Do you have associate or assistant ministers in your church? Are you an associate pastor? Get a copy of my book, The Work of the Associate Pastor. This valuable resource will set associates and churches up for success.
First impressions are huge for church visitors. The average church visitor has made up their mind within 3-4 minutes of coming into a church whether they will return. That is why your church needs well trained church greeters and ushers.
Charles Arn of BuildingChurchLeaders.com writes,
The communication that occurs in the first four minutes of human contact is so crucial that it almost always determines whether strangers will remain strangers or become acquaintances and perhaps friends. If this is true, and it applies to all who walk through our church doors, what an opportunity and challenge it provides to greeters! Those church members who welcome the people God has brought to church have the chance to positively influence these important vistors in those first crucial minutes. In the process, it is the greeters who often hold the key to whether guests return.
Greeters provide a valuable ministry to churches. Here are some basics on church greeters and ushers:
Open doors for people. The Greeters should stand right at the door and open it for people as they enter the building. They should not stand back away from the doors and make people open the doors themselves. We are talking front-line here and that means open the doors.
Provide handouts/bulletins. Churches generally have some level of printed material they want to give to everyone, typically the bulletin. Believe it or not, there is a real art in this task. If done in a perfunctory manner it sends a message to the receiver that the Greeter really does not care about the person and is just doing a job.
Look everyone in the eye. Greeters need to sincerely look directly in the eye of everyone walking through the door. I am not suggesting an interrogation kind of look, rather a genuine look in the eye that says, “I am really glad to see you today.”
Focus on guests. Greeters should always look for guests while greeting. It is important that Greeters not get caught up in the fun of weekly reconnecting with friends to the exclusion of identifying guests. When a guest is identified the Greeter should be prepared to answer any questions the guest might have. Greeters should also be prepared to take guests to wherever they need to go, i.e. the nursery, the sanctuary, etc.
Provide extra care for women with small children. When young families enter the building, Greeters should be the first to ask if they need any assistance. Further, when assistance is needed a system needs to be in place for care to be provided. Greeters should not ask if they can help, receive an affirmative answer and then say something like, “Well, I wonder if anybody is around here to help you with that.” They need to have the plan in place for any eventuality.
If you have associate pastors or ministers in you church, consider buying my book, The Work of the Associate Pastor which describes outlines a successful environment for associate or assistant ministers.
Many churches do not have coordinated greeting ministries. Church greeters and ushers can help a church grow and make people feel welcomed. Here are some resources to get started:
- http://www.churchgreetertraining.com/
- Serving as a Church Greeter
- PDF of Greeting Training
- PDF of Greeting Training
- Work of the Usher
The New York Times provided this information recently on ushering. Did you there is an interaction hand gesture system for greeters?
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