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In the Blink of an Eye: Would I Want to Attend Your Church?
Orginally published on Monday, June 04, 2007 at 6:48 AM
by Todd Rhoades
It is vitally important that the first contact someone has with our church is a positive one. Andy Stanley says it this way, “Your sermon starts in the parking lot.” As more and more people begin their search for a church by looking online, the “sermon” could very well start with your church's Web site. When I look at your church's Web site, I can immediately tell you a lot about your church, your values, your mentality, your approach, and whether or not I'd want to be a part.
There’s a fascinating new study about first impressions that I want to share with you.
Researchers in Canada have shown that the snap decisions Internet users make about the quality of a Web page have a lasting impact on their opinions. According to a nature.com article, “Web Users Judge Sites in the Blink of an Eye,” by Michael Hopkin:
“We all know that first impressions count, but this study shows that the brain can make flash judgments almost as fast as the eye can take in the information. The discovery came as a surprise to some experts…They found that impressions were made in the first 50 milliseconds of viewing.”
“For a typical commercial website, 60% of traffic comes from search engines such as Google, says Marc Caudron of London web-design agency Pod1. This makes a user’s first impression even more critical, he explains. ‘You’ll get a list of sites, click the top one, and then either say “I’ve engaged” and give it a few more seconds, or just go back to Google,’ he says.
“The lasting effect of first impressions is known to psychologists as the ‘halo effect’: if you can snare people with an attractive design, they are more likely to overlook other minor faults with the site, and may rate its actual content (such as this article, for example) more favorably.”
How does this fit into the church, you ask?
It is vitally important that the first contact someone has with our church is a positive one. Andy Stanley says it this way, “Your sermon starts in the parking lot.” As more and more people begin their search for a church by looking online, the “sermon” could very well start with your church’s Web site. When I look at your church’s Web site, I can immediately tell you a lot about your church, your values, your mentality, your approach, and whether or not I’d want to be a part.
Maybe for your church the sermon starts with a newspaper ad—maybe it starts with the front door or the color of your foyer. Just know that it only takes a fraction of a second to either make a good first impression or a bad one.
FOR DISCUSSION: You’ll have to do some thinking on this one. Where do most of your new people get their first impressions of your church? Have you ever asked new attendees how they heard about your church and what their first impressions were? What can you do to improve the chances that people will have a great first impression of your church?
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There are 11 Comments:
I'm a chronic workaholic, love to connect leaders with other leaders, and would consider myself somewhat of a 'maven'. Hopefully you'll find something here at MMI you'll like and will return often. If you want, you can find out more about me or follow my every step.
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Posted by Daniel D
Monday, June 04, 2007 at 9:36 AM
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Monday, June 04, 2007 at 3:05 PM
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Monday, June 04, 2007 at 3:10 PM
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Posted by Mark Simpson
Tuesday, June 05, 2007 at 3:14 AM
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Tuesday, June 05, 2007 at 12:17 PM
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Wednesday, June 06, 2007 at 7:05 PM
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Posted by Larry Blackmore
Monday, June 11, 2007 at 6:00 PM
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Posted by Jeremy Phillips
Monday, June 18, 2007 at 2:10 AM
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Posted by yellow croaker
Tuesday, April 08, 2008 at 12:36 AM
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Posted by flash ice
Friday, April 11, 2008 at 2:15 PM
Post Your Comments:When I was overseeing marketing for a 1.4 million square foot, 180 store shopping mall, one of my mentors told me something that has always stuck out in my mind. He said, “it’s no use inviting guest to your house unless your house is clean and ready for visitors.” He made this remark in reference to a major billboard campaign we were about to launch throughout the city.
For us we were so focused on ROI and bringing new people into the center that we often took a blind eye to the very things that were creating the perception in the customer’s mind. We had a revolving door. We could spend millions on advertising, slick promotions and giveaways but if we continued to let the pot holes in the pavement get bigger, the exterior paint deteriorate, the janitorial staff respond slowly to spills, or the security staff to not be visible to the public then we’d surely be fighting a loosing battle. We did a great job at getting new people in the door but then we failed to deliver on the promises our invitations made. We often lost the opportunity to retain and in the process hurt our long-term brand by way of consumers having a bad experience and telling others they knew of that experience. Then we got smart and things turned around. We, the marketing team, used to operate as our own department but as we realized the perpetual motion we discovered that all departments had to be united and performing optimally in order for our goals to be achieved. Marketing / outreach became an integrated process. My role switched from managing print ads and radio buys to managing those things and having influence in all things related to the customer experience, from the time they saw and ad to when they drove onto the property to when they made a purchase and when they left.
So what can the church do to not fall into this revolving door? Clean house before you invite guest over. Be smart. Look at everything through the eyes of someone who knows nothing about your church, seriously. Seek to better understand their needs. Get your team and your volunteers together regularly to cast a vision and empower them to be the church in their individual roles each weekend. Seems obvious but it’s one area that church leaders seem to not enforce as well as they could. *The senior pastor should do this occasionally rather than just letting ministry leaders do it. The front line people need to know the direction of the ship from the one who helps steer it. Hire consultants to reevaluate your processes and trust what they tell you. Don’t let your ego get in the way of progress. Be open to change and don’t fool yourself by thinking you have it all figured out. Most of all, identify who it is you want your church to be. What perception do you want people to leave with? You can’t influence perception if you don’t first know what perception you are trying to impart. (Oh yeah, pray. Nothing like asking God to lead you to clarity.)
Clean bathrooms are really important, too!
AMEN, Peter! Clogged toilets speaks volumes about a church. Especially if the majority of them are or *horror* - they all are.
Daniel D. - great suggestions too!
In all the things I read on this site and so many others for church leaders today, I am seeing a theme now constantly ignored: the role of God’s Holy Spirit in building His Son’s Church. “I will build my church.” Of course we pastors agree on having a clean place and friendly greeters. Have we lost all faith in God’s Holy Spirit to draw those that He is leading to us, FIRST TO BECOME SAVED AND DEDICATED TO BEING DEVELOPED AS HIS DISCIPLES, people who are learning that it is more blessed to give than receive, people who see needs at a place but know that GOD called them there to make a difference? Messages like this tell me more and more that we are becoming “form idolaters” which is great for those who are selling the forms. With 97% of our nation’s churches now having no prayer ministry, is it any wonder it has come to this??
I will build my church, of course he will, and he uses us and our attempts at process, and absolutely he interrupts, our attempts. I appreciate the ideas stated here, and yes sometimes I get lost in the how we do church, and loose sight of the fact that the call/mission is big enough that even when the facilities are not perfect, (by whatever standard you choose to measure) He is able to reach beyond it to accomplish his purpose. The fact that he does what he does is not an excuse for shoddy behavior of any type. And sometimes we need to be reminded that facilities do matter, in that they like we reflect, (or not) the majesty of the/our calling.
In short it is not either or (IMO)
Mark,
“With 97% of our nation’s churches now having no prayer ministry, is it any wonder it has come to this??” While I would not be surprised if that number is correct, am curious as to where you got that specific number from??
Not long ago I was told, “Prayer ministry is for the old widowed women of the church only.” One of the saddest comments I’ve ever heard.
Understood all too well your comments.
You’ve been prayed for,
Camey
It seems some of our bloggers have lost the thread. It’s not a matter of facilities or programs but a matter of heart. Authenticity, other focus and hospitality are attractive no matter the package. And all that comes from a Spirit filled believer.
Having done ALL, we stand.
If we’re not praying we’re crazy, but if we’re not taking care of business we stand to loose just as much.
God will build His church on the best we can give Him, so let’s do our best so that He can give His best.
We produced a great web site and started getting visitors from it. Our congregation started to believe in their church because of this and started inviting their friends.
And the committed continue to pray.
Let’s do it all as best we can.
The sad part is that a lot of times a person cannot actually tell if they would really like to be a part of your church from your website because the church website in no way represents what the church is really about. Many are extremely horrible even though the church may be great. Or the website is slick giving no real impression of the reality of a church that is struggling.
The real question is “If my church is not doing well should I put up a pathetic website to give an accurate representation?” I doubt if anyone would say yes to that question!
Great article!
Jeremy Phillips
http://www.illustratedmessage.com/blog
For us we were so focused on ROI and bringing new people into the center that we often took a blind eye to the very things that were creating the perception in the customer’s mind. We had a revolving door.
Intersting, but I don’t like churh website. It’s look like that you’ve gut the menu befor you entered church. You must entere in chuch with flash in mind and don’t now what could be there, befind the door.
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