The Growing Gap Between the Rich and Super-Rich. Video at the Onion. Quotes: “The rich are just unwise with their money.” “They don’t stay in school to get their MBAs, to see it through and get their doctorate.”

Tiger Increases the Gap. Tiger Woods may get $1 billion in payouts from the PGA’s retirement plan. (Via Kottke.org.)

Jesus the Logician. According to J.P. Moreland, Jesus was a master of logic in his arguments. In fact, writes Moreland,

To my mind, Jesus was the greatest thinker who ever lived. And while he did not come to develop a theory about logic or to teach logic as a field of study, it is clear that he was adept at employing logical forms and laws in his thinking and reasoning. We who are his followers should go and do likewise.

Inspiring Volunteers. Gary Lamb writes, “You can NEVER cast vision too much. Volunteers do what they do because of the vision, not because they need something else on their schedule.” (Via ChurchRelevance.com.)

Let Guests See the Dress Code Ahead of Time. Above all else, guests to a church don’t want to be embarrassed, according to Pastor Dave Zimmerman of Living Waters Church in Lake Wylie, S.C. He suggests that we can “put pictures on our web sites and brochures to give people an idea as to how they should dress.”

First Impressions, the TTUMC hospitality ministry, is about to take it up a notch after a great training workshop this past Saturday led by Don Haas and Debbie Jordan.

Also, there was pie. Delicious pie from Village Inn, served by Shields and Martha Clark and Susan Johnson [update! And Pastor Jerry!].

Based on what Don and Debbie said, here are some of the changes you can expect to see in First Impressions, especially at the 9:30 a.m. service:

• Ushers and greeters will be on the same teams on a six-week rotation
• The number of greeters per team is being expanded
• Some greeters will be standing much closer to the parking lot to welcome guests and put them at ease as soon as possible
• Ushers and greeters will meet to pray before they serve on Sundays
• Ushers, greeters, and information desk people will be wearing badges as well as their name tags while they serve
• On rainy mornings, greeters will escort people from their cars using umbrellas

I don’t know how to communicate how inspirational the workshop was, or how motivated all the attendees were. All I can say is, look for the welcome to be taken up not just one but several notches in coming Sundays.

And also, there was pie.

You can’t be great at everything. And, if you do everything, you can’t be great at anything.

Steven Furtick, pastor of Elevation Church, writes that he loves both Ruth’s Chris steakhouse (“the best steaks in town”) and Golden Corral (nothing “particularly great, but you can eat almost anything you want”).

How does this apply to churches? Furtick writes,

Most churches are more like Golden Corral than Ruth’s Chris, don’t you think?
A little bit of everything. A program for everybody. Every night of the week. All you can eat. None of it is very excellent, but boy, the menu (church calendar) is robust!

Elevation’s philosophy:
Don’t try to do a little bit of everything.
Give everything you’ve got to a few things.
Make the best steaks in town. Steaks so good that people wouldn’t dream of haggling about the price, or suggesting that they should be allowed to go back for free seconds.

But the question remains, Why is it important to be excellent? No, seriously: if we can reach more people with the gospel by being mediocre, don’t we have an obligation to be as mediocre as possible?

Yes. But at TTUMC our intuition, backed up by what we’ve seen at other churches, is that excellence makes more impact. That’s one reason that Pastor Jerry has asked us to focus on four areas: worship, First Impressions, Children and Youth, and Community Life Groups. If we can be excellent in those four areas, we believe God will use TTUMC to change both of the cities we straddle.

Seth Godin writes about the importance of a place’s “vibe”:

If vibe is so important, why does it sound flaky to worry about it? Who’s in charge of the vibe at your place? Could it be better? A lot better?

Changing the vibe isn’t always possible, but most of us rarely try. From physical layout to organization to what leaders say and do… it matters. Sometimes, it’s all that matters.

The idea of vibe clearly seems related to First Impressions. What vibe are we First Impressions workers creating for people who show up at TTUMC? How could we create a better vibe? 2

Could our parking lot be turning guests away? According to an expert, the keys to a well-run parking lot include

1. Adequate parking spaces
2. Clear signage
3. Trained parking lot greeters
4. Dedicated guest parking
5. Easy access from the parking lot

But we don’t have a mega-church here: do we really need parking lot greeters?

[Having] greeters in a well-run parking [lot] is as important as having greeters inside the building. When a person visits a church, the church experience starts in the parking lot. Sometimes new people will pull into your parking lot, and then lose their nerve to go inside. A parking lot greeter can wave to those people and show them a warm welcome right when they drive up. A friendly greeting sometimes is just what the newcomer needs to find the courage to come inside. They also can help manage the flow of your parking lot and provide added security, features that will make your guests happy.

(Quotes from MinistryMarketingCoach.com.)

The goal of First Impressions, TTUMC’s hospitality ministry, is to create “Wow” moments in which we show people how much we welcome them–and in which we show them, at least in an emblematic way, just how much Jesus loves them.

But why? Why should we aim for wow? One reason is that focused and remarkable things are easier to tell others about. Think about it…

Because something we do is focused and remarkable,

• More TTUMC people will invite others to come
• More guests will leave and tell others
• More people will hear about Jesus

The reason we aim for Wow is so that more people will hear about Jesus.

Look for the sign and the balloons as you approach the TTUMC courtyard and you’ll see where our loving leaders are ready to care for and teach your kids while you’re worshiping at the 9:30 a.m. service.

Obviously I could have done a much better job taking this photo (I could have gotten people to turn around and smile, for one thing), but I was in the mood to take quick, candid shots.

Someone will be waiting, smiling at the door to answer your questions and help you sign in your kids K-5.

Visiting TTUMC is low stress–even if going to church is not your thing. The photo above shows the Connection Center, where you can stop to ask for information, pick up your free gift on the way out (if you’re a guest), or just get a friendly hello.

What was different Sunday at TTUMC? More than one thing.

First of all, WE HAD LIGHTS.

Over the years as electrical wires wore out and electrical fixtures broke, shadows had deepened in the TTUMC sanctuary, veiling the people on the platform. Sunday, we blew that problem away.

Dazzling new banks of lights lit the worship band. The banner raised for our 50th anniversary sparkled. Smiles shined out at 1000 watts. It was great. But, as I took my seat in a pew near the front, I sensed another change. But I couldn’t identify it.

Was it the platform? The Worship Arts team had done a fantastic job of making it uncluttered and attractive.

That was great, too. But there was something else.

Then I saw it: the little wooden wall that separates the first row of pews from the kneeling rail was GONE!

Even though I was sitting three rows back, I felt uneasy. Without the little thigh-high wall (is that the name for that thing? Thigh-high? “Hey Bob, why were you crying after the service?” “Because I bumped my knee on the dadgummed thigh-high again.”)–anway, without that little wall, everything was so open.

This was a surprisingly big change. Why? Well, it struck me that if you were sitting in the front row, without that little wall, you’d be totally exposed to the experience. Nekkid. Naked to the Holy Spirit. Naked to the music. Naked to the message.

Who could stand that? Who could stand to worship without any protection? Without any barriers?

Who could stand to cast out the shadows and tear down the walls that keep people from coming close to Jesus?

We can, apparently.

As TTUMC leaders consider starting blogs, I’m pointing out sources of inspiration. Here are some First Impressions blogs.

“Guru” Blogs

Written by experts.

• Because People Matter
  Who: Mark Waltz, a pastor at Granger Community Church. The guy who wrote the book on First Impressions.
  Sample posts:
  • Got Rules?
  • You Asked: What about the Offering?
• Church Relevance
  Who: Kent Shaffer, a designer and marketer. This blog has a section on First Impressions.
  Sample posts:
  • 6 Parts of Your Church Building that Affect Your Worship Service
  • How to Get First-Time Guests to Return to Your Church
  • Creating an Experience, the Disney Way.
• Church Marketing Sucks
  Who: Brad Abare and Kevin D. Hendricks. This blog has a section on First Impressions.
  Sample Posts:
  • The Problem with Potlucks
  • Battling Frumpiness in the Pulpit
  • What’s Broken in Church?

Ministry Blogs

Written by people doing First Impressions.

• First Impressions…because people matter to God
  Who: Bill Reichart, Pastor of “Doing Life Together” at Big Creek Church in North Atlanta. This is the First Impressions blog for Big Creek Church. See also: Provocative Church.
  Sample Posts: Turkeys need not apply.