Business to Church

Kem Meyer, the Communications Director over at Granger Community Church, has a really great post today on her Blog about seeing your church through the eyes of a visitor.

Part of what she says:

It's something that has been consuming me lately. I can't stop seeking new ways to adjust my perspective to see through the eyes of our guests. And, I'm challenged daily about how far I would go to understand the reality of their worldview. I'm even discovering new ways to see through the eyes of my 17 year old [and I think she's really whacked at times]. It really is an exercise in dying to yourself.

I'm inspired by the lengths that the Walt Disney Corporation takes to get this. Just a few highlights.

• Disney Imagineers have went as far as wearing kneepads and crawling around their parks to experience them from a child's perspective.
• Every Disney employee is trained in the art of guestology; learning who the guests are and what they expect when they come to visit. It's a standard part of every employee's job. I found a great leadership article about this.
• Disney guest services teams set up incognito "listening posts" all around the parks to capture candid feedback about guest impressions.

Why aren't these standard practices for the church? [this is one of the questions that keeps me up at night and gets my heart pounding]

Guestology. Man, I'm using that one! I've often said that one of the most productive staff retreats is to go to Disneyland/World and see what it means to have a completely immersive experience.

I just returned from Orlando, FL where I saw advertising of the Disney experience in the airport, on the cabs and on the billboards. I heard more about the incredible experience on the radio and on the hotel TV. And if you go to the park, the experience starts at the parking lot and doesn't end all day.

Think about it: at the end of a day at Disneyland/World, do you or your kids say "OK, that's enough, it's time to go." NO WAY! No one - neither kids nor adults - wants to leave! In this sense, Disney has done what Las Vegas has done: (in the words of Ed Young, Jr.) "They have nothing to say, but they know how to say it. Conversely, the church has everything to say and typically doesn't know how to say it."

Thanks to Kem for a great post and a terrific reminder about seeing our church through the eyes of our visitors!