5. Make Kids Check-In Complicated
These days, one of the first things young families do on arrival is check in their kids.
The more complicated it is and the longer the process, the more difficult you make it for families to return.
Safety and security are critical, and church leaders need to collect a meaningful amount of information.
Two quick hacks can help this. Spend a bit of money on good technology. Get some updated tablets or computers that actually work (kids ministry usually suffers from hand-me-down syndrome) and give them meaningful wifi bandwidth so they run quickly.
Then, overstaff your check-in area. Have check-in people meet parents while they’re waiting in line and take their information so when they get to the front of the line they just need to get tags for their kids and go.
Many churches (including ours) have separate lines for first-time attenders and regular families. That makes it easier for everyone because once the data is captured, you don’t need to get it for a second-time visit.
You can’t underestimate how important this process is. During a recent sermon at our church, I asked the congregation how many people were parents with children at home. About 80 percent of our attenders put up their hands.
Imagine frustrating or losing 80 percent of your attenders before they even walk into the service.
P.S. If you take kids ministry and student ministry seriously and haven’t check out Orange yet, do yourself a favor and start now.
6. Keep Your Facility Tired and Dirty
The problem with your church is the same problem you have with your house: You become blind to the imperfections and problems.
You no longer see the cracks in the sidewalk, the tired paint job, the dings in the drywall, weeds in the flower bed, bad smells in the nursery or the lime build-up on the faucets.
Kid’s areas are so key. Many churches use old toys and high chairs that aren’t even safety rated anymore and wonder why they have no young families.
Bathrooms should be spotless. And paint should be fresh. So many churches try to save money by having volunteers paint…and it looks like it.
If someone volunteers to paint, make sure they have the spiritual gift of painting.
Don’t even get me started on storage that leaks into every corner and crevice of the building. Unless you’re auditioning for an episode of Hoarders, clean out your junk.
A dirty, cluttered and disorganized facility signals that you don’t care about them. And that’s a shame, because God does.
7. Confuse Them
Even in a small church building, it’s not always clear where people need to go. Clear signage and a guest services team that is sensitive to when people seem to be lost as to where to go really helps.
You may have clever theming for your kids environments or student environments, but make sure your signage is still clear for first-time guests. So while we call our pre-school Waumba Land, the sign in the main foyer says “Ages birth – five.” It’s just simpler that way.
Similarly, with the main auditorium or sanctuary, restrooms and other areas guests need to access. Just be clear.
What Barriers Do You See?
Notice that these first time guests not even in the auditorium yet? Yet, according to experts, the guest’s mind is largely made up about a second visit at this point.
I pray we all become great at welcoming first time guests to church in the same way we would graciously welcome someone into our homes. The Gospel is just too important for us to miss some of the basics of hospitality.
This article on first time guests originally appeared here.
