Entrance.
      It’s important that there are signs for all of the key areas of the church near the front entrance as people walk through those front doors. If a guest ever gets lost or confused, they will tend to make their way back to the entryway or lobby to get their bearings and figure out where to go next.
    • Lead People Through the Building.
      Ideally, you will have signs placed all throughout the building leading your guests to where they might want to go. For instance, if your cafe area is to the left, down the hall, to the right after the restrooms and then the second door down . . . you’ll want at least three signs. One pointing to the left from your foyer; one just after the restrooms pointing to the right; and one over the second door.
    • Post Destination Signs at Each Room.
      I recommend every door leading somewhere important have a sign associated with it. Again, most of your attendees won’t even notice or need the signs, but then again that’s not who they are for. This includes a sign over the sanctuary doors, the fellowship hall, the kids classrooms and most importantly, the restrooms.

  • What did you say?

    Several years ago I purchased a book by Dr. Minirth called, A Brilliant Mind: Proven Ways to Increase Your Brainpower. Like you, I’d really like to be smarter. So I had a mild hope that this book might help. What I found astounded and disappointed me. The premise of the entire book is that you’ll be smarter when you increase your vocabulary. So the book is full of lists of words to learn, prefixes, roots of words, adjectives, verbs, etc. After a quick leaf through the book I set it down and chocked it off as not super relevant to me.

    The idea kept coming back to me that perhaps Dr. Minirth really knew what he was talking about. Today, I can say I’m pretty sure he did. Language is powerful. Your words can be confusing, irrelevant, boring, disabling and offensive; or they can be inspiring, motivating, informative, equipping and empowering. Here’s a great example from Scripture of the power of words (emphasis mine):

    Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. John 4:39-41

    So many times we can be guilty of just saying whatever comes to mind without thinking about what we are saying and how it is being said. This apply’s both inside and outside of the pulpit. When you work hard at communicating clearly and effectively, you are partnering with God to give the very best to those with whom you are talking to.

    This 2 minute video illustrates this idea really well. Check it out.

     
    What did you say?
     
    Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

  • Guest Friendly Welcome

    Recently, my wife and I went out to eat together. With gift card in hand from a generous friend, we made our way to Applebee’s Restaurant. I can’t remember when we have ever had anything but a good experience at this restaurant. They do a great job of hosting their guests, from the parking lot, to the greeting at the door, to the food and all the way back out the door. I remember receiving food that was cold a long time ago. As soon as the waitress discovered what happened she leapt into action. The end result was a new plate of food, a coupon in hand, and a free meal. Instead of leaving frustrated, we left impressed.

    I think the church can learn a lot from Applebee’s. We can learn a lot from many businesses and organizations who go the extra mile to care for and prefer their guests. I’m sure you can name a few as well.

    How does the guest experience at your church compare? In particular, how welcome do your guests feel within 30 seconds of entering your building for the first time. How about the first 10 minutes? Do you tend to assume that they will feel comfortable and meet a friendly face simply because you do when you walk in every week? If so, then I recommend you check out the “Insider’s Looking Out” portion of this blog entry. The answer to these questions are critical to you and your church! If you would like a quick reminder as to ‘why’, please read Guest Friendly Philosophy. Let me say it another way: The guest’s first 10 minutes will play a huge role in whether they one day experience a God-sized transformation at your church.

    What Not To Do:
    Let me give you a few suggestions on what ‘not’ to do when guests attend your Sunday Service. Please note that my assumption is that many of your guests aren’t just people who grew up in the church since they were 6, but unchurched people (that is, they haven’t attended in years or ever).

    • Ignore Them.
      Seems sort of obvious, right? Yes, and it happens more than you realize. Most of your church attendees are in their own world on Sundays. They may be at church, but they are thinking mostly of themselves; not necessarily in a bad way, so much as in a distracted, non-focused way. They are looking to see if a friend has arrived, trying to get their kids taken care of, already engaged in conversation, or just trying to get to their seat. As a result, your guests could potentially arrive and be completely ignored simply because nobody is really thinking about them.
    • Assume They are First Time Guests.
      Depending on the size of your church, this could be a problem, especially if you tend to have a lot of guests each month, have experienced a lot of growth recently, or have a adult attendance of more than 100-150 per Sunday. We see someone we don’t know, walk up and shake their hand and ask, “Is this your first time here?” Unless this actually IS their first time here, you will have to backpedal. What if this is the 3rd time visiting? Maybe they showed up three months ago a couple of times and just came back today. Worse, what if they’ve been coming for several months off and on. I have known church leaders who asked that question, to discover the person had been attending for 3 years! Ouch. You just said, “You’ve never been here before and I’ve never noticed you, so that must mean you’re a newbie and need my help.” Much better to ask, “I’m not sure we’ve met before. How long have you been attending our church?”
    • Assume They Feel Comfortable.
      No matter how they appear outwardly, there is very likely some measure of anxiety internally. Some people will be visibly nervous while others may seem very comfortable. Either way, as a guest there will probably be anxiety. Will people judge me? Will they ask me personal questions? Are they going to embarrass me somehow? Am I dressed wrong? What should I expect? Your job is to help guests feel safe as soon as they walk through the doors and every minute after that.
    • Put Them on The Spot.
      Churches are notorious for this. I think we hope guests will feel special or somehow honored when we require them to wear name-tags, ask them to stand up and tell everyone their name or to raise their hands if they are new to the church. For most people, this alienates and embarrasses them. Your guest wants to come and experience the service without feeling obligated to commit themselves to your church and perhaps even God. Growing up I had to move around to different schools a lot. The worst day was always the first, when I would walk into the room and have to stand in front of a classroom of potential friends and enemies and pretend I was confident and glad to be there.
    • Assume They are Christians.
      I suspect this happens in some areas of the world than others – for instance, the Bible Belt. At any rate, often we will talk to our visitors as if they already know God. We’ll make Bible references, use christianeze talk, and look down on them when we discover they are ‘living in sin’. Leaders, greeters, ushers, church members should never make the mistake of making this assumption. Again, it smacks of an “Insider’s Looking Out” way of thinking.
    • Pressure Them to Come Back.
      Nobody wants to feel pressured or put on the spot – especially when it comes to new environments and spiritual things. I think it would send the wrong message to them if you asked them on their way out, “So will you be coming back next week?” That doesn’t mean you won’t follow up with them and encourage them to return! It just means you won’t put emotional pressure on them, making them feel guilty if they don’t commit to returning. (      I will write about “Guest Friendly Follow Up” soon.)
    I’ll assign some homework for you this week. You’ll like this one. Go on a date with your honey to Applebees, Olive Garden, or some other restaurant which you know does a good job of hosting their guests. Go ahead, it’s on me . . . well, not really. Ask yourself what you might consider doing different at your church based on that experience. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
    • Greet EVERYONE at the door with a warm smile and handshake, but give deference to guests when necessary.
    • Create a Guest Packet that you give to every guest. Include in the packet information about your church as well as something for free. A CD of a past message, a small book or a coupon to your local coffee shop.
    • When a guest has been identified, offer to show them around and help them get acclimated to your church environment. Perhaps even introduce them to a couple of people who might get along well with them.
    • Offer to sit with them or near them if possible. During the service, if they look confused or need help, do your best to take care of their needs without attracting attention to them.
    • Make a touch-point with them following the service. Let them know you are glad they came.
    • OK – I stated the obvious. What else comes to mind?

     

  • Ready for the Rain (Ugandan Water Project)

    Have you sensed in your heart that there is much more to the ministry God has for your life than you are actually seeing today? Is there perhaps, an internal tension that is hard to describe or put your finger on which you walk out each day. The tension comes from believing there is more of God’s purposes that could/should be operating in your life than you experience week in and week out at the church you help lead. Do you know what I mean?

    If so, then I would like to suggest that the tension you are experiencing may very well be Holy Spirit inspired. There is very possibly more to the calling on your life than you see represented in your ministry each day. Let me share with you a very profound key to unlocking that potential in ministry. Here it is:

    Build Towards Your Faith-Inspired Future Right Now.

    Functioning Water Tank at local school in Kkalwe 

    I suppose there are better ways of saying that – but there it is. Let me explain with a powerful, yet simple, illustration. In May of 2007 the Ugandan Water Project was birthed through a man in our church named James Harrington. The Ugandan Water Project is a humanitarian effort that places rainwater collection tanks on community buildings throughout the East African nation of Uganda. The concept and design is very simple. These large tanks are placed near buildings with metal roofs. When it rains in Uganda the rain runs off the roofs, into a gutter system that drains the collected water into the tank. This simple method is saving entire villages that were wracked with sickness and suffering due to unsanitary conditions. (To learn more, check out their website at www.ugandanwaterproject.com.) As you might expect, it takes a period of weeks to several months to raise the appropriate funds, order and ship the materials, and install the system. Even then, after the tank is ready to go, the village will likely have to wait longer until the rains have filled the tank to the appropriate capacity to serve that village.

    Here’s my point. James Harrington and his team don’t wait until it rains to start building towards their desired future in Uganda. Of course, that wouldn’t make any sense. No, they spend every day building towards their faith-inspired desired future. In fact, they NEVER see the end result until they’ve completed building the water tanks. It rains every year in the country of Uganda. The resource each village needs has always been readily available – they just need a way to capture that blessing.

    I hope you’ve made the connection by now. To be clear, let me close the loop on how this applies to you. A growing church will not wait until they see fruit before they build towards their faith-inspired future. A growing church MUST have a steadfast commitment to build now for something that is not happening yet. This attitude should permeate every level of your ministry.

    What do you believe God wants to do at your church one day? What vision has he placed in your heart that you dream will someday happen? You know it’s been raining. You know the blessing of God is available to you. You believe you and your church has something (Someone) that can transform the lives of those in your community.

    Your first step is the toughest. It happens in your heart and in your head. It’s the step of choosing to plan and build towards the vision God has given you right now, rather than simply staying where you are. It means you’ll start acting like you’ve already arrived before you really have. It means you’re building towards a goal that many around you won’t understand. Reminds me of that guy in Genesis who also had a God-ordained vision to prepare for rain. It’s a good thing he didn’t wait until the last minute!

  • Guest Friendly Philosophy

    Does it seem wrong and self-centered to you when people talk about attendance numbers at church? Do you feel like a hypocrite if you think to yourself that you’d like to see your church grow numerically? Is your perspective one that says, “As long as our people are maturing and growing in God, that is enough.”?

    If your answer to any of those question is “yes”, then it’s quite possible that creating a ‘Guest Friendly’ environment at your church also seems like a waste of your time and energy. I would like to tackle a more philosophical aspect of church growth by, again, asking the question, “Why?” As leaders we need to have a firm and clear understanding why we do everything we do at our churches. This includes the topic I’m addressing this month – “Guest Friendly Churches”. Why does your church need to foster a ‘Guest Friendly‘ environment? Why is it important to have a guest friendly website? Why should you spend the extra money and time to invest in good advertising and guest follow up?

    Why? Good question. Here’s the simple answer:

    Because you have something (actually Someone) to give to others that can change their lives. 

    That’s it. Question answered. You didn’t think it would be that simple, did you. It is.

    The reason why we should desire to see new faces in our church, numbers increasing in the pews, and more and more guests attending and staying every week is because we believe in the mission of our church. We believe God is doing something special; that He is transforming lives. The thought of people driving by our church every Sunday who are missing out on the freedom, purpose, and life that we experience in Christ should be plenty motivation for us to find ways to draw them in. We shouldn’t want to keep for ourselves the knowledge that people are discovering God, getting set free from addictions, being reconciled in their relationships with their children or spouses, and perhaps experiencing the power of God in some unique way every week.

    That’s exciting and it’s motivating. It’s also the primary motivation for ‘why’ people in your church will invite their family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors to church. However, this assumes a couple of things about the Sunday morning experience at your church:

    • People are experiencing transformation at your church. Obviously, if you don’t have something (or Someone) valuable to offer your community then it’s not only anticlimactic for them to come, it’s demotivating for them to want to seek God. The fact is that most of your first time guests are seeking God in some meaningful way – whether they are already believers or not. If they took the time to visit your church then the unspoken hope is that they will find Him there.
    • The Sunday morning experience is ‘Guest Friendly’.A while back I was placed in charge of watching two of our young children while my wife was away all day running errands. Sadly, I didn’t do a very good job of cleaning up after them. After about three hours the house was totally trashed. Later that afternoon I was talking to a good friend on the phone and the thought occurred to me, “Should I invite him to pop over to continue our discussion?” One look around the house was all I needed to answer that question. I had no desire to invite a guest into my home when it was such a big mess. The same will be true for your congregation. Many won’t invite others to church simply because they don’t believe the church experience is really ready for guests. It’s not ‘Guest Friendly‘.

  • Would You Rather?

    This post has been removed. It is now part of my new e-book entitled:

    I’d love it if you would consider purchasing the book and letting me know what you think. You can learn more about this e-book right here or feel free to purchase it right now! Cost is only $3.99. Thanks!


  • Guest Friendly Series

     

    Welcome to the “Guest Friendly” series. In this series I focused on the question, “How can we establish an environment at our church that guests feel comfortable attending and will leave wanting to return again?” Click on any of the links below to learn more:

  • Thursday Quote: Stating Vision Simply {Andy Stanley}

     
    Andy Stanley

    I have heard it said that your mission statements is too complicated if you can’t put it on a T-Shirt. Some organizations call it the “T-Shirt” test. This week’s Thursday Quote is from Andy Stanley’s Leadership Podcast located at northpoint.org/podcasts entitled “Stating Vision Simply“. In this 30 minute presentation you will be left with a very clear understanding of WHY your mission and vision statements MUST be simple. I highly recommend you take the time this week to listen to this presentation.

    “If it’s not memorable, it’s not portable, it doesn’t roll off the tip of your tongue, it’s not easy to integrate into a conversation…. For vision to stick it’s got to be stated simply, simply, simply, simply. This is difficult and here’s part of the reason why – some of you will really struggle with this. In order to make your vision simple it can’t be complete. That means you’ve got to leave some stuff out. It’s not going to be theologically correct, because to make it theologically correct it’ll be too long. It’ll be accurate, but nobody’s going to know what it is. You’ve got to make the decision, do we want to make it portable and transferable and do we want to make it stick? Or do we want it to be theologically correct and accurately complete but nobody’s going to know what it is?”  Andy Stanley

    CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE ENTIRE PRESENTATION!

     

  • God is into Systems

    An Incredible System . . . Made by God

    “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.” Psalm 119:1-3

    I am utterly amazed when I stop to think about God’s creation. In specific, the fact that everything God created is self-supporting. God is into systems . . . a lot. Take a moment right now and see if you can thing of something God created that doesn’t contain systems which stimulate ongoing cycles of sustenance and growth. Perhaps there’s something out there that doesn’t meet that criteria and I’m just thinking too narrowly. If so, please enlighten me.

    For example, we could dedicate our entire lives to the study of the Solar System. The center of that system consists of a massive inferno that can be seen for millions of miles. The light from that inferno hits a tiny planet we call home and triggers a process we know as ‘photosynthesis‘. You may remember from science class this ‘system’ which allows us to survive every day on planet earth. It’s the fascinating process by which sunlight interacts with plant-life to create oxygen. Within our bodies we have several ‘systems’ that work tirelessly to keep us alive. For instance, our respiratory system utilizes the oxygen generated through photosynthesis to stimulate and feed our various other vital systems like the digestive ‘system’ and circulatory ‘system’.

    My point . . . God is into systems. Big time. Systems are one of the primary elements of everything He has created. So if you have ever felt like you should create a ‘system’ to better accomplish the work of the Lord (note – same Guy) then please be released today. I don’t think God will have a problem with that at all.

    Us pastors and church leaders can get stuck into thinking that if we create systems to facilitate various aspects of ministry then we are trying to do things the way of the world. After all, the bible does warn us to “not to be conformed to the patterns of this world” (Romans 12:2) – so we try to stay far, far away from doing things systematically. Today, I’d like to clear that myth up once and for all….

    The world did not think up systems – God did.

    Image Source Unknown

  • Some Great Mission Statements

    Image & Mission of Living Bridge Church in Gibsonia, PA. 2011

    Here’s a well guarded secret that I intend to now make known to all (at least to those who read this blog). Nearly every good mission statement is going to reflect the same ideas as other Christ-centered churches. That would be because we are all getting our instructions and mission from the same Person and from the same Book. That makes sense.

    That said, every church’s mission statement should reflect who they are and why they believe God has placed them in their location. I don’t recommend that you just grab another mission that sounds good to you – at least until you’ve walked through the strategic process with your team first.

    If you are interested in learning more about how to build a mission statement, then consider checking out the following blogs: Mission, Vision, and Values…Oh, My!; Make it So.; Why Mission?; How to Draft a Mission Statement.

    Check out these great mission statements from churches around our nation.

    Elim Gospel Church in Lima, NY: “To help one another experience Christ’s transforming love so that we can love Him, ourselves, our families, our church and our world.”

    Granger Community Church in Granger, IN: “Helping people take their next step toward Christ…together.”

    Faith Fellowship Church in Dexter, NY: “To live in the light of Jesus Christ: revealing God’s love, restoring true hope, transforming lives.”

    Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC: “To help spiritual seekers become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.”

    Living Bridge Community Church in Gibsonia, PA: “To change the way people think about church.”

    Community Christian Church in Naperville, IL: “Helping people find their way back to God.”

    Mobberly Baptist Church in Longview, TX: “To lead all people into a life-changing, ever-growing relationship with Jesus Christ.”

    Northpoint Community Church in Alpharetta, GA: “To lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.”

    Sagemont Church in Houston, TX: “To provide living proof of a loving God to a watching world.”

    LifeChurch.tv in Oklahoma City, OK: “To lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ.”

    Pathways Church in Denver, CO: “Helping lost, broken people become passionate, devoted followers of Jesus Christ.”

    Poplar Creek Church in Bartlet, IL: “To create a people with whom God can fellowship, who reflect His glory and are transformed in His image.”

    First Church of the Open Bible in Des Moines, IA: “To bring people to Jesus by winning the lost, building and equipping believers, and sending them into their ministry to honor God.”