Guest•er•ize (gest-er-ize): to make a church more responsive to its guests and better able to attract new ones. Syn see service, care, love, acceptance.
“Being nice to people is just the beginning of connecting people to your church…But being nice and smiling accounts for only about 20 percent, at most, of actually connecting guests to a church. The important thing is to design systems that provide excellent service to those who attend your church…We must guesterize our churches. Guesterizing your church occurs when you make guests the most important people at your church on Sunday morning. It means responding to their needs in a manner that causes them to enjoy their time with you. It means giving superior service so that they want to move beyond the first visit. To guesterize your church, I recommend that you give your guests the following:
1. The “Ten-Foot Rule” and the “Just Say Hi” policy. Whenever you come within ten feet of a person (especially those you do not know), smile and just say hi.
2. “The Five-Minute Rule” The members of the congregation are instructed to speak to guests during the first five minutes following each worship service. They were not to do any church business or any take down of chairs or talk to their friends until five minutes had elapsed.
3. “Everyone a Greeter” Or a better way to put it is that everyone in your church should be willing to serve others.
(McIntosh, Gary L. Beyond the First Visit – The Complete Guide to Connecting Guests to Your Church. Baker Books: Grand Rapids, MI; 2006, pg 21).
At Our Savior, we have done a good job at the first and third suggestion. People are always very friendly, and many make a point to introduce themselves guest and express their happiness that they have joined us for worship.
What things does your church do? What ideas do you have to make us better at welcoming at guests? Any thoughts or ideas that your have been ruminating about?
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