How Not To Be A Welcoming Church

Cheryl and I decided that we would attend Good Friday services that are closer to home (Valley Church is 50 miles round trip from our home in Pleasant Hill). I was checking out different churches to see where we would go.

One church I checked into (which will remain nameless) brought to mind a few lessons on how not to be a welcoming church.

1. Do not have a website. I think in 2007 when there are places you can have a website that is no cost or low cost, there is really no excuse. It is an easy way for a potential visitor to find out about your church.
2. Do not have somebody to answer your phone during typical office hours. The church I'm thinking of is large enough to be able to have a secretary. Every time I pass this church I never see anybody there during the day.
3. Do not include information about Good Friday and Easter Sunday services on your church's voicemail. I mean Easter Sunday is a huge opportunity to have visitor's come to your church.
4. Do not have information on the church's sign about special services. No excuse if you have a sign that can be changed up.
5. Have the first sign that somebody sees when they come up to your main entrance say - "Food and drink are not allowed in the new addition." If I were a petty guy (and admittedly sometimes I can be), that would be enough for me to take my Kum & Go coffee that I sometimes get before services, turn around and leave. Seriously, are we going to put our carpet before visitors? I happened to be by the church today and stopped by, and I kid you not, this was the sign they had up. No "welcome", no "we are glad you are here". Not even an emergency number for somebody to call if they needed to (see #2).

Well after all that it seems that Kelvey is coming down with the flu, so we will probably stay home from the other church that we decided to go to (that had a website with current information about services).