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:

1. The atmosphere (the surroundings – lighting, table setting, etc.)
2. The people (fabulous and attentive servers)
3. The food (my mouth waters as I write this)
4. 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:

1. 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?)
2. 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?)
3. 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?)
4. 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