In Who’s talking about your church (part #1), I asked the first of two questions.
Q #1: Why is Apple the most covered company?
Here’s the second question . . .
Q #2: How does your church rank on the most “covered” list in your community?
First, let me clearly explain. I am not talking about a PR machine that is behind marketing your church. I am not talking about how charismatic your lead pastor is. I am not talking about the popularity of your church or the gimmicks that some churches implement to get “covered”. (I am not saying any of those things are good or bad. But, that would be a good discussion.) What I am trying to get at is this simple point. People vote with their mouth – by what they say. People vote with their feet – where they go. Your church has a “reputation” in the community. People will talk – share their opinion – and encourage or discourage people from being part of your community depending on their experience. You first have to ask yourself: Are people even talking about your church in the community? If they aren’t, why not? If they are, what are they saying. Really saying.
INNOVATION: What is your church doing to impact the culture it gets to serve? Are you looking forward to what “could be” or always looking backwards to what other churches are doing? God is giving you a vision – specific for the church you get to lead in. Can you see it?
CULTURE: What is the culture within the walls of your church? If someone walked in for the first time how would she feel? How would he be treated? I am not talking about the “church crowd”. I am focused on the people who have never stepped into a church. What would they experience? Would the experience be grace filled? Would they feel out of place? Would they want to come back?
CUSTOMER SERVICE: Churches are notorious for awful customer service. Phone calls aren’t returned. People are told “NO” – constantly – without ever looking for a solution. People who haven’t smiled in the past 2 decades are empowered as greeters. How are people treated at your church? Are calls returned? Do staff and volunteers smile? Are staff solution oriented or is their first response, No? Are people’s issues more of a burden or do you seek to help solve problems?
The church is simply about people. Period. It is about creating a culture that connects with people – all people – at all points in their spiritual journey. It’s about creating a place that is exciting, welcoming and engaging.
What challenges do you face in each of these areas? What are some solutions you have discovered?
PHOTO CREDIT: Jon Ottoson via Unsplash