Q: How do you create a guest services ministry that’s not a silo ministry, but rather leads to an all-encompassing church culture? [from the 2019 Blog Survey] A: Every church will eventually deal with “silo ministries,” stand-alone teams whose influence never gets beyond the artificially-crafted borders that have been created over time. In one sense, it makes sense: when a group of people gather …
Q: We are in the middle of a shift where we are putting our primary focus on groups, and small groups serving together will be a vital part of that structure. We do okay getting groups to serve on one-offs or mission trips, but …
Q: Do you have any suggestions or recommendations on how a phone answering service should be set up? [Amanda Stanton, Director of Guest Services, Calvary Church, Clearwater, FL] A: Even in thinking about this question, I break out in a bit of a sweat. …
Q: I’m trying to get a better handle on team transitions between weekend services. At what point does the longer serving team for the first service leave their positions and the next team replace them? [Larry Stege, Pastor, Guest and Member Services, Pinelake Church …
Q: What do you think is an appropriate amount of transition time between services? Does too much or too little time create a negative experience for our guests? [Name withheld] A: If you have multiple service times on the weekend, it’s easy enough to …
Q: Our church officially launched earlier this fall. We had an incredible group of Guest Services team members who impressed everyone. Now we’re working to continually improve. How can we continue to recruit volunteers moving forward? [Justin Dunton, Executive Pastor, The Gospel Church, Nashville, TN] …
In a recent post I talked about our ongoing meeting schedule, which raised a couple of questions regarding how well-attended those meetings tend to be, plus how we handle disseminating info to those who can’t / don’t make it. I thought the questions (paraphrased …
Q: Have you considered requiring your team to wear t-shirts while serving? If not, why not? [Scott Ballard, Director of Connections and Technology, The Village Church, Flower Mound, TX] A: Let me tell you a story. Once, we had a Summit Kids staff member …
Q: When my volunteers are serving, they are often more excited about focusing on each other than focusing on our guests. How can I prevent personal conversations among volunteers while they’re “on the clock”? [submitted via the 2018 blog survey] A: Short answer: you shouldn’t. …
Q: We are trying to figure out best practices for the response time / invitation for our services on Sunday morning services. Would you mind sharing some of the Summit’s approach and practices? [Matt Pearson, Campus and Teaching Pastor, The Church at West Franklin, …