Archive for First Impressions
Our New Henderson Hills Brochure
Posted by: | CommentsTo my knowledge we have never had an “all church” brochure at Henderson Hills. It’s been one of those things that I’ve wanted us to do, but timing, money, expertise, etc have always kept us from doing one.
Well we thought that at Easter time would be a good time to have something like a brochure. So…we’ve been working furiously the last 5 weeks to create one that would capture Henderson Hills and help people new to take the next step. I’m very pleased with the results. Obviously, or I wouldn’t be sharing it with you. Check out the work below.
Krystal Harlow, one of our graphic designers, was responsible for this project. She knocked it out of the park! Great job Krystal. What are your thoughts?
Don’t Serve Me Burnt Pizza
Posted by: | CommentsMy family and I went out to eat tonight. We went to a restaurant where we had been several times. We have always enjoyed eating there. The food has always been good. The service has been good. the atmosphere is good. Everything about the restaurant was always been good. That’s why we have gone back.
Tonight one thing was different. The food was awful. We ordered pizza. Nothing fancy, just a sausage pizza. 
We waited for 30+ minutes for the pizza. The waitress brought it out and it was…burnt. You could tell by the look on her face as she was cutting it that she was prepared for us to say something. She served it with a little bit of fear. Why? Because she knew something was wrong. She didn’t want to hear about it. She didn’t want to deal with the negative. Was it her fault the pizza was burnt? No. But, she still served the pizza.
It was her negligence in serving the pizza. She should have told the cook, “I’m not serving this to one of my customers.” But, she didn’t. She settled for complacency. She didn’t stand up for what was right. What would have been the best for the company. She was fearful for herself, not the customer or the company.
Her negligence cost not only her, but her company. She didn’t get a good tip. They won’t get my business anymore.
Why do I tell this story? I think this story is similar to what happens in the church way too often. People come with certain expectations. I want to be welcomed. I want to be challenged by the message. I want programs that will help me raise my children. I want my children to be in a safe and secure area. I want to know the people watching my children are not child molesters…and the list goes on.
When they come and their expectations are not met, the ones that they are the most concerned about, the root expectations, things change. They will put up with food taking longer to be prepared if the food is great. They will put up with mediocre service if the food is good. But, if the food is bad, why come back?
What we do in the church is VERY important! Having nice facilities, or wonder music, or background checks on workers, and challenging sermons are all crucial. What are the deal breakers? What are the things that we MUST provide or the people will walk and not come back?
I have some thoughts…beliefs. What are yours?
Text Messages vs Phone Calls
Posted by: | CommentsI found this statement in the NY Times to be true in my life,
The consumer research company Nielsen Mobile, which tracked 50,000 individual customer accounts in the second quarter of this year, found that Americans each sent or received 357 text messages a month then, compared with 204 phone calls. That was the second consecutive quarter in which mobile texting significantly surpassed the number of voice calls.
When I compare the number of text messages that I send and receive to phone calls placed and received, text messaging wins hands down. I text message my family, co-workers, friends, more often than call them. I’m now getting text messages from church members more often than a phone call.
I wonder if this is true for you? If so, what ramifications does this have for how the church should and can communicate with their membership. I’ll take a look at some of the ways the church can use text messaging in some upcoming posts.
