From the Pastors Desk

Many people only go to church twice a year; Easter and Christmas. That’s okay. It means we have two chances of showing them the Love of Christ. Invite friends and family to join you. No pressure. No one will ask them to stand up. No one will ask them to join anything. All anyone should do is welcome them to HSCC and help them find anything they might need. 

Once upon a time, I was that twice a year guy. Then I met a guy named Bart Caldara and he just welcomed me and said he was glad I was there. No pressure to do anything else. That’s our same attitude here. Just come, hear the word, enjoy the fellowship, and know you are always welcomed here. 

If it is every week or twice a year, we are glad you have come to worship with us!

 

- Pastor Charlie 

 

Food for thought: 

7 Bad experiences someone new to a church could have:

1. ”I didn’t know what they were talking about. It was a lot of internal language and acronyms” 
   • Lesson: Don’t expect guests to speak your churchy language. Expect them not to return if you do. 
2. “No one spoke to us.” 
   • Lesson: Most churches perceive they are friendly, but they are not. Members only speak to those they know. 
3. “We were given earplugs when we walked in.”
   • Lesson: Know what you’re communicating with your actions. In this case, they were saying the guests were too old for the music, or the music was too loud for everyone 
4. “My wife and I are a mixed race couple. The greeter suggested we might be at the wrong church.”
   • Lesson: Don’t be stupid! 
5. “The friendliness seemed contrived and fake.”
   • Lesson: If the members are only friendly during a time of greeting, it can actually be perceived more negatively than no friendliness at all. 
6. “They asked us to stand up and introduce ourselves.”
   • Lesson: Such a request is terrifying to many people. Don’t do it. 
7. “The greeter gave me a children’s bulletin and told me I could color on it. I’m twenty years old.” 
   • Lesson: Some greeters have no business being greeters. 

 

7 Good experiences someone new to a church could have:

1. ”They went out of the way to make my children calm and happy.”
   • Lesson: Many guests are looking for something in a church for their children. Go out of the way to make the children happy and safe.
2. “A lady befriended us and took us to her small group.”
   • Lesson: Assimilation and discipleship are highly effective in small groups. This church member was on target. 
3. “The pastor offered to take us to lunch.”
   • Lesson: Connections with the pastor are highly effective in getting guests to return. Churches should consider including in the budget a meal fund for their pastor to take guests to lunch. 
4. "A church member wrote our children a letter after meeting us."
   • Lesson: Personal and individual attention can go a long way toward reaching guests. 
5. “The church was clean and had great signage.”
   • Lesson: First impressions are very important to connect with first-time guests. Cleanliness and signage communicate that we care.
6. “A church member invited us to lunch.” 
   • Lesson: Churches need to make certain their friendliness is more than a perfunctory greeting. This action by the church member was great. 
7. “We were greeted in the parking lot and walked to where we were supposed to go.”
   • Lesson: Well-trained parking lot greeters can be a huge factor in guest retention. These greeters did it the right way. 

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