There’s Goo Everywhere
Posted April 12th 2010 @ 6:03 pm by Jerod
Last week, I wrote about a bad experience I had at Cold Stone Creamery and how I think it can be a lesson for churches. The upset cashier wasn’t the only thing that ruined my experience.
This particular ice cream shop was filthy. As soon as I walked in the door, I realized the place was gross. The sneeze guard glass had gunk on it, employees were sliding around because of the stuff on the floor and the counter was cluttered. My wife reminds me that when we paid, our debit card came back with chocolate syrup on it.
While my wife and I waited for our order to be ready, we went to push some tables together so there was enough space for all 12 members of our small group. The table tops were sticky and looked like they hadn’t been wiped off for hours. And when I went to pick up our order when it was ready, there was ice cream all over the sides of the bowl and it was sticky. I had a miniature nervous breakdown and said, “There’s goo all over everything!” I realize I said it much louder than I thought I did, so many people heard it and started laughing. But the point here is a simple visit to an ice cream store to get a tasty treat turned into a stressful experience.
Is your church like this Cold Stone? Are visitors going to enjoy their experience or will they have a break down and leave for whatever reason? Dirty bathrooms, unkept buildings or disheveled childrens areas can make a guest feel uneasy or create an atmosphere where you’re members aren’t comfortable in inviting guests because they’re embarrassed. Whether it’s being welcoming or keeping the church clean, it all goes into the image of your church. You get one chance to impress visitors.
Comments (2)
You’re on track Jared! I’m amazed at how often we “church people” fail to see what a visit to church is like for someone who is an outsider. From friendliness to cleanliness to vocabulary, everything counts. The churches that will thrive are the ones who understand what it takes to connect with visitors. Many pastors are like children with their fingers in their ears hoping the problem will go away. Sadly, the “problem” will go away in the form of visitors who never return. Thanks for the thoughtful post. st
You seriously need a new ice cream spot—-:?) Using the Coldstone as a metaphor—-(magine the constituents of “Coldstone Congregation”—-sounds like a Dickens name), what one local establishment does can effect the reputation of the greater entity. Visitors who are turned off at a particular church that is insular, non-welcoming are going to judge other churches of that denom, or even with a broader stroke, all churches, all Christians, as being the same as CC. You may decide that your ice cream experience may be better at the Italian gelato place across the street, or at Oberweiss, or at the historic-worth-the-drive, worth-fighting-the-crowd “Plush Horse” independent ice cream spot in the country—-or you just may get turned off ice cream completely—-but you definitely have written off Coldstone because of a negative experience or impression. Hardly what we church folks want to project for visitors. It would be worth taking inventory—-why do we attend this particular church? what brought us here in the first place? have others come to our church for the (good) reasons that brought us here? Also good to do from time to time is to visit other churches for comparison—-like coming home to our own beds after vacation or travel, why is coming home to our home church a relief (or not—-) Welcoming is good for long-term members as well as first-time visitors also—important to remember
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