Gay and I were celebrating our wedding anniversary last week at Capital Grille. We had a great time and I was sitting there thinking, “What makes this a great restaurant? Why do I feel special here?” And I deducted it was four things:
- The atmosphere (the surroundings – lighting, table setting, etc.)
- The people (fabulous and attentive servers)
- The food (my mouth waters as I write this)
- The company (I love hanging out with my bride)
Then I got thinking, “What makes a church a great church? How do we make people feel special?” And I deducted the same things and want to challenge you to ask yourself these questions:
- The atmosphere (What do people first notice when they enter the parking lot or building? Is the building clean? Is it easy to find the bathrooms & nursery? Is God’s presence in the building?)
- The people (Every pastor says their church is a friendly one, but is it? This Sunday look around – are people smiling and having a good time? Are they reaching out to new people? Are they attentive to needs in the church and serving?)
- The food (Are people growing in their faith from your preaching and their study of the Word? Do they repeat things you said in the sermon later on?)
- The company (Are relationships being built among the congregation or are you doing all the work?)
I think it is good to sometimes step back and take a hard look at how things really are. I do that for myself and our church often.
Hope this encourages you and helps you build a more beautiful bride for Christ.
Love you heaps,
Peter