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Danny Recommends: Book Darts

Every so often we dip our toes into a series called Danny Recommends:, posts that tip you off to the stuff that I…you know. The recommendations might be products for use in your ministry, resources that will...

Q&A: When Helping Guests Acclimate, How Much is Too Much?

Q: How much is too much when it comes to introducing guests to people, showing them around, and giving them information? (question submitted during a recent One-Day Workshop) A: The “How much is too much”...

Top Ten Quotes: The Practice of Godliness

I was first introduced to Jerry Bridges almost twenty years ago via his book The Discipline of Grace. That book remains my favorite of his, though I’ve gone on to read others like The Pursuit...

Want FREE training? Try a Guest Services Weekender.

One of our staff team’s plumb lines is that we show our work. And one of the ways we do that is by pulling back the curtain so you can see (a) how we train...

Q&A: How Does Serving Mesh with Discipleship?

Q: Where should “serving” fit into a church’s overall discipleship strategy? Is it reasonable to set up serving as a goal for all members and then accept abysmal failure without acknowledging that a main tenant...

Guest Services Doesn’t Have to be Either / Or.

When you start getting serious about creating a welcoming environment for the outsider, you’re going to stir up a range of emotions for the insider. Some will be excited (“Finally…I can invite my unchurched friend...

Never Underestimate Your Volunteers.

Several years ago I led a guest services training weekend for Autumn Ridge Church in Rochester, Minnesota. It was November. In Minnesota. And I was not okay. (Tennessee-raised boys are not built for that sort...

How to Turn Pew Dwellers into Engaged Volunteers

We see them every Sunday: those church folks (God love ’em) who are content to slip in late, slip out early, and serve nary a moment. They can bewilder us, they can frustrate us, they...

Danny Recommends: Jumbo Dry Erase Markers

Every so often we dip our toes into a series called Danny Recommends:, posts that tip you off to the stuff that I…you know. The recommendations might be products for use in your ministry, resources that will...

…But Did You See the Gorilla?

You’re likely familiar with the Invisible Gorilla Test, a 1999 study where researchers asked participants to watch a brief video of people passing a basketball. Subjects were told to count the number of times that...