by Phil McCallum

A visitor wandered into our church office and I sighed as I watched a receptionist give only a furtive glance while other staff brushed past to get "work" done. After the newcomer left I called a snap staff powwow.

I tossed a wad of money on the meeting table. "Why do you notice this money," I asked. "Value" was the answer. Then I elaborated, "A human of immeasurable value, crafted in the image of God, woven with a unique design, designed to endure forever, walked into our building and he was not welcomed with soul-warming eye contact, seated with honor, refreshed with coffee and cherished."

Our team made a choice that day to develop a "you perspective" in our office. From that day onward guests were drown in beverages and kindness.

1. Welcome starts when our world stops for people the way Jesus stopped his life for us.
   

1. Ushers are not to be like aloof Secret Service agents, but leaders who can take a person from "stranger" to "friend" in under three seconds.
   

1. Kids need to become more than background noise, but little people enjoyed at knee level as much as adults.
   

1. Jesus regularly stopped his day to make the day of just one person eternally memorable; we should too.

It was Mother Teresa who instructed the Sisters of Charity, "When you sweep the floor, do not do it with a broom but with your heart." When greeters pass out bulletins they should not do so with their hands but with their hearts.

People are smart. They can sniff the difference between plastic coating and the presence of Christ.

It takes more than lipstick to make a smile. If we connect every act with love Jesus shows up and his presence lingers long after the greeting. Let all of our welcome flow from the inside out.

1. GuestReflections.com offers something like a “mystery shopper” service for churches to give a candid, independent evaluation of your congregation’s welcome.

Welcome is more than saying “hello”; welcome communicates, "You are home where you belong!"

That's what Myra felt when she first visited our church. She had not attended church since she was a little girl in England 30 years before. Crisis brought her through the doors on Sunday.  She looked travel-exhausted, but her face beamed in our foyer as if she had found a place to safely drop her bags.

Myra later explained, "I felt when I came in the church door that I had arrived home." 

1. A greeter at the door is more than a human leaflet stand; he or she is the first step in turning a facility into a family.
   

1. Make people at your church feel they have come home through your warm smiles and reassuring eye contact.
   

1. Shake hands with both hands, using the extra appendage to squeeze an arm or pat a shoulder. That extra touch communicates heart.
   

1. Remind parking attendants that their main role is not to park cars but be the first impression of the church’s heart.
   

1. Deputize the entire congregation as greeters and suggest ways each Sunday they can welcome each other. Have them ask how long others have attended the church, how many live in their home, what is the color of their car, do they like cats or whatever it takes to give people permission to relate.
   

1. Give each greeter an assistant who asks the name and quickly writes a nametag with a smiley face. 

I love going to the movies because long before I reach my seat I feel like something special is coming. Lighting effects, posters, displays, ceiling baubles, velvet ropes, thick carpets and pungent popcorn remind me that I am going to have an experience.

People should come to church with a sense of expectation that God is going to speak to them words that will last forever.

1. That anticipation needs to start in the parking lot with flags and signs as inspiring as a shopping mall and even weatherproof speakers serenading the sidewalk from the shrubbery.  One church I visited had sun sails and full color pictures on the outside of their building.
   

1. At another church the parking attendants wear Mickey Mouse gloves to direct traffic.
   

1. One church passes out candy to children in the parking lot. 
   

1. In the entry, let the Martha Stewarts of your church create ambience with decor that changes from time to time depending on the theme.
   

1. One more hint: have welcomers stand outside (weather permitting) instead of inside the door.  A smiling face is always the best welcome mat.

Imagine after service that your foyer floor is not covered with carpet but with flypaper to help people stick around long enough so that relationship happens.

How can you make your after service "sticky"?

1. Start with food. There is nothing like a drink and something to eat to give people permission to talk.
   

Many churches have cafes, and they are excellent, but try making some food free so everyone is included.  One church with over 2,000 in weekend services offers a free lunch every Sunday just to help people to stay and relate.

1. Fill the foyer with conversation pieces that change on a regular basis.
   

1. Have the men of the church display their motorcycles and sports cars.
   

1. Have a Sunday to honor the emergency services replete with fire trucks and ambulances. One church even hung a small airplane in the entry! Try anything to get people talking to strangers.
   

1. Have volunteers create balloon art, face painting or even roving performers.
   

1. Most of all consider live music that supports not suffocates conversation. 
   

1. Once in awhile throw a themed foyer event with food, decor and music for a feeling of fiesta, luau, or even tribal Africa.
   

1. Whatever it takes, give people a reason to say longer than they planned on so strangers turn into friends and into disciples.

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