by Kem Meyer, Communications Director

Our One-Day Workshops are happening this Friday and Saturday. These are intense and focused, interactive learning environments that your whole team can take advantage of. Get away for one day and join us at Granger Commons on Friday, April 25 to learn more about First Impressions, Communications and Kids’ Ministry. Then stay with your team for the Arts All-Access workshop on Saturday, April 26 where you’ll go behind the scenes and attend the Saturday night service.

Sequencing matters. Service matters. Systems matter.

And so do people.

When sequencing and systems fail to help our guests effectively experience quality service, or take practical steps toward desired outcomes, people are not valued. We don’t communicate that they matter. At least we fall obviously short.

Our connections team has been assessing processes, systems, staffing and teams that most effectively help our people take their next step toward Jesus—particularly, new guests to our church. Although someone’s very next step after an initial weekend service may be to come back the next weekend, we can’t assume that is the only step a guest may want or need to take.

How do people meet others? Find a sense of belonging? And in doing so take a step on their journey toward and with Jesus?

Continue reading on Mark’s Blog...

Have you heard about our One-Day Workshops? These are intense and focused, interactive learning environments that your whole team can take advantage of. Get away for one day and join us at Granger Commons on Friday, April 25 to learn more about First Impressions, Communications and Kids’ Ministry. Then stay with your team for the Arts All-Access workshop on Saturday, April 26 where you’ll go behind the scenes and attend the Saturday night service.

by Mark Beeson, Lead Pastor

My fast-paced Wednesday began with Granger’s “Manly Man Breakfast.” It ended with “Life Foundations,” where hundreds of people are learning to study the Bible. (Rick Warren’s Bible Study Methods: 12 Ways You Can Unlock God’s Word is the great little tool we’re using as a guide. I recommend it.)

After wrapping up yesterday’s afternoon meetings I walked into The Granger Commons, ready for a great night with GCC.

I heard singing. The music was good; the voice was great. Jason was teaching Life Foundations and I supposed he had asked Ellie Holcomb to sing. That was a logical assumption because Jason is brilliant and he often leverages the arts for illustrative purposes. However, when I got closer, I realized Ellie wasn’t in the auditorium helping Jason. She was doing a full-blown concert in The Eatery (which was filled with people who were loving every minute of it).

There I was, face-to-face with a situation pastors either love or hate—two things were happening at once. While people were learning to study the Bible in one room, people were enjoying a concert in another.

Scheduling two things at once puzzled some; it disturbed others.

Continue reading on Mark’s Blog...

by Kem Meyer, Communications Director

Aside from “clutter and noise,” what are some of the major pitfalls many churches run into in their communications?

Ah, easy. The ministry silos. You’ve seen it: the missions department does its own thing. The student leaders do their own thing. The women’s ministry does its own thing. And the pattern repeats throughout the whole church. The result? Individual departments end up competing against each other with a carnival communication style trying to out-yell or out-explain.

If we each serve up a different experience, run off in our own individual directions—information gets lost or isolated. People and projects proliferate—as does confusion. This creates real liabilities for the church as a whole and puts a lid on overall impact.

A lot of churches acknowledge it’s a problem, but find it too exhausting to tackle. It’s simply easier to just ignore silos and let people do their own thing. The only way to resolve these types of issues is to connect multiple areas to operate as part of a larger family. Some examples:

• One mission statement. If everyone is working toward the same goal, there will be less territorialism and more teamwork.
• One budget. There are different categories for each ministry, but one church budget.
• One database. A single version of reality—reports and contacts.
• One URL. One church, multiple ministries. Not the other way around. A house has one front door—so should your web site.

(Excerpt from Ministry Matters Interview | 6 in series of 6)

And if you’d like to get more of Kem’s practical training for your Communications team, sign up today for her one-day workshop in April!

I just received a question from Kyle—a friend who serves at a neighboring church in our area:

Do our greeters wear name tags or only those serving at our Guest Services center?

I've had dozens of conversations with churches asking a similar question, but much to my own surprise, I don't think I've addressed it in writing 'til now. Thanks for the prompt, Kyle! 

My amazing, inspiring bride, Laura

To Tag or Not to Tag

At Granger Community we want to remove all the barriers we can to build bridges that quickly connect people. Name tags are one small way we do that. In a quick list format, here's what we've learned and practice: 

• Name tags on our guest services team members help guests recognize: "This is someone I can approach for help." That's everyone on every guest services team: traffic team, guest services center, greeters, ushers, children's check-in team, campus guides, cafe and bookstore team.
• We don't ask guests to wear name tags. Some of them want to be anonymous. Remembering names is our job.

Click the graphic below to see the full postcard (at a size that's easier on the eyes):

Get more information, and register for a coaching experience that could change the trajectory of your ministry at WiredChurches.com.

Whether at church, school, business or home, you are leading people and projects every day. You're leading in a culture that is constantly changing and redefining itself. Leadership takes perseverance, dedication and a commitment to stretch your mind, expand your heart and use your God-given gifts to impact your world in real and powerful ways.

August 8-9, 2013 you're invited to gather with thousands of leaders across North America for The Global Leadership Summit. The Global Leadership Summit exists to transform Christian leaders around the world with an injection of vision, skill development, and inspiration for the sake of the local church. The Summit is telecast LIVE from Willow Creek Community Church near Chicago. Commit now to be a part of this annual event designed to stretch and challenge you with world-class speakers, interactive dialogue and practical training.

Register today to attend at Granger Community Church or one of the 230+ host sites in the United States!