Studies have shown that families do not wait to decide until after the kids are picked up and the message is over to make their decision about whether or not they will visit again. Typically these decisions are made within the first few minutes of driving onto the church property. The first impression given to first-time attendees is critical in helping them choose to come back each week for the life-giving message of the gospel. Take some time to ask yourself the following questions ...

First impressions are vitally important, especially when it comes to those initial connections that your church makes with parents. For first-time visiting parents, leaving their children with strangers can be very unnerving because of its uncertainty. Here are a few things that we do at our church to help parents feel at ease both before arriving and when they arrive.

Sometimes I wish I was able to simply listen to a visiting family as they drive home from church. Since that’s not possible, I have decided to formulate the favorable things I want them to say. Then I make sure my team has the ways and means in place that will allow visiting families to say these things. What’s the one thing I secretly hope they say? . . . “That was impressive.”

Unfortunately there is a myth in the church world that because “the Lord looks on the heart” we can be less concerned with what man looks at. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Often the excuse of “judge us by our heart” is an excuse for not doing the hard work of creating excellence within the parameters and limitations that exist. Is there a biblical foundation for creating a positive first impression?

There is a theory about the brain that if information is to be processed, a person must initially feel safe and loved. Most kids work through this progression naturally, yet if faced with a multitude of changes to one’s environment, it may be difficult to overcome. Having been a military kid myself, and now ministering to military kids, I wanted to share some unique obstacles they deal with and how you can help them feel cared for within your kids’ ministry.

Making an impact and ensuring that guests don’t simply show up annually on Easter takes preparation and foresight. We need to be proactive rather than reactive about our Easter Sunday visitors.