someone really was listening

As a preacher you always wonder how much of what you say sinks in. Our office manager told me today that she got an email from a Quarrier that said this-

“After Brenton’s message this month we decided to go ahead and get into the 21st Century…”

At the beginning of January I gave a message on ‘living with more patience’ (check out the podcast icon on the right to download it).

As part of my introduction I told a personal story about my family’s switching from a dial up to high speed internet connection. Then I said, “If you hear nothing else today hear this: get high speed internet.”

Well apparently this person was listening.

first impressions matter and create evangelists for your church

I copied this post from Mark Waltz’s blog. I was hit by a question that Mark asks towards the end. I will post my reflection below the copied post.

Mark blogged…

Jackie Huba over at Church of the Customer cites two restaurants (French Laundry and Cyrus – both in Northern California) to illustrate five ways to compete with a bigger and more dominant competitor. Number three on her list grabbed my attention (but you should read the entire article).

3. Do something buzzworthy in the first few minutes.
As the Cyrus hostess leads you from the bar/reception area, she stops just
inside the dining room. There, she picks up a white Zsa-Zsa telephone
and says into it: “Chef, the McConnell party is here for table 42.
Please send someone out to greet them.” It’s startling and unexpected.
Who calls the chef to say a guest has arrived? It was great theater.

So, what’s happening in your church that’s buzzworthy in the first few minutes? What has people leaning over in the first few minutes of the service – or better yet, on their way in to the service – and whispering, “Wow!”?

The competition isn’t the church around the corner. The competition is anywhere your guest has experienced a WOW that has created buzz around them. Our opportunity in creating buzz is to get people talking about the local church, get them talking about Christ with an enthusiasm that is authentic and organic – because it’s based on their WOW experience. The reality is that “evangelists” are often created from folks who are still kicking the tires, still checking out the claims of Christ. They invite their friends because the buzz is bringing them back.

And that buzz? It’s all about value. It’s all about personal care. People begin to get it: they matter. They matter to God and they matter to us. That’s worth creating some buzz.

What’s the buzz factor around your community about your church?

My take…
We are in an exciting stage as a church. This weekend we talked with a consultant from a top of the line company called Portable Church Industries. We asked them to come into our facility and help us discover what we can do to create ‘buzz’ about our church from a facility perspective.

Right now when people walk into the Quarry they catch a smile and maybe a program at the door, wander through a barren school cafeteria, drop off their kids, and then enter a dark auditorium with some nice music playing but nothing very attractive or exciting to look at on screen or stage as they wait for the service to begin. There is poor signage (where are the bathrooms?) and no great place to find information or sit and rest.

Working with PCI (who works with an amazing number of churches) is definately going to help us. It is not an easy process (making decisions that are expensive and technical is hard) but it is necessary if we are serious about creating the type of environment where people walk in and say ‘Wow, this is not the stuffy, boring, irrelevant church I grew up in. I’m might actually come back here, and I might actually tell someone.”

That is what we are after. That is why we do what we do. So that a little buzz might get started that might lead people into life changing environments where God can grab hold of their hearts.

less talk, better listening

Have you ever talked with someone who seemed like they were more interested in where the bathrooms are than what you’re saying? I got an email today with some leadership advice. It said that “Good listeners focus 100 percent on the other person, not on themselves.” Most people have talking well down pat. What we really need to do is improve at listening to one another. I think these questions serve as a good reminder of how to listen well.

* Are you planning your answer while the other person is still speaking? If so, you are not listening! You can’t listen and prepare your response at the same time.

* Do you interrupt – perhaps because you have second-guessed the other person? You could be wrong. Just hold back on those assumptions.

* Are you judging the other person as he or she speaks? Clear those thoughts and focus on what is being said.

* Do you offer approprite feedback when it is your turn to talk? Check your understanding by paraphrasing what you heard. This shows the other person you are committed to understanding his or her viewpoint.