Everyone arrives at your church campus under the same circumstance. Everyone. Your guests, your volunteer teams, your staff.
Someone couldn't find their socks. The train was too long. They left late. They forgot something and had to go back. The kids were fighting. You were fighting. Someone didn't feel like going today. You overslept. You were up too late the night before. There's still a long list of un-finisheds.
The pastor, the volunteers, you. We arrive at church easily distracted. Rushed. Mind everywhere but here.
Right here. Right now.
But providing excellent guest service requires being present in the moment, from moment to moment.
Not our own moment. But someone else's moment. And the next moment, and the next person, and the next...
Here are some quick thoughts to help you stay engaged:
- Sleep. The night before.
- Awake with margin. To eat. To focus. To reflect on why you're going where you're going.
- Go early. The train is gonna be slow; it's a train.
- Meet with friends, your team well before you need to be where you're going to need to be. Debrief. Decompress. Pray. Get focused.
- Keep praying. Practice presence with Jesus.
- Read body language. Connect with the eyes - yours with theirs.
- Ask questions. Enter into another person's world, if only for a moment.
- As your mind drifts back into your day, or forward into your day, stop. Set it aside. Come back.
- Engage people as Jesus would... as though they were Jesus.
