Wayne Hedlund

Category: Great Sunday Services

  • The Sunday Service Video Clip

     

    We all have unique preferences regarding how we like our food. Some like it bland, others spicy. Personally, I like my food to have a lot of flavor and spices whenever possible. Everyone who eats with me is pretty used to hearing, “Pass the salt and pepper please.”

    I would like to introduce a couple of websites that can and will add some ‘spice’ to your Sunday morning experience. These clips usually range in price from $5 – $20. Despite the minor expense, they will often help bridge the gap between a good and great Sunday morning experience.

    I highly recommend you check them out today!

  • Sunday Morning Announcements

     
     

    Remember our friend, Charlie Brown from the Peanuts comic strips and cartoons? You probably do, and you probably remember how realistic the sound of the school teacher was during those old fashioned episodes . . . “Wah, wa, wha, wha, wah, waah, wa, wah, whaa, wha, whah, wah.” Wow. Just quoting it reminds me of Jr. High History Class all over again.

    Question. Is that what your congregation hears during the Sunday Morning Announcements? I hope not. The announcements usually get a bum rap. Just for kicks, check off how many of the following are true at your church:

    • You traditionally have more than 3 announcements each week, often 5 or more.
    • You decide what will be announced early Sunday morning.
    • The emcee reads most of the information to the congregation; usually that’s also the first time they’ve personally seen or thought about the announcements themselves.
    • Each announcement is nothing more than a regurgitation of what’s already in the bulletin – a lot of basic information like who, what, when, and where.
    • The emcee sounds like my Jr. High History Teacher.
    • There are no slides or images displayed during each announcement.
    • There ARE slides during each announcement and your 5th grader could have done a better job.
    • The announcements average 5 minutes or more, sometimes up to 10 minutes.
    • The content of each announcement often doesn’t include how to sign up or get more involved.
    • You don’t plan to attend most of what is announced, or you wish you didn’t have to.
    I could go on, as I’m sure you can. I can honestly say that we’ve fallen into every one of these traps at some point or another at Elim Gospel Church. How about you?
     
    Question. What can you do different THIS WEEK to change those patterns? Here are a few random suggestions:
    • Sell Your Announcements.
      If you think it’s important to say, then don’t just say it, SELL IT! The whole point of the announcement is to give people a reason to care. Focus on WHY they should participate, not when and where it’s happening.
       
    • Information is Overrated.
      Seriously. Your people are pretty smart. Most of them know how to read. If it’s in the bulletin or on your website, then point them there to get all the nitty gritty details. When was the last time you saw someone pulling out their pen and writing all the information in their calendar on the edge of their seats during the announcement anyway?
       
    • Find a Good Talker to Do the Talking.
      If you’re going to sell your announcements, then find someone who can and will be passionate about selling them. Monotone is so NOT in.
       
    • Announce Something, Not Everything.
      Ideally, you’ll only highlight 2-3 key activities. I know this means you just might offend your ministry directors – that’s OK. They’re not serving as leaders for themselves, but for the church, right? Right?
       
    • Follow the 4 Minute Rule . . . (wait, I mean 3 minute)
      Make a rule of thumb that you’ll never spend more than 4 minutes on announcements. Offer your emcee a bonus if they can communicate them effectively in 3 minutes. Not possible? Give it a try.
       
    • Create Standards on ‘What’ Will Be Announced
      Not all of your church activities carry the same weight. I recommend you reserve verbal announcements for events that will apply to a large portion of those present in the room OR to people who are still new to your church and may not be sure what their next steps should be.
       
    • Decide on Announcements Ahead of Time
      One of the ways to keep your announcements focused and intentional is to decide ahead of time exactly WHAT will be announced. For instance, is it  possible for you to think through and decide on Sunday announcements for each week a month in advance? You’d be shocked how effective this method can be in clarifying what you will announce, when, and how often.
       
    • Prepare, Prepare, Prepare.
      Your emcee should prepare in advance. Ideally, he or she will know a day or two ahead of time and will PRACTICE communicating the announcements in privacy or in front of a captive audience.
       
    • Creative Announcements
      Mix things up every once in a while with a creative announcement. This doesn’t have to take a lot of time, but will still add value to the service and give people something to talk about. For example, one Sunday we had two men drive into the sanctuary in a golf cart and tee up for a shot to announce our upcoming EGC Open Golf Tournament.
       
    • Video Announcements
      Every once in a while someone will mention to me that video announcements are reserved only for large churches. I have to disagree. You probably already own enough equipment to put together some basic video announcements. (My phone even has High Def Video capabilities.) There are two teens at our church right now who have taught themselves how to edit video’s. One of those teens has created video announcements for the teen program on occasion. Video Announcements can be a simple way to mix things up in your service and ensure your church activities get the attention and focus they need. See below for a few examples of some standard video announcements at EGC. (Note: Our video editor is a professional. You’re VA’s may not look quite as polished as these, at least at first. That said, Dave Bode learned a lot of what he knows about video editing by creating video’s for our church.)

    https://youtu.be/R_n-2o1fa6E

    https://youtu.be/ItcR5f8E0G8

    https://youtu.be/Kt2bxdcn8xs

    https://youtu.be/yWE1_UNYC2w

  • Hosting Great Services

     

    Perhaps you’ve had the unfortunate experience of attending a church service that was a major flop. Let me describe for you what I would define as a ‘flop’. People are unprepared, there are a myriad of distractions, and there doesn’t seem to be any sense of the Presence of God throughout the meeting. That’s not to say that the Lord isn’t/wasn’t speaking. We all are quite aware that He can and will speak whenever and however He wants. That said, we are also aware that God has entrusted to His people to be facilitators and instruments of His words (more on that later).

    This month I will begin unpacking key ideas and principles regarding the Sunday morning services. As Executive Pastor at Elim Gospel Church it has been one of my primary roles to ensure the Sunday experience shines with excellence and that everyone works in tandem to accomplish the mission God sets for us each week. I look forward to unpacking what I’ve learned in upcoming weeks, so stay tuned!

    Additionally, I invite you to consider purchasing the “Hosting Exceptional Sunday Services” workshop by going to the Transforming Leader store. This workshop summarizes the 6 key elements of a Sunday Service and, more importantly, how to pull them all together to form an Exceptional Sunday Service. The workshop includes several additional resources and is available for purchase on CD or as a download. Click here to purchase the workshop today.

  • 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?