If Jesus wanted to, he could have called manna from heaven just like had been done before, and it would have worked. Everyone would have been fed, people would have worshiped God and all would have ended well. Instead, he waited for someone to sacrifice what they had – 5 loaves and 2 fish – and used their sacrifice as the foundation for a miracle.

Jesus didn’t feed the 5,000 without someone first sacrificing the little bit of food that they had, and churches can’t fulfill their mission unless their members make sacrifices too.

When it comes to money, I’ve heard so many pastor’s say: “It’s not what we want from you, it’s what we want for you!” and then they wonder why nothing changes. The offering stays the same, the volunteer levels stay the same, and the level of enthusiasm for the church stays the same.

This should have nothing to do with “want” and everything to do with “need.” Pastors need their congregations to give so the church can fulfill it’s mission. Pastor’s need their congregations to volunteer or people aren’t going to feel the love of Jesus. Churches need to go beyond their 4 walls or the people in their community are going to continue dying without experiencing the love and salvation that comes from knowing Jesus. People within the church need to sacrifice or they’ll never truly experience the power of Jesus in their lives. Remember when Jesus told the disciples to pray and ask God to send workers because the harvest was plentiful but the need was for workers?

When is the last time you asked people in your congregation to make a sacrifice in order to accomplish a project God has placed on your heart?

I believe there are many churches that need to start asking people to make sacrifices. For some, it’s going to be sacrificing money. For others, it’s going to be sacrificing their time to volunteer, or their kids old toys so the nursery can have some new ones.

Is the idea of showing your church members pictures of water stained ceiling tiles in the youth room then asking someone to raise their hand and volunteer to buy new tiles scary? Yes! Will the old tiles ever get replaced unless someone willfully makes the sacrifice to buy them and bring them in? Probably not.

A customer of ours did this very thing. The directors of the greeters ministry desperately wanted welcome packets but the church couldn’t afford them. They went to the pastor, presented everything to him, and on a Wednesday night service the pastor showed people a PowerPoint presentation about Welcome Packets, and why he wanted them at the church. They collected a special offering that night, and when the dust settled, they were able to buy their welcome packets and new banners for the outside of the building!

Our contact at the church called us on Thursday morning super excited because people within the church caught the vision that they had, and took steps in ONE DAY to make it a reality!

Could your church use a dose of that enthusiasm?

Do you have projects you desperately want to accomplish but the “manna” hasn’t fallen yet? Maybe it’s time to make a direct presentation to your congregation and ask them to specifically fill a need within the church.

It’s not hard. All you have to do is show people some pictures, explain what God is putting on your heart, and ask them to make a commitment right on the spot to be part of the solution. If that project is welcome packets, or new printed material, we’ll even help you put together a simple PowerPoint presentation.

At the end of the story, the person who gave up their 5 loaves and 2 fish also ate until they were satisfied. The little bit they sacrificed not only came back to feed them, but it also did more than they ever could have imagined.

What could 5 loaves and 2 fish accomplish at your church?

In all seriousness, our crazy amount of driving meant there was no way we could continue going to either one of ours home churches. One was 2 hours away, the other 45 minutes. After you’ve already driven 1400 miles in a week, the thought of driving 45 minutes to church sent chills up our spines. Besides, how do you build community and have friendships when you have to drive 45 minutes to get to where your friends live? Because of the drive, and our desire to build local friendships, we started looking for a new church.

We tried somewhere around a dozen churches in our 3 year span, and probably six more that we checked out online, or listened to talks online, and they just weren’t the right fit for us. My wife says I was being too picky, but because of what we do at J & J Graphics, I was hyper-critical of how churches greeted visitors, and how people responded to us. At some churches, NO ONE said a single word to us, at others, people were super friendly and made us feel welcome. Of the churches who actually had something for visitors, more often then not, what they gave us was a generic, pre-printed piece. One church gave us something specific to them, but it was printed off of a cheap copy machine on cheap paper, and didn’t inspire much confidence in that churches standard of excellence.

Every time we got something generic, Becky would look at me and give me the stare that says “stop critiquing them on your first visit!” But I can’t help it! At one point we went to 3 different churches, 3 weeks in a row and got the SAME generic welcome packet from all 3 churches. Talk about lame!

Taken individually, people may not know that what you give them is generic, but if our experience is anything like others, people shop around to find the right church that fits their unique situation. By the time we got the 3rd copy of the same generic piece, I barely paid attention to it. The lack of effort to actually tell me something unique about that church made me not want to go back for another visit. I mean, if the baptist church, pentecostal and non-denominational church all give out the same generic literature, what am I supposed to think?

Justin (that’s me)  and Becky, who are both devoted followers of Christ, got married, moved to a new area, and spent 3 years trying to find the right church.  Two-thirds of the churches we attended did nothing for visitors, and the rest gave us something generic or poorly produced. Nothing that was given to us really inspired us to want to try a church again. We had to come to that conclusion on our own, and most of the time, we found no compelling reason to go back a second time.

What about you and your church? What is the guest experience like at your church? Do church members go out of their way to talk to people they don’t know? Do you have an area with information for guests? Is the information you’re giving out unique to your church or is it generic like the majority of information we received? Remember, if you’re giving out something generic, there’s a real good chance that another church down the street is using the same generic welcome packet. Is that really how you want people to view your church? Somewhere that only cares enough to give people generic stuff?

If my experience resonates with you, and if what your church hands out doesn’t reflect the uniqueness of your church, and your God-given mission on this plant, I have good news for you.

There’s hope beyond the generic.

Take a look at our website and what we have to offer. Everything we do is customized to reflect the uniqueness of your church. Your church isn’t generic. What you hand to visitors shouldn’t be generic either. If you have questions, call or email us. We’re here to help you put your best foot forward and make a great first impression on every guest who passes through your doors.

p.s. 3 years and a bunch of churches later, Becky and I have found a church we both really like. We agree with their doctrine, style of ministry, their schedule fits with our crazy schedule, and there are opportunities to serve that fit with our giftings. (I’m an african/latin hand drummer for those who are wondering). It’s nice to have a church we both enjoy attending, and where we’re building friendships.

Have you seen the changes in McDonalds lately? Gone is the emphasis on playland and Happy Meals, now replaced with McCafe, Wifi, and warm, inviting colors. It’s like Starbucks, with burgers and fries. On the surface, things are very different, but what about when you get deeper in?

On Saturday morning I stopped in for a breakfast sandwich and the price on the menu was $2.19. When I got to the window, the price was higher. I asked why and the kid said: “We’ll get someone out there to fix the price.” I shrugged my shoulders and moved onto the next window. The lady at the next window handed me my sandwich and I asked her if there was a manager around. She admitted to being one, and I asked about the difference. She said “We’ll that’s because you got cheese on your sandwich” I told her “But I didn’t want cheese.” She laughed out loud and said “Oh well!”

My first thought was to tell her to try again, but I refrained, and pulled away. I opened up my sandwich, scraped off most of the cheese and ate my breakfast.

The whole experience made me wonder if most churches ever consider the customer service experience they provide to the people who pass through their doors.

Most of the companies we consume from have great customer service. 24-7 Tech support, operators standing by, 10 minute oil change, 29 minute guarantees… the list goes on… great companies offer great service. Few people willfully chooses to buy a product from a company that they know has poor customer service.

If the world has set a high bar for what people consider to be good customer service, why aren’t churches striving to exceed the standards set by the world, and wow people with how well they’re treated?

If you ask people to sign up to volunteer, find a place for them to volunteer… immediately.

If someone wants to join a small group, connect them to someone that week.

If you’re going to have a coffee shop in your church, make sure the coffee tastes good.

Lots of churches offer mediocre service, and think it honors God. If you don’t have the resources to contact potential volunteers quickly, don’t ask them to volunteer. If you can’t connect people to small group leaders within 7 days, don’t ask people to join groups until you can connect them quickly. If good tasting coffee isn’t in the budget, don’t have coffee.

God is a God of excellence. Shouldn’t everything we do be done with excellence? Sure we talk about the band being good, and the pastor being dynamic, but what about the person who responds to emails, or answers the phone? Why does it take 2 months to hear back from someone? If you don’t have the resources to answer the emails, don’t give out the address. Mediocre service is more disastrous than not offering something at all. Macy’s doesn’t sell tires, and no one gets upset about it.

People have a very high level of expectations for their customer service experience in life, and if we’re not willing to meet people where they’re at, we’re not going to get them where they need to be… a life focused on loving and serving others, not consuming.

After every interaction with your church, are people saying: “I’m lovin it?” If not, it’s time to rethink how you do things.