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Four Things You Should Regularly Highlight In Church Services

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Four Things You Should Regularly Highlight In Church Services

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Great ideas!  (Hank)
http://churchfuel.com/four-things-you-should-regularly-highlight-in-church-services/

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Here are some great ideas that work, and can for you too.

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Here are some great ideas that work, and can for you too.

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https://churchfuel.com/five-church-growth-ideas-that-arent-expensive/

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http://churchleaders.com/smallgroups/small-group-articles/304581-seven-shepherding-questions-leaders-stephen-blandino.html

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Some very legitimate advice (Hank)http://snip.ly/avv6e?utm_content=bufferf9b5d&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer#http://www.sethmuse.com/church-visitors-scram/

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How To Demonstrate How YOU Love God, and Love People

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How To Demonstrate How YOU Love God, and Love People

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So often we fail to realize that participation (involvement), prayer (consulting with God), and financial obligation (giving tithes and offerings) are what thrust the church forward.  Here's great advice on how to keep your faithfulness demonstrated.  (Hank)
https://churchfuel.com/killing-the-summer-giving-slump/

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Here are some really great recommendations. (Hank) https://openblog.life.church/11-church-volunteer-recruitment-ideas/

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Here's a great consideration as we look to help grow the church.  Look this over.  (Hank)
https://openblog.life.church/11-church-volunteer-recruitment-ideas/

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"Take God At His Word"
May 21-June 11

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Procedure and standards for team and volunteers.
in progress

• Be a church member & active regular attender
• recognize you are leading and do so in all things (personal, professional, church)
• Audition talents (if applicable) have practice and trained for 4 weeks before being scheduled into action
• be in rotation and be aware of schedule, prepared to fulfill role before you arrive, notify if unavailable in advance time

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We all know church attendance spikes at Easter, and we want attenders to feel welcome when they walk through our doors. Start preparing now to warmly welcome new families by building and training a great volunteer team.

Why are volunteers so important?

People may forget what your pastor said on stage, but they will never forget how your church made them feel. And your volunteer teams are crucial in creating the right environment.

Use these four steps as you build your volunteer teams to create a welcoming environment for Easter. And for our curated list of free Easter resources, visit the Life.Church Open Network Easter page.

Bring In

If you need more volunteers to provide an excellent guest experience, consider doing a focused call for volunteers in the weeks leading up to Easter.

Here are a few tips for leading a serving push.

Lead with vision. A serving push isn't begging for volunteers; it's casting vision for why your attenders should serve and letting them know how to quickly connect with various serving opportunities. At Life.Church, we use the time before or after the message the cast vision for serving, and allow attenders to connect with serving opportunities in the lobby after service.

Create space in the lobby for connecting. Set up a booth or kiosk and staff it with key volunteers or staff members who can answer questions and help your attenders start their volunteer journey. Use balloons, t-shirts, or banners that catch the eye and pique interest to draw a crowd.

Strike while the iron is hot. Help your attenders take their next step immediately; don't wait. If a volunteer application is their next step, have plenty ready so they can get started immediately. If orientation is needed, sign them up before they walk away.

Follow up quickly. Once attenders are ready to serve, follow up quickly and get them plugged in-within 24 hours is ideal. Share your excitement and let them know clearly what their next steps are.

Don't just rely on a serving push to recruit new volunteers. Encourage your current volunteers and your staff to always look for opportunities to lead attenders into their next step of serving. This happens weekly through conversations in the lobby or small groups, and ministry huddles are a great time for leaders to encourage volunteers to step into those conversations.

Build Up

Once you've recruited new volunteers, get to know them better. Help them figure out their special gifts and passions-and let them use those skills as they serve. Online assessments and books to help them learn their spiritual gifts, personality types, or even love languages are great tools that help volunteers learn more about themselves and find their niche.

Also, know that serving can be a big next step for some of your attenders, and many can face spiritual attacks because of this new commitment. Have many touch points so you can help them navigate their feelings.

Want to know more about developing and empowering leaders? Watch this great training from one of our Life.Church pastors, Todd Roy.

Train

Once a new volunteer has signed on and been welcomed to the team, train them! Be sure to share not only the "what" (what they need to do), but also the "why" (the vision behind that action).

For example, on our Host Team, we train volunteers to open the door for each guest, versus holding the doors open at all times or propping them up with a doorstop. Instead of simply telling the volunteers to open the door for each guest, we also share the vision behind that action: a door that's opened specifically for you feels more welcoming and personal, like you're entering a five-star hotel or restaurant.

The best part about training is that you don't have to do it all. Identify a few key volunteers that excel at what they do and ask them to train new volunteers. This offers more connection points to your ministry and gives your current volunteers more ownership in the ministry.

Send Out

At Life.Church we have a saying, "We don't recruit volunteers; we release leaders." Once we bring in, build up, and train, it's time to send out.

What does "sending out" look like? You may find yourself sending out great leaders from a prime service time to staff a new, lower-attended experience time. Or, if you're multisite and opening a new campus, send out your highly-trained volunteer team to aid in the launch of the new church.

Don't be afraid to send out leaders. Have a mindset that requires you to always focus on finding and developing new leaders, and releasing experienced leaders to do more for the ministry.

As you prep for Easter, focus on building up and training a volunteer team that will help people feel welcomed and hopeful as they walk through the doors of your church.

We want you to feel welcomed and hopeful yourselves this Easter season, so we've gathered all our free Easter resources on one page, open.life.church/easter. Here, you'll find downloadable resources, training, apps, and conversation in community to help you prepare for Easter.

Start your free account

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Create a Welcoming Environment this Easter - Life.Church Open Network Blog

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We all know church attendance spikes at Easter, and we want attenders to feel welcome when they walk through our doors. Start preparing now to warmly welcome new families by building and training a great volunteer team. Why are volunteers so important? People may forget what your pastor said on stage, but they will never...

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getting down to an accurate schedule

9am building opens

9:00-9:30 band practice

guest arrive/greet

9:45-9:55 Pledge meet

9:55-10:45 classes

guest arrive/greet/enviornment

11-12:05 service

12:10-12:20 closed and shutdown

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Five Things That Often Lead To Church Growth

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Five Things That Often Lead To Church Growth

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Great information to consider.  (Hank)
https://churchfuel.com/five-things-that-often-lead-to-church-growth

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Why be a greeter?

First time guests often decide whether they’ll attend a second time with the first seven minutes of arriving.  Long before a word is preached, or a song is sung, guests have formed an opinion of our church.  So, those who are the first impression of the church are the ones who shape that decision.  It happens by offering the guests a giant welcome, helpful information and a fond farewell from the street to their seat.

Your role as a greeter:

• Give a warm welcome with a big smile (handshake is optional).

• Stand at entrance with the door open for those entering.  Strategic locations between parking lot and door are also recommended.

• Staff a welcome center before and after worship.

• Answer questions and walk person to desired location.

• Remain in position for the first 15 minutes of worship.

• After worship, look for and introduce yourself (again) to those you spoke with as they entered (five x five rule).

Expectations

• Serve every week, or every other week for six months.

• Select another active greeter to be your own replacement when necessary.

• Arrive 30 minutes before the start of planned event, and in place 20 minutes before it starts.  Following event, remain on task at least ten minutes.

• Dress appropriately, as you may be outside to greet those who arrive.

Next Steps

• Assist a veteran team member to learn the technique.

• If this is a good ministry fit for you, please serve at least two Sundays a month, having had a one month trial period.

Notes

• Go the extra mile.  Be willing to leave your post briefly to help a guest, by directing them someone who can escort them to meet their need. Smile and be positive.

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signals that tell guest they do not belong 

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signals that tell guest they do not belong 

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"You shall love (the stranger) as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt" (Leviticus 19:34).

As a retired pastor who preaches in a different church almost every Sunday, a fun thing I get to do is study the church bulletins (or handouts or worship guides) which everyone receives on entering the building. You can learn a great deal about a church's priorities and personality in five minutes of perusing that sheet.

As an outsider--that is, not a member or regular here--I get to see how first-timers read that material and feel something of the same thing they feel. I become the ultimate mystery shopper for churches. That is not to say that I pass along all my (ahem) insights and conclusions to pastors. Truth be told, most leaders do not welcome judgments from visitors on what they are doing and how they can do it better. So, unless asked, I keep it to myself. And put it in my blog. (smiley face goes here)

Now, in all fairness, most churches are eager to receive newcomers and want them to feel at home and even consider joining. And the worship bulletins reflect that with announcements of after-benediction receptions to meet the pastors, the occasional luncheon for newcomers to learn about the church and get their questions answered, and free materials in the foyer.

Now, surely all the other churches want first-timers to like them and consider joining. No church willingly turns its nose up at newcomers, at least none that I know of. But that is the effect of our misbehavior.

Here are ten ways churches signal newcomers they are not wanted.

1. The front door is locked.

One church where I was to preach has a lovely front facade which borders on the sidewalk. The front doors are impressive and stately. So, after parking to the side of the building, I did what I always do: walked to the front and entered as a visitor would.

Except I didn't go in.

The doors were locked. All of them.

After walking back around the side and entering from the parking lot, I approached an usher and asked about the locked door. "No one comes in from that entrance," he said. "The parking lot is to the side."

I said, "What about walk-ups? People from the neighborhood who come across the street."

He said, "No one does that."

He's right. They stay away because the church has told them they're not welcome.

One church I visited had plate glass doors where the interior of the lobby was clearly visible from the front steps. A table had been shoved against the doors to prevent anyone from entering that way. I did not ask why; I knew. The parking lot was in the rear. Regulars parked back there and entered through those doors.

That church, in a constant struggle for survival, is its own worst enemy. They might as well erect a sign in front of the church that reads, "First-timers unwelcome."

2. The functioning entrance is opened late.

Even if we understand why a rarely used front door is kept locked, it makes no sense that the primary door should be closed. And yet, I have walked up to an entrance clearly marked and found it locked. The pastor explained, "We unlock it 15 minutes prior to the service."

If that pastor is a friend and we already have a solid relationship, I will say something gracious, like, "What? Are you out of your cotton-picking mind? A lot of people like to come early. Seniors do. First-timers like to get there early to see the lay of the land. That door ought to be unlocked a minimum of 45 minutes prior to the announced worship time."

If the pastor and I are meeting for the first time, I'll still make the point, although a little gentler than that.

3. The church bulletin gives inadequate information.

The announcement reads: "The youth will have their next meeting this week at Stacy's house. See Shawn for directions. Team B is in charge of refreshments."

Good luck to the young person visiting that day and hoping to break into the clique. He has no idea who Shawn is, how to get to Stacy's house or what's going on if he dares to attend.

So, the youth does not return. Next Sunday, he tries that church across town that is drawing in great crowds of teens. For good reason, I imagine. They act like they actually want them to come.

4. The pulpit is unfriendly to first-timers.

The pastor says, "I'm going to call on Bob to lead the prayer." Or, "Now, Susan will tell us about the women's luncheon today." "Tom will be at the front door with information on the project."

By not using the full names of the individuals, the pastor ends up speaking only to the insiders. Outsiders entered without knowing anyone and leave the same way.

5. The congregation sends its own signals.

Is visitors parking clearly marked? And when you park there, does someone greet you with a warm welcome and helpful information? Or, do you find a parking place wherever you can and receive only stares as you approach the entrance?

Did you get the impression that you were sitting in someone else's pew today?

Did anyone make an effort to learn your name and see if you have a question? Or, was the only handshake you received given during the in-service time as announced in the bulletin? (Those, incidentally, do not count when assessing the friendliness of a congregation. Only spontaneous acts of kindness count.)

This week, a pastor and I had lunch at a diner in downtown New Orleans which I've visited only once and he not at all. We were amused at some of the signs posted around the eatery. One said rather prominently, "Guests are not to stay beyond one hour." My friend Jim laughed, "I guess they're saying we shouldn't dawdle."

Churches have their own signs, although not as clear or blatant as that. Usually, they are read in the faces, smiles (or lack of one), and tone of voice of members.

6. The insider language keeps outsiders away.

Now, I'm not one who believes we should strip all our worship service prayers and hymns and sermons of all references to sanctification, the blood, justification, atonement, and such. This is who we are.

However, when we use the terms without a word of explanation--particularly, if we do it again and again--first-timers unaccustomed to the terms feel the same way you would if you dropped in on a foreign language class mid-semester: lost.

We signal visitors that they are welcome in our services when we give occasional explanations to our terms and customs which they might find strange.

7. No attempt is made to get information on visitors.

Now, most church bulletins which I see from week to week have the perforated tear-off which asks for all kinds of informations and even gives people ways to sign up for courses or dinners. But I've been amazed at how many do not ask for that information.

So, a visitor comes and goes. The church had one opportunity to reach out to him or her and blew it.

A church which is successful in reaching people for Christ will use redundancy. That is, they will have multiple methods for engaging newcomers, everything from greeters in the parking lot to friendly ushers to attractive bulletins and after-service receptions.

8. No one follows up on first-timers.

One of the ministers of my church helped me with this. He said, "Asking people to fill out a guest card implies that there will be some kind of contact with them afterwards." He pointed out that our pastor informs them "no salesman will call," but even so, "Someone phones many visitors and letters go out to most."

The first-timer who visits a church and does everything right has a right to expect some kind of follow-up from a leader of that congregation.

We're frequently told that people today cherish their privacy and do not want to give their name and contact information until they decide this church is trustworthy. My response to that is: it's true, but not universally true. Many people still want to be enthusiastically welcomed and will respond to invitations to give given the grand tour and taken to lunch afterwards.

In most cases leaders can tell from guest cards whether a visit will be welcomed. If not, at the very least a phone call should be made. If the caller receives an answering machine, he/she leaves the message and may decide this is sufficient for the first time. (Every situation is different. There are few hard and fast rules. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you.)

9. Intangibles often send the signals loud and clear.

In one church I served, a couple roamed the auditorium before and after services in search of anyone they did not know. Lee and Dottie Andrews greeted the newcomers, engaged them in conversation, and quickly determined if an invitation to lunch would be in order. Almost every Sunday, they hosted a visiting family at the local cafeteria. At least half of these joined our church.

In another church, a husband and wife who sold real estate brought their clients to church with them. Some of the most active and faithful members who joined during my years in that church were introduced by Bob and Beth Keys.

Often, it's nothing more than a great smile that seals the deal. Or a warm, genuinely friendly handshake.

A friendly, "Hey, have you found everything you need here?" may be all that's needed.

Some churches install a newcomers desk in the foyer, where visitors can meet knowledgable leaders, pick up material, and get questions answered. Those can be great, but there is one caveat: you must have the right people on that desk. Individuals gifted with great smiles and servant spirits and infinite patience are ideal.

10. What happens following the service can make the difference.

You the newcomer have enjoyed the service, you were blessed by the sermon, and you would like to greet the pastor and begin an acquaintance with this church. Most churches are set up for you to do just this. But not all.

I've been in churches where within 5 minutes after the benediction, the place was deserted. People were so eager to leave, they hardly spoke to one another, much less guests. The signal they send the visitor is clear: "We don't care for our church and you wouldn't either."

Healthy church congregations love each other and welcome newcomers and their people are reluctant to leave following the end of services.

One wonders if pastors and other leaders realize just how scary it can be for a person new in the city to venture into an unfamiliar church. It is an act of courage of the first dimension.

The Lord told Israel to reach out to newcomers and welcome them. After all, they themselves knew what it was to live in a strange country where the language and customs were foreign and they were missing home. God wanted Israel to remember always how that felt so they would welcome the stranger within their gates.

How much more should a church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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10 signals that say "you are not welcome in this church"

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10 Signals That Say "You are Not Welcome in This Church"

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"You shall love (the stranger) as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt" (Leviticus 19:34). As a retired pastor who preaches in a different church almost every Sunday, a fun thing I get to do is study the church bulletins (or handouts or worship guides) which everyone receives on entering the building.

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(Hank)
More than once you've probably heard me allude to something about keeping the church in a healthy condition.  Part of doing this is creating and maintaining that type of environment.  In other words, we must work diligently, deliberately and intentionally at having a healthy culture at the church.  Therefore, if something is out of place and obtuse to what we are try to achieve, then we do what is necessary to resolve that immediately.  It just simply keeps the health of the church operating and working effectively.
While this is driven at the staff at the church, keep in mind that as our leaders, essentially you are fulfilling some of those exact roles.  Here's something that might help to describe it further....http://churchfuel.com/five-characteristics-of-a-healthy-team-culture/

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Add these fun facts around for the theme:
http://christian-talk.forumotion.com/t1466-interesting-facts-about-bible-did-you-know-that

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(Hank)
There's enough here to at least make you think.  Our culture is constantly changing and the interest in church continues to diminish, signifying that we must always be looking at how we may attract the non-believer.  We must appeal to their head and their heart.  See this article.
http://careynieuwhof.com/6-disruptive-church-trends-that-will-rule-2017/?utm_content=bufferd5fa1&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

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Five Things That Often Lead to Church Growth

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Five Things That Often Lead to Church Growth

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Is church growth all up to God? Or do we have some part to play?  I know these are complicated questions, and perhaps this tension will never be resolved.  We didn’t do a scientific study and this is certainly not a comprehensive list, but after working with more than a thousand churches over the last year, we do have some observations.  #1 – Excellent Church Services
For most churches, the Sunday morning service is the starting point for church engagement.  It’s when people sing songs, hear a sermon, and get to see one another.   I’m not saying this is all there is (or that it’s even the most important part), but it is usually the most visible thing a church does and a basic starting point for many people.  Your weekly church service provides your biggest opportunity for church growth.  Your service is like the 4-yard carry on first down, a successful play to a Super-bowl winning team.   It may not make Sports Center, but it’s crucial to the team’s goals. As you take a look at your church service, here are three ways to get better.  Pray for the service and the opportunity you have to share the gospel and encourage Christians.  Prayer is always a good starting point and a worthy activity.  It doesn’t cost any money to run through the songs, preach the message in front of a mirror, and let people practice key elements of the service.  Do a full run-through and practice transitions.  When the service is over, talk about what worked and what didn’t work. Talk through what connected and what missed.  Make this normal, but a few times a year, make an evaluation a really big deal.                                    #2 – A Church That Regularly Invites                                      The second thing we’ve seen that often leads churches to growth is a culture of inviting. Growing churches have a sense of excitement, where people naturally want to invite their friends, neighbors and co-workers.  Inviting just happens.  But make no mistake about it.  There are things you can do to encourage and facilitate this healthy behavior.  It’s easy to believe that people will just naturally invite their friends if they love your church, but even people who are sold out may still be timid to invite others.  You’ve got to teach your church how to invite others and give them simple ways to do it.  Asking your people to invite and equipping them are two very different things.  Here are a few ways to do this.  Use invite cards.  Print up some small cards (one of my new favorites is favicards.com) promoting a coming series, your kids ministry or the church service in general.  Teach people how to use invite cards.  Don’t just make them available…take time in the service or in a sermon to teach people how to use them.  Ask people to use Social Media.  During the welcome time in your church, encourage people to take out their phones and share a status update or a tweet.  For more ideas on how to encourage and equip your church to invite, check out this article: 19 Ways to Encourage Your Church to Invite              #3 – Engaged Volunteers          I heard a mega-church pastor recently attribute church growth to the high number of engaged leaders.  “Every church has volunteers,” he said.  “What makes us different is we have people that are engaged.  ”We’ve seen that as well.  Healthy and growing churches have a higher percentage of volunteers and leaders who thrive in their role.  These aren’t people who show up on Sunday morning to do a task or reluctantly meet a need; they are people invested in the ministry outcome.  They don’t think like attenders; they think like staff.  Volunteer and leader engagement is often a leading indicator of growth. It’s on the front end.  You may not be able to get 25 people to show up this Sunday, but you can spend some time this week recruiting or developing one leader.  That will have a long-term effect in your church.  When people are serving with an outward focus, growth often comes down the line.                                             #4 – Growing Leadership     We work with churches of all shapes and sizes, and by far, the biggest growth barrier they are encountering is leadership.  It cuts across every program and ministry and touches every corner of the church.  When the leaders get better, the church often grows.  The good news is that you can take responsibility for your own leadership development.  You can adopt a growth mindset and create a plan for your own growth.  No one will make you do this and people aren’t going to ask you to make time for it.  But it’s one of the biggest opportunities you have to lead your church.  In The War of Art, Stephen Pressfield writes about the difference between a professional and an amateur.  He brings up the example of a professional golfer who develops a problem with his swing.  He says, “It would never occur to a professional golfer to try and figure it out on his own.  ”A professional golfer, clearly at the top of his or her game, knows the value of coaching. Likewise, great leaders invite people to speak into their circumstances, decisions and opportunities.  Great leaders invite people into the development process and model the way for other leaders throughout the church. #5 – God                            There’s a part of church growth that is simply unexplainable.  It’s all up to God, but he chooses to use us. A divine partnership.  There are churches with leaders who love Jesus with all their hearts that do all the right things, who don’t experience any kind of visible growth.  There’s no button to push guaranteed strategy.  It’s unexplainable.  We are called to be faithful and expected to contribute our best in His strength, and to leave the results to God.  There are things we could (and should) do, but no matter what a resource promises, there is no guarantee.  If your church isn’t growing the way you think it should, it’s not necessarily because you’re not leading well.  Always consider that, but in the end, put your hope in the Lord, not in any system or strategy.
...Taken from ChurchFuel.com

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Some timely advice for Leaders
http://careynieuwhof.com/5-signs-you-may-have-peaked-as-a-leader/?utm_content=buffer791c6&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer