Saturday, March 1, 2014

5 People You Don't Want Greeting Your Families



Who is the face of your Children's Ministry?  Who do you trust to make a great first impression on behalf of your team, your church and, ultimately, Jesus himself?  

The volunteers who greet your families and help with the check-in process may be the most important leaders on your team.  Why?  Because they could be the first and only person a parent talks to during their visit to your church.  

At our church these volunteers are stationed at guest check-in desks, but this could just as easily apply to the Sunday School teacher or small group leader who greets families at her classroom door.

Whatever your situation, here are the five people you never want greeting guests:

Grumpy Gus
Gus is the kind of guy who looks like he just ate a lemon.  He may genuinely like people (or maybe not), but you could never tell it by his gruff exterior.


Apathetic Annie
Annie isn't just laid back.  She's bored.   She slouches at the guest check-in desk, plays with her phone and appears inconvenienced when she has to assist someone.  When guests arrive late, she's in no particular hurry to check them in.

Flustered Frank
Frank lives in a constant state of emergency.  He knows families are in a hurry to get checked into the service and freaks out under the pressure.  When the check-in line backs up, he gets nervous and puts stressed out families even more on edge.

Clueless Cathy
Cathy never bothered to learn all of the ins and outs of your check-in process and isn't quite sure how it works.  She doesn't know how to operate the computer or find the right paperwork to get families checked in in a timely manner.  She also doesn't really know much about what kids do once they go in their room or where other age groups meet in the church.

Negative Nellie
Nellie is the kind of leader who's always unhappy about something and loves to vent in front of guests.  Whether she's complaining about a recent change in Children's Ministry, the direction of the church or problems in her marriage, she has no filter.  She lacks the maturity to realize how damaging her negative comments can be.

If any of these folk sound familiar, they either need coaching or need you to help them find a better place to serve.

Instead of these bad examples, be on the lookout for people who:

  • Are warm and friendly
  • Show passion for your ministry
  • Stay cool under pressure
  • Take time to learn your safety & check-in processes
  • Have a positive attitude 
Pray that God will raise up leaders who understand what's at stake and are excited to make a great first impression for the kingdom.  Then set them up to win by giving them all of the support and challenge they need. Finally, take time to celebrate and champion these leaders for making a serious difference in the lives of the families God sends their way.

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