Author: Danny

How to Use “Scheduled Access” Parking

We’ve all heard the “80% full is full” rule. And while that primarily applies to pews on the inside, there’s a similar application to parking spots on the outside. Think about your parking lot from...

Top Ten Quotes: Confronting Injustice Without Compromising Truth

The next time you’re at an evangelical dinner party, you can bring things to a standstill – I’m talkin’ record scratch on the Jars of Clay 1995 Flood LP – by just clearing your throat,...

You Can’t Be Helpful if You Can’t Be Present

Once upon a time, a friend invited me to tour his church building during a Sunday service. Our mutual goal was to spotlight cracks in the guest process and figure out how to connect people...

Long Hollow Church (Hendersonville, Tennessee)

Each month, we revisit a series of posts called Guest Services Road Trip. We’ll travel the country from the comforts of our couches, interviewing leaders who are in the trenches of ministry. Do you have an idea for GSRT...

“Nice” Can’t Overcome Sloppy

Our volunteers are really nice. That may be true. But the friendliness of a volunteer team will only carry your guests’ experience so far. I’ve had plenty of friendly waiters when the kitchen was extremely...

Do You Like the Work, Or Working on the Work?

Not long ago I did a deep dive into Asana, a project and task tracking tool that our staff is utilizing more and more. If you’re a checklist nerd like I am, Asana is our...

Stop Transacting. Start Relating.

A friend told me this story almost thirty years ago, and I’ve never forgotten it. She was a volunteer, in charge of an upcoming event at her church. In the early stages of planning, her...

Danny Recommends: Podcasts (part four)

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...

Want to Learn Names? Look in the Mirror.

Most of us will freely confess that we’re bad at names. We can try all of the old tricks, and still find ourselves grasping for Bob or Bill or maybe it was Enrico? 45 seconds...

Top Ten Quotes: Ten Words to Live By

My summer reading list included Jen Wilkin’s Ten Words to Live By: Delighting in and Doing What God Commands, and I’m so glad it did. Jen’s exploration of the Ten Commandments was both refreshing and...