Purpose vs. Style
This weekend, somewhere around 100,000 evangelical churches will gather for a Sunday service … and that’s just in the United States. Out of these, a fair-sized chunk will gather with a specific purpose in mind....
Category: Guest Services
Beware the Burden of the User-Friendly Experience
I’m a huge believer in making things easy for our first-time guests: less hoops. Fewer barriers. Minimal confusion. I think many of us would do well to “begin with the end in mind” … to...
The Outsized Power of an Outward Posture
A few weeks ago we assigned a group of volunteers some homework: This Sunday, take ten minutes to stop serving and simply observe: what would a guest encounter that adds to or takes away from...
How Your Building’s Shape Impacts Your Hospitality
We’ve talked before about the challenges of leading a Guest Services Team in a building that seems to have been designed in spite of our guests, not because of them. Whether you’re in a renovated...
Q&A: How Can I “Read” a First-Time Guest?
Q: How can my First Impressions Team recognize when someone is lost or needs help, and what body language cues should we watch for to be more hospitable? [Lauren Hurta, Guest Services Director and Connections...
North Carolina Squirrel Revival
It was a prophecy foretold by Ray Stevens. A couple of Sundays ago – as I was minding my own business at the campus where my family worships and serves – the Slack messages started...
How to Run a Tight Ship from a Distant Dock
People in leadership typically have an idea of how they want things to run. We have a clear picture of what high quality or a finished product should look like, and we want things to...
Brian is AT&T. AT&T is Brian.
I mentioned in a recent post that earlier this summer I traveled out of country. As a part of that process, I had a primary and secondary plan for being able to use my phone...
Lost in Translation
Earlier this summer my wife and I – along with our 14 year old daughter – had the opportunity to visit a couple of long-time friends in Germany. They serve with a local seminary and...
Q&A: Moving from Consumer to Participant?
Q: A ministry like Guest Services seems to enable a consumer culture within our church. How can we move people from consumer to participant? [From a recent One-Day Workshop] A: Let’s be clear: there’s nothing...
