How to Help Guests Feel Welcome in God’s House, Pt.7

6. Make a Big Deal out of Guest Services

Every major department store has one thing in common – GUEST SERVICES! This team of “relational savvy” employees are equipped to handle any question, comment, or concern that make come their way. They help to add a real personal dimension to the organization as a whole.

In the church I believe we need to make it EASY, OBVIOUS, AND STRATEGIC for guests to navigate the hallways of our church, but also to navigate the next steps in their spiritual journey.  Having a one stop shop for guests to visit before & after the worship experience is vital to connecting guests with the right people and the right information.  Sure, the pastor and his staff might be available at times on a Sunday, but not every guests knows who is on staff – so having a Guest Services team easily identified and stationed in a highly visible place is key to helping guests feel welcome and also helping guests to discover more about the church and their own personal relationship with God.

At TheDC we utilize Guest Services for most of our weekend “connecting” – it is the main connecting point for people, mostly guests and regular attenders, before & after the worship experience.  We encourage every 1st & 2nd time guest to fill out a Connection Card, and then drop it off at Guest Services where we will quickly hand them a “thank you gift” (usually its a $5 Gas Card, that says, “Thank you for being our guest.  We’d love to have you back, and we’re even willing to help you get here.”)  For 2nd time guests it is usually a book with a custom DC Bookmark:-)  As a side note we don’t try and harass our guests, it is a fine balance between making a guest feel welcome and simply pushing them too far.  This is a kind of an art, but we try and train our HOST TEAMS to warmly greet people, ask if they need any help, engage in light conversation if the guest seems willing, if not let them know we are here to help in any way.