I was recently in a church that had several signs posted about not bringing food or drinks in the worship center.
I asked a guest what he thought of the signs. His response was telling: "I think they are telling me they don't want to clean up my mess."
From that perspective, the sign was a negative sign for the church. At least from one person's point of view it meant, "Don't bother us."
Many churches, however, have positive signs posted around the church facilities. Unless you are a curmudgeon, these signs would give you a favorable impression of the church. My comments after each sign reflect the message it would likely communicate.
1. Guest parking. We welcome guests at our church. We want to treat you like a guest in our home and demonstrate our hospitality.
2. Allergy alert. These are the snacks we will be serving your children. We care about them and their well-being. If they have allergy problems, we will gladly offer them an alternative snack.
3. Expectant/young mother parking. We care about families. We especially understand the challenges young mothers have, and we hope this convenient parking helps a bit.
4. Public welcome to this playground. We did not build this playground as just a perk for our members. We want all of the community to know they are welcome here.
5. Guest welcome center. We always have someone at this welcome center during church activities. We have placed it at the entrance so you can walk right up and ask us any questions. We will also provide you information on our church.
6. You are welcome to take a Bible. We want everyone to have a Bible. We provide these Bibles as our gift to you.
7. Covered drop off. During inclement weather, we want you to have a place where you can drop off members of your family. This drop off is also available for those dropping off senior adults.
I love hearing from you readers. Let me know of some "positive signs" in your church.
Thom S. Rainer is the president of LifeWay Research. For the original article, visit thomranier.com.
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