When I think about first impressions, I think about a job interview I once had. I wanted everything to go perfect! I wanted the guy behind the desk from the moment I walked through the door to see something different in me. I wanted him to notice that I was different than any other applicant for the job.
First impressions of course are huge when you are applying for a job, looking for a new house, or choosing a restaurant to eat at, but I think first impression are just as big if not bigger when a family is visiting our church! Now you might think it is just the greeters, or maybe the Zone staff who are responsible for what first impressions a new family gets, but I would argue that all of us have this responsibility! After all Cornerstone is OUR church not the staff’s church or our greeters church. This means Parents, Kids, Volunteers, and our Staff are all responsible for setting the tone for our guests.
In the book “Turbo Charged” Dale Hudson says that our church has 8 minutes to give a family a good first impression. This could be so many things! Maybe you are heading into church with your family and you notice another family that does not seem to know where to check their kids in, why not ask them if you can show them where to go! Or maybe you are a teacher in our 4’s class and a new family arrives and since you arrived early today, you are prepared and ready to welcome them into your class. The child receives a warm welcome and the parents feel secure knowing their son/daughter is going to be taken care of while they enjoy the worship service.
You see, it’s not just our greeters or our staff who set the tone of a family’s morning. It’s all of us! Especially in the area in which we live, we are competing with some very excellent alternatives for the use of a families time. They could be home with their family, they could be watching football, or they could be on a trip out of town. Let’s show them that being at church and developing a relationship with their Father in heaven is worth their time! This weekend, let’s all do our part to give a GREAT first impression.