Topical Tuesdays: Resources
We’re in the middle of a several-week series called Topical Tuesdays, where you pick the topic and I make up answers. You can add your topic / question to the list by commenting on this post. Today’s question was submitted by the Summit’s Student Pastor, Jason Gaston. (Yes, he also asked last week’s question. He’s a media hog.)
What kind of books do you read to help sharpen you skills as the head guru of First Impressions? Conferences? Magazines? etc.
Ah, books. One of my favorite topics. Here we go, no funny banter required. (I was going to toss these into specific categories – volunteers, connection, membership, etc. – but I decided I didn’t want to. So there.)
- Be Our Guest, Disney Institute
- Beyond the First Visit, Gary McIntosh
- First Impressions, Mark Waltz
- The Five Star Church, Stan Toler & Alan Nelson
- Fusion, Nelson Searcy
- Lasting Impressions, Mark Waltz (read my review)
- Membership Matters, Chuck Lawless
- The Nordstrom Way, Robert Spector
- Simply Strategic Volunteers, Tim Stevens & Tony Morgan
- The Starbucks Experience, Joseph Michelli
- Stop Dating the Church, Josh Harris
Don’t forget to include what secular companies are doing in the way of customer service (Disney, Starbucks, Nordstrom, Apple, etc.). Often times the church can learn a tremendous amount by paying attention to these corporations’ focus on people.
While there are not a ton of conferences out there designed specifically for helping churches do guest services, Granger Community Church offers a good roster throughout the year…and they do house calls. Sort of. If your house is close enough. And inside whatever church that’s hosting ’em.
What have I missed? What are your best reads on this topic? Let me hear from you!
The question well is beginning to run dry. Ask a question below to keep TT going. Otherwise, next week there will be pictures of kittens. Don’t push me.
TT: How do you read? You seem to read alot. When do you read and how much do you read? a book a week? 3 books at once?
Alright, I’ve got another question for you.
So, as the Summit has recently purchased the huge warehouses (yay!) it cements the idea that the Summit is architecturally very different than a place like, say, Westminster Abbey. I think the only difference is the color of the carpet, but it’s still a difference. Anyway, please run through (Biblically, mind you) how the Summit has decided to house it’s ministries in facilities that some could call austere. Specifically I’m wondering about the Summit’s stance in contrast to the more established church mindset where the building helps inspire us to worship by providing visual cues. I’m thinking of ornate stained glass, large steeple, high ceilings, copious artwork etc. One example I think of is how Chris Brewer, on his blog Gospel Through Shared Experience (http://www.gospelthroughsharedexperience.blogspot.com/) uses art to tell The Story and finds that it speaks to people differently than simply using words. Why not engage people in an additional way beyond just what they hear?