Have You Considered a Ministry Connections Concierge at Your Church?
How do you help people make meaningful connections when they attend your church? One of the most frustrating things in finding a church has been figuring how to connect with other attenders. My wife had a great idea the other day and I wanted to pass it on before it slips into the abyss forgetfulness that is my brain. What if you had a Connection Concierge?
Most people are familiar with the Concierge at an upscale hotel. Their job is to help hotel guests buy tickets, make dinner reservations or suggest day trip destinations; basically to ensure the guest has a positive experience while they are in town. Here is a typical conversation with a Concierge:
“Can you help us find a nice place to eat tonight?”
“Absolutely. What kind of food are you in the mood for?”
“Italian sounds good”
“Excellent, here are three nice Italian restaurants in the area. I highly recommend Guido’s, their lasagna is amazing. Would you like me to make a reservation?”
“That would be great, thanks!”
“My pleasure”
Wouldn’t it be cool to have a Concierge available at your church? A conversation might go like this:
“We’re new to the church and we’re wondering how we could connect?”
“I’d love to help you with that! Can you tell me a little about your family?”
“We are empty nesters and we just moved to town. We’d love to meet other people around our age”
“Excellent. Let me suggest two or three ways we can help. First, we have a Newcomers Gathering next weekend, here’s a flyer about that. We also several couples groups that meet in homes. Let me show you a list on our website. I highly recommend the Smith’s group which meets on Friday nights in the Oaks Subdivision, they are a lot of fun and love welcoming new attenders. Could I assist with an introduction?”
“We probably need to think about it?”
“Absolutely. Please stop back by any weekend and we’d be glad to help you make a connection. Thanks for stopping by!”
Ideally there are be several trained volunteers who man a Concierge desk each weekend as well as be available at the end of events like Newcomers, Membership Class, Meet the Pastor to help people take next steps. The goal is to provide easy onramps for people with a desire to serve and/or connect at the church beyond sign up sheets or simply answering questions at a Welcome Center.
I think there is huge potential, I just wish I had thought of it.
Read more from Geoff here.
Tags: Connect, Connections, Geoff Surratt
