Are You Friendly?
Have you ever visited a church where no one spoke to you? If so, will you ever go back?
First impressions are made quickly. When people walk through our doors, experts say they form an impression of us within a few seconds. We need your help to ensure those first impressions are good.
We have official greeters at Northside, and if you know how to smile and have the gift of friendliness, we’d love for you on that team. But in a very real sense, we should all be greeters.
You may be thinking, “This church is so big, if I try to meet a guest, they might turn out to be a member, and I would be embarrassed and make them feel bad.
I can help you with that! First, you should be willing to humiliate yourself for the greater goal of helping others feel welcome. And second, you can avoid that humiliation by just saying, “Hi. I don’t think I 
know you. My name is _______.” That one works with members and guests alike.
When you speak with guests, be sensitive. Don’t pepper them with questions that might make them uncomfortable. For instance, don’t assume a guest is a member of the church of Christ.
On Sunday mornings, make sure our guests know about Guest Lunch. Ask them if they’re meeting someone, and help them find those people if they are. Ask if they need help finding a class.
Here are more tips on how to be welcoming to our guests:
- Make room. If there’s space, scoot in so others can sit on your pew.
- Introduce yourself. Notice those sitting near you and meet them before or after worship.
- Put others first in the parking lot. If you are physically able, leave the closer parking spaces for guests and those who have difficulty walking.
- Wear your name badge. It helps our guests when they meet you and it helps Northside members who don’t know you yet.
- Save the guest pews. Don’t sit in the two pews reserved for guests, even if you arrive late and a reserved pew is empty. We often have guests arrive late, and we want to keep those pews available to help them feel welcome.
Let’s all practice being friendly to help our guests get a good first impression of Northside. If we do a good enough job, they might visit again and maybe even join our church family!