Church Customer Service - Part 2 of 2

Yesterday, I brought up the subject of a church's customer service. Most churches probably have not thought much about the importance of the interactions that Christians have with non-believers inside the church.

Most visitors will not have close contact with the pastor or worship team, except for the cursory hand shake as folks leave the church, or perhaps the post-service home visit. Instead, your visitors will come into direct contact with several of your church members during their time there, and the impression you congregation makes will have a lasting impression.

It's my belief that the most important element of your church's worship team is actually your greeter team. This is the first point of contact for anyone who darkens your door. If your greeters are moody, don't smile or have poor hygiene, your congregation and your visitors will begin the day with a very bad impression. Your greeters have to know where stuff is in your church. They have to open doors, be friendly, and be willing to help visitors find their way.

The next most important element has to be your children's workers, and the crew that checks children into their respective areas. Parents want to know their kids are going to be safe and in good hands. If your check-in crew and your workers don't instill confidence, those parents will be distracted during the service as they wonder about their kids. A childrens crew that knows what they are doing will calm parents' fears over the safety of their young ones. Plus, and this is a huge plus, if the kids go home excited about what they just experienced, there is a good chance they will be back.

Ushers are like greeters in their interaction with people. It amazes me that most church ushers don't know how to ush (hat tip John Maxwell). In most churches, the usher is only the designated offering collector. They don't actually do anything else. In reality, the usher is a helper, and should carry the attitude of a helper --helping people find their way and helping people find a seat (especially in crowded services) -- all in addition to collecting the offering.

And, while this last group of people is last on the list, it doesn't diminish their importance. All your other workers and leaders are customer service representatives of the church, as well. Their interaction with people coming through the church will leave an impression, whether good or bad.

The ultimate lesson here is that customer service is very important in a church. The volunteers and staff representing your church at any given time should be expected to leave positive impressions. Your leaders should coach people on how to perform good customer service.

While your volunteers and staff may not be preaching the message or leading worship, their attitudes and the way they interact with visitors will go a long way toward building a lasting relationship with newcomers.

Church Customer Service - Part 1 of 2

Two recent visits to fast food restaurants in the same franchise have driven home the importance of good customer service.

Over the weekend, the experience at one of these local establishments was memorable for how bad the service was. Have you ever had one of those drive-thru experiences where you have to give your order three or four times, and they still get it wrong? Such was the case.

Contrast that with the recent visit to another one of these establishments where the person at the drive-thru window was cheery and friendly. The order was correct, and you left the place feeling better than when you arrived.

It's all about customer service. Service either makes or breaks a business' reputation. Bad service will run a business out of a town where other businesses offer good service. No matter how good the food might be, no one wants to eat where the service is bad.

Let's translate that into your local church. It doesn't matter how good the music or preaching might be, if the visitors that come to your church are met with poor "customer service," they will leave and never return.

Customer service in a church has nothing to do with making people feel good. In fact, many times the Gospel message makes people very uncomfortable. Instead, it involves the interactions your visitors have with the people in your church.

Tomorrow, I'll talk about some of these areas of the church where good customer service must be a priority.

My Church

"I'm not happy with the stuff they're doing to my church."

"My church is the best."

"This doesn't feel like church anymore."

"Our church is so much better than that old fashioned one across town."

How selfish and arrogant we are when it comes to the church. We get ourselves worked up over this change or that music selection. Our feathers get ruffled when someone paints the hallways, or replaces the seats. We get down right mad when the pastor announces that we are ending a long-standing program.

Why all the fuss? Why do we get riled up? Simple. Because it's all happening in OUR church.

Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 16:18, "Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it." (NLT)

Did you catch it? Right in the middle of the verse that establishes the church, the man delivering the vision for it claims it as his own. Jesus says, "...I will build MY church...."

It belongs to Jesus, not you or I. How arrogant of us to try to steal ownership of Jesus' church, so that we can satisfy our selfish desires! Additionally, it becomes problematic for us to ask God to build our church instead of building His church.

It belongs to Jesus. As you head toward Sunday, recognize this fact and put it into play.

Monday Ten

1. The human body's ability to adapt is very strange. After months of cold, bitter winter, a weekend in the 40s and 50s feels wonderful. But, in three months, 40s and 50s will feel cold and bitter.

2. Speaking of the desire for warmer weather, Major League Baseball's spring training is underway, AND the college baseball season began this past weekend for the Missouri State Bears and Missouri Tigers. The Bears went 0-3 and the Tigers were 2-1 in weekend action.

3. I love baseball. Of all the great sports in the world, baseball is my favorite. I'm looking forward to the start of the high school season, and taking my kids to see our high school team play.

4. Round One of swim lessons concluded for our boys this weekend. We're going to give them another dose, plus lots of visits to the pool before summer. They love the indoor pool at our local gym.

5. My wife is taking swim lessons too, and doing a wonderful job.

6. I learned how to swim as a kid, but probably could use a refresher. However, my main focus is weight loss, right now. Swimming can come later.

7. My weight loss plan is simple: two parts eating and one part exercise. In other words, Eating: (1) I need to NOT go back for seconds and (2) make better choices of what I put on my plate; Exercise: I just need to get some on a regular basis.

8. Major life decisions are on the horizon, but I don't have a clue what they might be. I know that's a vague comment, but it's the reality of the situation.

9. This is going to be a busy week at work. Two things are going to make it challenging. First, I'm taking off Thursday to take care of some personal business. Second, the Baptist Bible College Patriots begin post-season basketball play. This year's men's team has the talent to make it to the national NCCAA tournament.

10. Speaking of Patriot basketball, I had the opportunity to work the broadcast of a game last week. It reminded me of how much I miss doing play-by-play.

Fortune Cookie Christianity

A couple of weeks ago, the staff where I work went to a local Chinese restaurant for lunch. While there, we got the customary fortune cookie.

Fortune cookies are always fun. Inside their golden goodness lies a simple, little fortune. A word of wisdom, encouragement, or puzzling statement. Now, as much fun as the fortune cookies are, everyone knows there isn't any real substance to the fortunes inside. They're just generic statements some company prints out on paper.

While looking at my little fortune, it dawned on me that these pat, little answers are very similar to the way we talk about Jesus in the company of others. I was reminded of the many Bible studies I've sat in where older, supposedly mature Christians would respond to questions in the Bible study by giving generic, easy answers.

I pick on those who are supposed to be mature believers, because, well, they're supposed to be. Instead, I've witnessed time and time again where a deep question gets an easy answer with no real meaning. But, most believers fall in this category.

The reason for fortune cookie Christianity??? The answer is simple. We don't know our Bibles. That's it. There's a reason to read your Bible.

Someday you'll be faced with questions about your faith. If you don't know what the Bible says, you'll look as foolish as a mature believer who gives pat answers to complex questions.

Monday Ten

1. Why is it that so many of the holidays in which we remember the greats of the Christian faith get tainted down wih commercialism? You have Jesus (Christmas & Easter), St. Patrick (next month) and St. Valentine (yesterday). Faith isn't the only thing these three share. The days in which we remember them have been commercialized in order for the corporate world to make big bucks. (Example: A local florist increased their price on a dozen roses by 300% just for this past week.) Yes, I'm complaining. I have nothing against capitalism, but it seems like culture is like, "Hey, here's a follower of Jesus (or Jesus himself), lets make a buck."

2. Did the Valentines Day date two days early, and took my wife to a nice Italian restaurant and a movie. I wasn't over fond of the movie, but loved the time with my bride.

3. Quality babysitters are priceless!

4. Saturday night, I experienced the major negative associated with giving kids a lot of candy. My 4th/5th grade class at church was super-wound up, wouldn't listen, and were very disruptive. PTL for non-candy-related holiday weekends.

5. Sunday was another great day, spent inside all day watching the Daytona 500. What should've been a three hour event turned to a six hour marathon. I hate pot holes.

6. It was fun watching local boy Jamie McMurray come away with the opening win of the NASCAR season. The best part was his tear-filled celebration. Everyone loves a genuine winner.

7. My six-year-old son did his best to make Valentine's Day super-special for his mother and father. He loves arts and crafts, and created a couple of special items for us. He's a sweet kid.

8. You may not believe it, but I'm not that big of a southern gospel music fan. That may seem strange to you, especially since I've worked for a southern gospel station since the mid-1990s, but it is true. My preference is kicked-up praise and worship music. What can I say, I like electric guitars.

9. That being said, I am looking forward to some concerts my employer is hosting this year. They are going to be dynamite. The next big one is in April, and features Gold City, the Hoppers and 2nd Generation. After that, KWFC Day at the Ozark Empire Fair will be Monday, August 2nd. I can't say who will be there just yet, but it'll be a blast. Then, in October, we're bringing in a couple more great groups. That fall date is the one I'm really interested in.

10. I'm sick of snow.

Radicalis

This week, Saddleback Church and Pastor Rick Warren are hosting the Radicalis conference. Some of the country's best teachers and preachers will be sharing insights with church leaders during this conference.

Check it out at http://www.radicalis.com.

Monday Ten

1. Way to go Saints! How ironic that after Hurricane Katrina, there was much speculation that this year's Superbowl champs would be relocating to Oklahoma City or San Antonio.

2. This was the first year my boys seemed interested in watching the Superbowl. They cheered for the Saints, while my wife rooted for the Colts. Loser got to clean toilets.

3. My oldest son was really into the game this year. In fact, he was really into football this year. My wife says he's been watching me and my interest in the sport, then copying that interest. It's both good and weird to be a dad.

4. My oldest boy jumped and hollered around the living room when the Saints won. He was happy, because one of his best friends was born in New Orleans.

5. My son's celebration reminded me of his second Superbowl party, the year the Rams won. I was jumping and hollering, and scared the boy half to death.

6. Superbowl commercials aren't what they used to be. I think marketing firms have run out of good ideas. But, there were some interesting ones to note:

• All the fear mongering over the Focus on the Family commercial featuring Tim Tebow and his mother, Pam, was all-about-nothing. The ad was harmless, happy and fun. Hat tip to the marketers behind it. Very clever way to get people to the Focus on the Family website. And, the ad made the critics of the spot look very foolish. By the way, did anyone else think Pam Tebow looks and sounds like actress Mary Steenburgen?
• The Doritos ads were all pretty good. And, they didn't use marketing firms to come up with the ideas. They were all created by Doritos consumers. I had a friend who helped create one ad. Sadly, it didn't make it to the game.
• The beer ads in years past were the ones that left people laughing and talking the next day. This year, not so much. In fact, they were mostly dull and unmemorable, but at least there were horses.
• Careerbuilder.com let website visitors vote on the ad that should make it to the big game. Sadly, the funniest ad was left on the website. No one got to see the job fairy. It was funnier and more memorable than the "Casual Friday" ad.
• There were a lot of manly ads. Dodge Charger led the way. I like seeing men treated like something other than a dumb chimp.
• Use of the Internet was a premium in ads this year. I saw a lot that directed people to company websites to learn more. Very smart.

7. This weekend saw the kickoff concert of the KWFC concert series. It's a new venture the station is embarking on. Around 600 people braved the snow to see Three Bridges and Chris Hester. And, they all had a great evening.

8. In April, KWFC will bring in Gold City, the Hoppers & 2nd Generation. At KWFC Day at the Ozark Empire Fair, gospel music fans will enjoy Signature Sound Quartet. And, in the fall, we're bringing in Triumphant Quartet and the Greenes.

9. Right about now, Outreach Magazine should be conducting surveys of churches nationwide as part of their annual "census." Results of the largest and fastest growing congregations should be out in eight or nine months. Last year, my church was in the top 10 fastest growing. Should be interesting.

10. It's snowing again this Monday. Most folks I talk to are sick of the snow...except those friends from Colorado. You know who you are.

Monday's Ten

1. It's Superbowl Week. We don't have a pony in this show, so we're picking the feel-good team...the Saints.

2. We still haven't planned out our SB meal for Sunday evening. Typically, we get some ribs from Cheddars, and chow down, but this year we may do something different. Our boys are kinda interested in the game this year, but aren't overly fond of ribs. (I'm not sure why.)

3. The end of pro football season is always bittersweet. The season's end makes for a long wait until August for the pre-season, but it also means that baseball is around the corner.

4. I love baseball much more than any other sport, so obviously, April can't come quick enough.

5. With the departure of one of our on air staff, I'm changing air shifts beginning today. You can now hear me live noon-3p weekdays on KWFC. Jonathan Edwards moves into the 3p-6p slot.

6. I'm excited about some of the changes we've made recently at the radio station, and some that are around the corner.

7. One exciting event coming up for gospel music fans in the first concert in the new KWFC Concert Series. This Friday night features Three Bridges and Chris Hester at Evergreen Church in Springfield. The show starts at 7 p.m.

8. I think people will be blown away by Chris Hester. The dude has some great country pipes. It comes from his Oklahoma upbringing.

9. Today is Help Haiti Day. Visit kwfc.org to learn more.

10. Finally, anyone else sick of winter? The forecast is calling for about a pretty good chance of cloud cover in Punxsutawney, PA‎. I'm hoping Punxsutawney Phil doesn't see his shadow, so winter will end early.