What the Church could learn from…The Hospital
This morning Jeanne and I had the joy of waking up to our little Gigi covered in some sort of Allergic Reaction all over her cute little body. Jeanne and I had the exact same thought at the exact same moment – “How do we avoid having to go to the Hospital over this one?” Don’t get me wrong – We love our baby, we just hate our Health Care Plan. And to be honest, I break out in an allergic reaction to Hospitals in general.
After embracing the inevitable, we packed Gigi up and took her to Children’s Memorial Hospital here in the city. Here’s what we experienced in our first few moments there:
- We found great parking right outside the entrance.
- Easy to spot Signage that told us exactly which entrance to take.
- Three people in the first 60 seconds asked us if it was our first time and if we needed any help finding anything.
- An amazingly engaging and surprisingly calm environment.
- Someone walked us from the entrance down the hall in the direction we were heading.
- We got to keep our coffee!
Within 45 minutes we were signing out with the brilliant medical advice of “Just ride it out” (which was actually my advice from the very beginning, although not as welcomed by Jeanne).
We left that hospital wondering, Why can’t people’s First Impression of Church be more like ours at the Hospital (minus the bill)? Why do we make it so hard and so confusing for so many people who already have a million little battles of resistance running through their morning? What does a City Hospital know that the Church doesn’t? I know that not all visits to the Hospital are like this. But it brings up a great tension.
A great exercise for you and your team to do as often as possible is to go another church and see how they do it. See what your First Impression is – from when you park your car until you park your rear in a seat. Or better yet, survey your own experience:
- Where are you setting up unnecessary speed bumps or road blocks to people having a great First Impression?
- What do you assume that people know? What don’t they know?
- How are you anticipating and and eliminating unnecessary resistance?
- How can you get every single “insider” in your church involved as an owner of your church’s First Impression?
It really would be a shame if people had a better experience at a HOSPITAL than they do at our church. We could learn a lot.
Promise ponders if there’s such a thing as “a new kind of church”?
Here’s a piece that our friend Promise Tangeman (Wurzell) put up on her blog today. Love her thoughts and love the opportunity to BE a part of Starting Soul City Church.
So… I want to ask…. What comes to mind when you think of church? Come on, you are all artists and creators in some way… therefore I KNOW you have opinions and have probably had an encounter with a church or church person at some point in your life. Here is a list that I came up with. Haha. Choir robes, sheet music, bad breath, sweat, stale air, no energy, the same thing all the time, hypocrites, judgement, know-it-alls, no creativity, cheesy, over produced services, bad acting/drama, weird, boring, annoying, to long, nagging, inward focused, no place for art, cliques and not accepting. That is a terrible list.
Not all churches are like that… but haven’t we all experienced that at some point or another? And it’s sad… but that experience was probably embedded in our minds giving us OUR definition of church. Ha. YUCK!
I grew up in church. In fact I think I was born in the pews. All of my life my dad has been a Pastor in the Seattle area and my husband is a worship leader at a large church in Arizona. Let’s just say that I have seen my fair share of churches through conferences, visiting other churches, and being connected in the world of church. There is one thing that I have seen to be consistent in most churches. There is not very much room for artists, out-of-the-box thinkers, dreamers, culture shapers, perfectionists, or creators. For many people… art as seen a luxury; meaning: not practical and not needed.
This has been an issue that I have thought about a lot when it comes to art and the church. You see… I have to be honest and say that it’s hard for me to connect and volunteer in the church when I am not gifted at hospitality, holding babies, making people feel welcome, singing, playing instruments, counseling, coaching, speaking, or cleaning. But I can make stuff… Hmm… Well, I guess that could be a tough fit. What could the church do with those people who are willing to contribute to the church and society with their art?
The church used to be the only place that would PAY for art. If you wanted to see art in the 1500s you would go to the CHURCH to see it. Instead of church trying desperately to keep up with society, wonder if the church took back the arts and society tried desperately to keep up with the church?!?! What can we do to help develop a place for art and creative thinking within the church?
There is a particular movement that I want to tell you about for a minute. This movement has a passion for artists, liberal/outside of the box thinkers, leaders in our culture, politicians, designers, creators, people with ambition. This movement is passionate about serving others before ourselves, serving our community, being apart of the gay and lesbian community, neighboring our neighbors, and seeing transformation in people’s lives. It’s a movment that reaches out to the community instead of focusing inward. Please check out this RAD video.
God is revealing the new type of church to our friends Jeanne and Jarrett Stevens. This is a church that is really inspiring to me. We are really excited to see what God does through them in the city of Chicago in spring 2010. Check out this video about how this idea has been brewing in their hearts. It gives me the chills thinking about how a church like this will influence the city for the good.
If you are like me and you want churches like this to populate the city. The first thing we need to do IS HELP churches like this get started. One practical way we can do that is to give financially. I am no sales girl and I don’t ever intend to be. haha…because I am terrible at it. All I ask is that you give $1, $5 or $100 to help the Soul City movement get started.
John mayer wrote a song that plays in my head alot:
“one day our generation
is gonna rule the population
so we keep waiting, waiting on the world to change
we keep waiting, waiting for the world to change..
we keep waiting”
Soul City is asking US to take a step in changing the world and give towards their “first impressions” category, so that they have the necessary funds for Soul City Church to have a strong and sustainable start in the spring of 2010. They are trying to raise $15,000 toward start up expenses for First Impressions. You can learn more HERE.
Of course, every dollar you give is tax deductible, but more than that, every dollar you give will be used to literally make the vision of Soul City Church a reality. You may never actually go to Soul City Church, but your generosity will make it possible for multiple people in the city of Chicago to experience the transformational love of Jesus. Your gift is a significant expression of your thanks to God.
First impressions are usually lasting impressions — and they always want to make great ones (even if it’s silly like avoiding bad breath, bad acting, sheet music, over produced services.. You get the idea). You can ensure this happens by supporting a variety of projects — from marketing initiatives to online and print materials, all the way to Sunday hospitality and signage. Your gift can supply all the essential start-up items needed to help people have a great 1st experience that will ultimately lead them to calling Soul City Church their “home.”
To help make a GREAT First Impression, to YEARENDSTART.COM to make a one time year end gift toward helping the Soul City Movement in Chicago.
Thanks Promise. Your Friendship. And your Support of Soul City means a ton to us.
