Creating a Positive First Impression

As human beings, we acclimate to our surroundings rather quickly. For instance, my wife and I recently had a project done on the front of our house. Unfortunately, being the novice that I am, I made a mistake when ordering some of the materials needed for the job. It certainly wasn’t a major project, but once the job was finished my eyes were immediately drawn to the imperfection. The flaw was all my fault, and I couldn’t help but notice the problem.

For the first few days, the imperfection bugged me. But now, a couple of weeks later, I hardly notice the blemish. Why? Because I have grown accustomed to it being there.

Once we become comfortable with our surroundings, we fail to see legitimate problems that need to be addressed. If we’re not paying careful attention to our environment, we brush past what we are used to seeing – even when there is a glaring flaw.

This principle applies to businesses, schools, and even the chipped baseboards in our home that we just don’t see any longer. And of course, the tendency to become ambivalent to our surroundings applies to churches and worship services as well. Once we become accustomed to our Sunday morning routine, we generally don’t notice what is taking place around us. More specifically, we don’t pay attention to who is around us.

As we head into our post-COVID phase, I’m thrilled by the number of visitors we have been having in our services. Have you noticed them? Or have you become so accustomed to your surroundings that you don’t even notice unfamiliar faces?

It’s been suggested that a first impression is made in as little as seven seconds. Assuming this time frame is correct – or at least close to correct – this means that the average guest who steps foot on our campus for the first time has developed an impression of our church within a few short seconds. Moments after arrival, guests begin to formulate their opinion about our ministry. We must remember that these perceptions are either positive or negative. And these impressions can be difficult to overcome.

Stop for a moment before you read the next sentence because it is very important.

Are you ready?

The first person a first-time guest meets on our campus will significantly influence the first impression of our church.

 Imagine your typical Sunday routine for a moment. You arrive on our campus like you have many times before. You park in the same spot. Enter the building through the same door you have for years. Say hello to your friends. Just as you begin the same old trek to your same seat in the auditorium, someone stops you and asks for information about our ministry. What will be that person’s impression of our ministry if you are the first member of our church to speak with this first-time guest?

Answer honestly.

Are you one from which a guest would draw a positive impression of our ministry?

Everyone develops first impressions. We all arrive at some sort of conclusion about a restaurant, a physician’s office, a school, a bank, or any other business within seconds of walking through the door.

Churches are not excluded from these first impressions or from their consequences.

Sometimes first impressions are incorrect. That is why we must be purposefully working to give first-time visitors a positive opinion. This is so important because when our church gives someone a negative first impression, people often don’t give us the chance to demonstrate that the first impression of our ministry is wrong. After one negative experience, most guests will never return to our church. When guests fail to return, they never give us the opportunity to correct an inaccurate first impression.

How we as a church family manage first impressions is critical to the health and growth of our ministry.

Because this is so important, I want to offer six ways we can all help create a positive first impression of our church:

1.     Be aware of your surroundings: look for first-time guests. If you don’t recognize someone, greet them. Bid them good morning. Thank them for being in our service. Even if the person is not a guest, you will have the opportunity to meet a member of the body who you didn’t know before.

2.     Rid yourself of distractions: talking to friends on Sundays is wonderful, but don’t allow your focus to be so consumed with your friends that you miss the privilege of meeting a first-time guest. Nor should you be consumed with your phone. If a guest is sitting beside you but you’re too focused on your phone to greet them, you have created a negative impression of our church in that person’s mind. Sorry folks, but that’s rude. Put your phones away, eliminate distractions, and look for opportunities to greet other worshippers.

3.  Take initiative: don’t wait for someone to approach you. Go to those who you don’t recognize. Introduce yourself. Ask them if they need any assistance. Show genuine interest in them. Make them feel welcomed in our service. Make it a goal to initiate at least one conversation every Sunday with someone you don’t know.

4.     Be informed: familiarize yourself with our campus and regularly scheduled activities. The church office staff sends out weekly announcements and reminders. If you’re not receiving these announcements please let someone in the office know so we can add you to the email list. Don’t just delete these updates and announcements. Read them. Have a general sense of what is happening. You may not know where every Connect group meets, but you should know where to find the information or who to ask. If you don’t know the answer to a guest’s questions, go out of your way to find someone who can answer them.

5.     Escort guests: rather than simply pointing a guest in the right direction, personally take them to their desired location. Walk the young family to the nursery. Introduce them to the nursery workers. Assist the senior citizen who may need some extra help getting to where he or she needs to be. If you’re late to the service because you’re serving a guest, praise the Lord!

6.     Be kind: showing kindness to others really isn’t difficult. It’s as simple as: Smile. Speak. Show. A good first impression almost always includes a friendly smile, pleasant words, and some type of simple action. Good first impressions happen when people enjoy your presence, sense a genuine attitude of kindness, and see that you care by taking time to thoughtfully offer assistance.

Our church campus can be overwhelming to those who are not familiar with it. It may not seem big to you because you have been here for so long, but feels daunting to a first-time guest. The good news is people are visiting our church and showing genuine interest in our ministry. We must all work together to create a first impression that pleases the Lord and brings glory to His name. And by His grace, many of these guests will become part of the Grace family!