First Impression or Last Impression

Not long ago, my wife and I stopped by one of those large outlet malls on our way to a leadership retreat at Osage Beach in Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. My wife was looking for a few bargains, especially for the grandkids, while I was looking for a cool place to get out of the heat on a 100 degree day.

The Osage Beach Premium Outlets is advertized as place where “there are 110 outlet stores from the world’s leading designers and name brands. ” Over the space of about 3 hours, we went through the front door of 25 of them, each leaving us with a distinct first impression.  After the first 10 or so, I developed an idea to write a blog entry that might explain what people might experience when they enter the doors of a church for the first time.

Each store was different – duh! Aren’t they supposed to be.

Some of the stores were more comfortable than others.  Being a very hot day outside, I wanted to feel a very cool air conditioner working properly.  Some had it, others didn’t. Needless to say, I didn’t want to go back to warm stores where I didn’t feel comfortable. First feelings = first impressions!

A few of the stores had salespeople who greeted us about 3-4 steps into the store.  This impressed me, but only when the “greeter” wasn’t too pushy.  A few stores had sales people greet us who seemed out for their own interests or the stores own interests.  They turned me off.  The “greeters” who impressed me and encouraged me to come back to the store for a second time were friendly but not pushy, helpful but not the “stand over your shoulder” type.  First people = first impressions.

Some stores we entered seemed to be nationwide examples of “help wanted” adds.  We had to look in vain for someone to answer our questions, or take our hard earned money.  Didn’t they care enough about their first time visitors to have enough “staff” or properly train their workers? Met or unmet needs = first impressions.

Some stores had signs to direct us from the front door to the department we were looking for, but, then again, other stores had their “stuff” spread out in every direction and we had to figure out directions to and from places and costs all by ourselves. Signage or lack thereof = first impressions.

Some stores we avoided all together because we know they were not a “right match” for us – either too expensive, or they didn’t have what we were looking for or were interested in, or we knew by experience that the store just wasn’t for us.  Personal preferences = first impressions.

All of the stores in this outlet mall looked safe for us (or for our grandkids), but that hasn’t always been the case in our shopping experience. Perception of safety = first impressions.

As we walked through the open door of every story we visited, I was making a mental note of which on if any I wanted to revisit, either for a second look, or to make a purchase.  There was some comparison shopping going on. First impressions may lead to second impressions, or even commitment.

Church Growth, Inc. reports on their website that “in the average church, 8% of first time visitors eventually join the church they visit. But, 22% of second-time visitors become active. If you can increase the number of first-time visitors who come back you nearly triple the chance that they will stay.”

It is also estimated that you only have 3 seconds to make a first impresssion.

So what are the first impressions of your church or church plant?  Here’s a few ideas on making sure you move from first impression to second impression to commitment.

Evaluate on a regular basis everything your church does, but do it from the viewpoint of someone who walks through the door for the first time.

Develop a church web site that simply but effectively communicates what your church offers and is.  An entry page should be designed with a first time visitor or guest in mind. Follow this up with effective written communication pieces and a blog or three.

Make sure you have well designed highly visible signage about your church and what’s in your church. be sure to put your web site address ans phone number on the signage outside. Remember that two of the most important places in a shopping mall are the sign board displays that show where you are and where everything else is, and the bathrooms or washrooms.

Recruit and train people with the gift of hospitality to connect with first-time visitors within 3 seconds before and/or after they walk through your door.  These people are “connectors” who will introduce visitors or guests to other people and places in and outside the church.

Clearly identify needs that your church and its people can meet. Figure out ways to connect people to those need meeting ministries, or resource them to other churches or Christian organizations that can help them at thier point of need.

And check out the following page for more helpful information on creating good first impressions:

 http://www.churchmarketingsucks.com/archives/2007/06/making_a_good_i.html

And, here a church that has developed what looks like an effective first impressions ministry team:

http://www.sevenrivers.org/firstimpressions.htm

Feel free to share your ideas or experiences on visiting a church for the first time.

Pastor Wanted

Yesterday I read a description for a pastor opening at a church.  Now I’ve seen a lot of these ministry descriptions and always notice when one stands out as the kind of church I would love to pastor or attend.  This one had the usual yada yada yada, but then I read something that jumped off the page.  Here’s what the ad said:

Required qualifications:
• Meets the qualifications of I Timothy 3:1-7.
• Agrees with the VCF Statement of Faith (see website).
• Evidence of serious and prolonged study of the Word through a seminary or Bible school.

Preferred qualifications:
• Speaks Truth to a broad range of maturity levels.
• Leads with vision and a cooperative spirit.
• Can hit clean-up on church softball team, cook some awesome BBQ ribs, and plays a mean tenor sax.

This church has an edge over the usual.  I like it’s spirit.

My first impressions: It’s real.  It’s a church that doesn’t take itself too seriously.  It’s a church that wants a pastor who can relate to those who are outside the world of the church and churchianity. It’s a church that loves to have a good time in the name of Jesus.  And it’s a church that loves to play, eat and sing (with a saxaphone of all things – can you believe it?).

I like this church and wish there were many more like it populating planet earth. As a matter of fact, I think I will send my resume to them.

OK, so you want to know what church this is? Check it out:

www.victorychristianfellowship.net

I found it at www.chruchstaffing.com.

Politics in the Church

Wes Johnson, a retired District Superintendent with the Evangelical Free Church, once said something that stuck with me like a thorn in the flesh.  I don’t like what he said, but over a number of years in ministry working with pastors and church leadership the words have been proven true way too often. 

Here’s what Wes said: You can expect that the number of pastor and congregation problems in a church will increase during Presidential election years.

It seems that when governmental offices are up for grabs, especially the top office in the land, people tend to subconsciously want to vote on leaders, either affirming them of kicking them out of office.  An internal debate tends to be set off in the brain of church goers that questions if a change in leadership is needed to solve the “problems” of the church or just give a “fresh” look to church government. In other words, leadership is up for grabs because a “democracy mindset” has taken hold of the North American church, and I for one don’t like it.  My study of the Scriptures tells me that the church is not a democracy.  My study of local churches in North America tells me that the church is thinking too much like a democracy, and not enough like a Christocracy.  Now, I am committed to congregationalism as my preferred form of church government, but every believer having an equal “vote” on crucial issues, especially leadership issues, is not part of my view of congregationalism.

My home church (www.ibckenosha.com) has just gone through a major change in the way the church is governed that should help people understand the role of biblical church leaders and followers in the congregation.  The church now has an elder board that will be able to give attention to spiritual leadership while the congregation participates in the life of the church and community by using their gifts and passion for ministry.  Votes are minimized except for essential congregational decisions, and leaders will be able to lead and oversee the life and witness of the church.

Sometimes, change in church leadership is needed, and I believe the Scriptures provide clear guidelines for communicating this need to church leaders when it exists.  But most of the time, the need to change leaders is really a matter of personal expectations, personal preferences, and personal criticism.

As Election 2008 approaches, my prayer is that godly, biblical leadership will not be up for grabs, but that we will follow our leaders in the church as they follow Christ. 

Even a blind squirrel can find a nut

I am writing this post from the borrowed Apple at my daughter’s house where I just heard my son-in-law say these words, “Even a blind squirrel can find a nut.”

That may or may or may or may not be true, but this saying does illustrate an important principle for coaching or encouraging people.

Here it is – always look for that one positive thing about someone, even if you are having trouble seeing anything positive. And, if you have trouble seeing something positive, ask God to reveal that one special positive thing about someone before you open your mouth. It just might be the beginning point of a relationship of encouragement.

How do you start conversations? My wife is far superior to me as a relationship builder. I’m much more like a blind squirrel. Now where’s that nut?

Don’t just sit there…Celebrate!

I’m sitting in my office (at home).  It’s 9:30pm and I can hear through my insulated windows the sounds of my township celebrating “Bristol Days.”  Just two days ago I heard sounds of fireworks as people celebrated out nation’s birthday.  That same day, I enjoyed an outdoor picnic as a group of friends enjoyed celebrating the Fourth.  This same week, my oldest daughter and her family came up to our house to celebrate her birthday with a cookout and cake.  Sorry, no ice cream!  That trip up was also a time to celebrate the first trip to Grampy and Grammy’s house for little David, our grandson.

Most people love to celebrate, especially when it includes a good party.  Even Jesus loved a good party (see His first miracle in John 2:1-11).

But does the church?  Where today is celebration in the church?

It is my observation that most churches seem to believe that when you receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, you loose the ability to celebrate. 

One church I know held a service where several young people were baptized.  The only problem was they had invited their friends, many of whom were not yet followers of Christ, and did they ever celebrate their friends acts of obedience to Christ.  They jumped and cheered as each new follower of Christ went under the water.  They made so much noise that some “mature” believers were offended that such celebration would go on in the sanctuary.  To them, this was irreligious and offensive – unbecoming of a church sanctuary.  I wonder what the angels in heaven thought of that? (see Luke 15:8-10) That’s not a church I want to asociate with, much less invite others to.

Fortunately, not all churches are lake that one.  But, it has been my experience that there are way too many churches that don’t party enough. Heaven knows the church has plenty to celebrate: when someone gives their life to Christ as a devoted follower of Jesus, when a new believer in Jesus is baptized, when the church observes answers to prayer, when God provides, when a Christian wedding is held and a man and a woman commit their lives together as followers of Christ, when the church observes milestones in its history, when God send people out to serve Him in the community or in the world, when “guests” drop in for a look-see at a worship service or special event, when an offering is held, when a new church is planted,…

I believe the church will become much more attractive on the “inside” to those on the “outside” when we learn to party, to celebrate.  What can you celebrate? Order the food and send the invites! Don’t just sit there, celebrate!

What’s your favorite celebration story in the church?

Thumbs Up for CoachNet

 

 

I’m a resourcing and networking nut, so when I discovered CoachNet I was more than pumped!

Several years ago I learned about this resource developed by Bob Logan, subscribed to it, and began an occasional journey into the depths of its outlines, tools, reference pages, worksheets, and other great stuff.

However, it wasn’t until I went through Coaching Certification training through my denomination in partnership with CoachNet that I really learned to use its abundance of resources and information.  Here’s just some of what I found to be especially helpful and useful in the CoachNet web site.

1. The CompuCoach tab takes you to a gazillion worksheets, planning tools, and other resources for use in church planting, church health and growth, cell churches, leadership and management, and vision, planning and change.  There is also a helpful section on using CompuCoach.

2. The Forums tab takes you to a few forums on specific topics.  At this writing the Multi-site forum has 111 posts.  Multi-site options for churches seems to be the latest hot button for larger churches. (Churchplantingvillage.net, the Southern Baptist “One Stop Shop” for church planting in North America has an excellent section on multisite options.)

3. The Coaching tab takes you to an excellent tool for coaching relationships.  It takes you a little time to use the coaching tool and get comfortable with it, but I have found that it greatly increases my coaching effectiveness, just as Bob Logan promises in his CoachNet training.  It has four brief tutorials on how to use the coaching tool.  Check them out by clicking on Tutorials in the left hand column.

4. The Online Courses tab takes you to an abundance of available courses on Cultivating Church Planting Movements (C2M2), Church Planter, Natural Church Development (NCD), Cell Church Planting, Coaching, Developing Statements and Proposals, Spanish-Language Courses, German-Language Courses, Polish-Language Courses, Implementing Strategies, and other options including other language resources.

5. The My Network tab takes you to a place where you can connect with other CoachNet members, access specialized files journey through the online courses, and access the forums that impact you most.

6. Many of Bob Logan’s training Power Point presentations are available in CoachNet, as well as access to an Online Coach Assessment tool.

7. Another big benefit to the annual fee-based membership ($75/yr) in CoachNet is access to Gary Rohrmayer’s FirstSteps Network for church planters, in itself offering an abundance of valuable and helpful for resources for church planters and church planting coaches.

I find myself using the CoachNet site about 5-15 times a week.

Maybe you have a story of how you have used CoachNet and what do you especially find helpful in it.  What has been your experience with CoachNet?

  

My first journey into the blogosphere!

This is my first blog entry so I am depending on you, the reader, to help me develop this community.  I am a life-long learner (age 60) and follower of Jesus Christ who loves to learn and develop new ideas, especially when it comes to church planting, church leadership, coaching and training.  My wife, Marty, has been by my side for over 33 years, and God has blessed us with three adult daughters, three granddaughters, a grandson, born June 6^th, 2007, and two sons-in-law.  And I can’t forget our two Bengal cats, Pashmina and Jasmine (aka Pash and Jazz).

With the vision of launching a blog in mind, I recently picked up a book that I thought would help guide me into the blogosphere. Brain Bailey’s, The Blogging Church, has not disappointed me.  In fact, I highly recommend it to anyone in ministry who wants to learn more about beginning to blog or increasing the effectiveness of their church or personal ministry blog.  It opened my eyes to see the possibilities for creating a growing community and connecting in new ways with others who are doing ministry coaching.

I also admit that I want to use this blog to help launch a new ministry, Coach and Equip Ministries (web site: www.coachandequip.com).  Starting something new isn’t easy, especially when it comes to a ministry, so I need your help with that too.  As the name expresses, the focus will be to encourage and equip church planters, pastors and ministry leaders through the use of coaching.  If you are a ministry coach, someone who would like to be coached, or someone who would like to learn more about coaching and being equipped for effective ministry, then I’m writing for you.  My prayer is that this blog will be an “E-Barnabas” for you. (For those of you who haven’t met Barnabas, he is a key figure in the New Testament of the Bible whose name means “Son of Encouragement.” He coached and equipped well!)

Since the essence of good coaching is asking good open-ended question, here are a few questions for you: What would you like to know about coaching for ministry effectiveness?  What have been your positive experiences with coaching? In what area of life or ministry do you most need some coaching help? What resources for coaching have you found most helpful? What comes to your mind when you think of being better equipped for ministry? What advice would you give me as I seek to grow a new ministry? What are your favorite blogs?

One final thought, I highly recommend Coachnet® (www.coachnet.org).  My next post will be devoted to talking about this rich resource tool for ministry leaders.

God bless.

Charlie Worley

Lead Coach, Coach and Equip Ministries

www.coachandequip.com